 |
The Pebble in My Pocket - A History of Our Earth.
Meredith Hooper. Illustrated by Chris Coady.
Subject Heading:
Grades 3 - 7 / Ages 8 - 12.
*** /4
|
excerpt:
The pebble in my pocket is round and smooth and brown. I found it on the ground.My pebble has been on top of mountains and under the sea. It has been buried in ice and buried in rock. It has been covered in drying sand and tropical forest. It has been flung and dropped, frozen, soaked and baked, squeezed and squashed. It has been stood on and sheltered under and used. It has travelled huge distances, over immense periods of time.
Author Meredith Hooper, Australian by birth, now lives in North
London. She has done post-graduate study at Oxford and is a member of
the Association of British Science Writers. The Pebble in My
Pocket tells how a single pebble was formed, starting 480 million
years ago when, because of volcanic activity, nothing was living on
the land. 395 million years ago leafless plants grew, but the first
worm-like creatures did not appear until 390 million years ago. The
author takes readers through time, describing the changes in the
earth, its flora and fauna, and, in particular, the various locations
of the pebble. Chris Coady's full colour, albeit somewhat dark and
gloomy, paintings illustrate each page of text. The text is placed on
the lightest part of each illustration, thereby making it clear and
readable.
The book's concluding pages include a geological time line showing outline drawings of animals that were typical of the different geological ages. A useful book to enlarge children's knowledge of the earth's creation, it will be especially enjoyed by those who are intrigued by dinosaurs. While the concept of millions of years is a difficult one to grasp, both author and illustrator have done their best to explain it in this book.
Recommended.
Joan Payzant is a retired teacher and teacher-librarian who lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © 1997 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - NOVEMBER 28, 1997.
AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | BOOKSHELF | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME