Where Are the Galapagos Islands?

Where is/are...?

by Megan Stine, John Hinderliter (Illustrator)

Armchair adventurers can set sail for the remote Galapagos Islands and learn about the strange and unique animals that live there. 

The Galapagos Islands are a chain of volcanic islands located on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean. The isolated location of the islands has allowed a vast number of species to develop that are original to each island, such as the marine iguana, the blue-footed booby, the magnificent frigatebird and of course the giant Galapagos tortoise, which may live to be over one hundred years old. Studied by Charles Darwin during his historic voyage on the HMS Beagle , the island life contributed to his groundbreaking theory of evolution. Today the islands are a popular tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

This book, part of the New York Times best-selling series, is enhanced by eighty illustrations and a detachable fold-out map complete with four photographs on the back.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Animals, Geography, Science, Travel

112 pages, Library Binding

Published May 16, 2017

About the author

Megan Stine is an American author and editor known for writing more than 100 books for young readers. Her work includes teen etiquette, tie-in fiction, and bestselling Mary-Kate and Ashley titles. She has also developed television projects and works as a portrait and fine art photographer for Real U Guides.

Reviews

[David]

A good starter-book aimed at middle-grade students. The sketches throughout the book are fine, but I wish for a more colorful version of this book. There is one final color page with a few animals and a map. Now I want to know more.

We all tend to know that Darwin developed his The Origin of Species from his visit to these Islands. But we probably don't know much more.

Some random facts that caught my attention:
- Owned/governed by Ecuador.
- Only 4 of the islands are inhabited (Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, and Floreana)
- Fernandina is the youngest island, to the west (as volcanic activity from under water makes new islands as the plate above drifts eastward).
- In 2009 the volcano on Fernandina erupted killing animals there (but no people)
- Isabela island is shaped like a seahorse and is 62 miles long.
- About 2000 people live on Isabela. A town on the southern tip is where most of the people are.
- Isabela has a volcano, Sierra Negra, that erupted for 8 days in 2005.
- About 5000 giant tortoises live on Isabela.
- Santa Cruz has the largest population - about 12 thousand. It has a good-size town with restaurants, hotels, shops, a hospital, and banks.
- The Galapagos Penguin (about 19 inches tall) is the only penguin to live north of the equator (just barely).

A great starter book that will make you want to read more. Perfect for the intended junior-reader.
I just wish it had more color photos.

[Laura Harrison]

Another wonderful series offering. I wish the Where, Who, What series of books were around when I was a child. Entertainingly informative with fun illustrations.

[Kavitha Sivakumar]

Charles Darwin understood the idea of "natural selection" by studying the finches and tortoises from this island!

[Alicia]

Learning is always fun with this series. I liked learning about the creation of the Galapagos Islands and how it was populated and interestingly that people live on a few of the islands now! I appreciated the last few chapters that included warnings about the environmental issues paired with human traffic and the stupidity of some explorers releasing non-indigenous animals who then tear up the landscape. I enjoyed the profiles of several of the animals as well and the explorers who came to learn about the islands and then the islands that made Darwin famous.

Always a neatly organized series of books that teach me something.

[David]

Where Are the Galapagos Islands? by Megan Stine was a particularly fun read for me because we have been there. We were on a cruise around the various islands that make up the Galapagos and went ashore every day to see and photograph many of the strange creatures described by the author. She also presented a short but very informative history of the islands from before there were any islands to today with increasing restrictions on tourists visiting the islands. A visit lets you observe first hand what Darwin observed during his historic journey aboard the HMS Beagle that led to his groundbreaking theory of evolution. It is quite apparent that, because of the wide variation in climate and available food sources, a same species on two different islands evolved different beaks in order to live on the different types of food sources available to them. This book is another in the NY Times best-selling series and includes some great illustrations.

[Natalie]

I’ve got this giant stack of books that I want to read for my classroom library. Ideally I’d like to read one a day but it’s doubtful I’ll be able to keep that up. At least I read this one today!

Not my favorite in this series, I’m not sure why. It could just be that I’m exceptionally sleepy right now. 🤷🏼‍♀️

*Pirates stopped there and captured tortoises for fresh meat. (Very sad!)

*97% is a National Park. Charge $100 straight off the airplane

*Humans are the worst threat, as per usual. I hate how we destroy whatever we touch even when we’re trying to love it.

[Debra]

I love this series of books by the HQ folks. They are just the right amount of information with the right nonfiction text features for elementary students to do reports. They include sketches, maps, and shorter chapters to keep my students engaged. This particular one is touching on Darwin's visit and the United Nations concerns about this group of islands as much as the way the islands were formed. I really love the color map at the end of the book. I have these maps from the HQ books I own up on the walls of the library. They are "just right" for my elementary collections!

[Brantley Towns]

This book is a good book. I got this at Goodwill that is where I get all of my books. The best part in the whole book is learning about all of the animals. There is a Marine Iguana, there is a Red Footed Booby, a Galapagos Tortoise and there is a Blue Footed Booby. My favorite animal is the Blue Footed Booby because he is cute. I would like to visit there to see all the animals. Fun fact, baby Blue Footed Boobies don't have blue feet. That is all i have to say now, bye.

[Δάσκαλος]

TIL

1. When human reached the Galapagos islands for the first time in 16th C, birds there weren't afraid of them. (p. 8)
2. There are only six mammals native to Galapagos: sea lions, fur seals, dolphins, whales, bats, and rice rats. (p. 53)
3. Goats were once a serious invasive species for the islands. Project Isabela were launched to remove them and it was declared successful in 2006. (p. 58-60).

[Holly Towns]

I really do love this book the only problom is that it's super short. I wish it were longer and told more about it. Overall the pictures are really good. I want to know if it was hand drawn, my favorite animal is the Galapagos Turtle. It was so cool to learn about them, they are so big. So big that you can ride on them. I want to ride on one. I would like to visit here one day.

[Yvonne]

Excellent beginner book on the islands and their history and about how we need to look at if more people go to the islands what effect is that having on the habitat and how do we juggle that. Very interesting and informative.

[Jen]

This was a surprisingly good nonfiction book. It touched on the geology, geography, history, animal life, and current issues pertaining to the Galapagos Islands. The writing is approachable and interesting, and avoids becoming politically or emotionally charged when discussing conservation.

[Nathaniel]

i liked it

[Caleb]

i liked it

[Vannessa Anderson]

Readers learn the Galapagos Islands were found by accident more than 100-years before it was rediscovered. Readers also learn how islands are born. An interesting read.

[Emma]

I would like to visit here some day.

[Daphne Kim]

We enjoy this series and both learned something new in this one. She wants to visit.

[Graemme Boone]

Very informative. Makes me want to go there.

[Alex]

This one was actually quite fascinating.

[Ann-Marie]

My students and son like this series of books a lot. I understand why now. It offered really good basic information about the Galapagos. Exactly what I needed.

[Barbara Lovejoy]

What a fun AND informative book. I learned many new things.

[Denise]

One of the best in this series.
Middle school.

[Tym]

Very informative with detailed illustrations, great for the recommended audience

[F S]

A great book!

[Charlotte]

I was surprised by the things I learned about the Galapagos Islands. They are very interesting and I liked this book.

[Bobbie]

Loved this book!!! So much information about the islands and love how they talk about protecting the islands.

[Annie Gordon]

All pictures are in B&W. The text is somewhat dense and contains a lot of evolution language.

[Chelsea Heath]

My 8 year old daughter brought this home to read with me because of the animals. We both found it so interesting! What a unique place!

[Drew Fluharty]

Good. Helped me in class with Charles Darwin.

[Mrs. Melaugh]

This informative text provides a solid introduction to the wonders of the Galapagos Islands. Early chapters describe the formation of the islands, their discovery by European explorers, and the visits by Darwin and other sailors that led to the discovery of how unique they are. Several chapters chronicle the unusual birds and animal species that live there, such as giant tortoise, pink iguana, and blue-foot booby. Explanatory pages for concepts such as ownership and habitats of the Galapagos and tectonic plates are interspersed. As with the rest of the series, the length is just over one hundred pages and illustrations are black and white line drawings. However this volume contains a bonus full color pull-out poster of four island animals and a map. A final chapter deals with protecting the Galapagos. The author does a fine job of conveying a sense of wonder and instilling a desire to preserve this unique global treasure.