Moth: An Evolution Story

by Isabel Thomas

Powerful and visually spectacular, Moth is the remarkable evolution story that captures the struggle of animal survival against the background of an evolving human world in a unique and atmospheric introduction to Darwin's theory of Natural Selection.

“This is a story of light and dark…”

Against a lush backdrop of lichen-covered trees, the peppered moth lies hidden. Until the world begins to change...

Along come people with their magnificent machines which stain the land with soot. In a beautiful landscape changed by humans how will one little moth survive?

A clever picture book text about the extraordinary way in which animals have evolved, intertwined with the complication of human intervention. This remarkable retelling of the story of the peppered moth is the perfect introduction to natural selection and evolution for children.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Nature, Evolution, Childrens

Unknown Binding

First published June 25, 2019

Reviews

[Christie Angleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely stunning.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moth is such a wonderful book, it has all the right ‘stuff’! Written for the older child, this beautifully illustrated book teaches about adaptation in the wild and natural selection in nature using the moth. Ingenious!

[Niamh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evolution has become a topic that can make some feel scared to teach. This book demonstrates “change and adaption, survival and hope” in a very clear and beautiful way.
Not only does the story explain how animals change and adapt, but also the illustrations are clearly thought through to show this as well.

[Ellie L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas and Egneus tell the tale of the adaptation of the Peppered Moth, as they find themselves under threat in an environment that is ever-changing and increasingly dangerous. I could not recommend this text highly enough, not only in how it depicts the process of evolution- but in how it allows us to look back at past actions and the impact upon the natural world. A story which I think could allow for moral debate as well as the space to break down scientific concepts.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stunning nonfiction picture book that chronicles the experiences of the Peppered Moth over many years. In a series of gorgeous illustrations on many backdrops, we learn that the Peppered Moth was once mostly white with black specks so that it could easily be camouflaged against lichen-covered branches. At that time, the rare black moth was easily captured by prey because they stood out against the branches. But over time, humans interfered with the process by building coal powered fires and machines. Pollution forced the Peppered Moth to evolve and change colors for survival! The back matter provides more information on the process -- this one is not to be missed!

The illustrations are just as fascinating as the information in this book, and I also noticed the texture of the book paper is very high quality, unlike most of the children's books I read! The artwork was created with watercolor, crayons, acrylics, collage, and Photoshop.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Lindsey Lynn (thepagemistress) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Bloomsbury for sending me a finished copy of Moth. It has such a beautiful story of adaptation and change. Loved the art so much. It was beautifully done

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This nonfiction picture book explains a specific process of evolution by following the story of the Peppered Moth. The moths emerge from their cocoons after the long winter, quickly seeking shelter from predators. At first, most of the moths had speckled black and white wings. It allowed them to better hide in the bark of the woods. The ones that happened to be born with dark wings got eaten by predators. So the speckled moths were able to survive to lay their eggs. But then the world around them changed with more soot and pollution covering the bark of the trees and other objects. Now it was the dark moths that survived best and could lay their eggs. Steadily, the moths started to become darker and less speckled. Now though, pollution is lessening and there is no longer as much soot. So the speckled moths are returning alongside the dark moths.

The tale of the Peppered Moth shows many elements of evolutionary process, including natural selection and adaptation. Both of those concepts are more fully described in the final pages of the book but are fully realized in the main part of the book as well. Thomas does a lovely job with the prose, giving the reader just enough information to allow the story to unfold before them. She limits the amount of words on the page, making this accessible for quite young children.

The illustrations are marvelous, inviting readers into the darkness of a moonlit woods as the moths emerge from their cocoons. The pages fill with moths of different mixtures of black and white. When day comes, more predators enter the pages. As the pollution enters, the world becomes dark and filled with dots and specks of dirty soot. The moths glow against the new darkness, or hide well, depending on their color. It’s a stirring and rich look at evolution happening right before your eyes.

Beautifully written and illustrated, this is a very special nonfiction picture book. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing way to introduce evolution. It's story is simple and easy to understand, making quite a complex topic assessable. The pictures are stunning! They really help to illustrate the importance of the moths adaption. The language used in the book is well chosen, with great verbs and uses of alliteration.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+++ - perfectly written and beautifully illustrated to introduce these scientific concepts to kids in way that is easy to grasp.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the art in this book--If I remember nothing from this book, I will remember the feeling of looking at these pages and wanting to know more about the process of the illustration and wanting to play in the medium that was used.
This is a very easily accessible intro to the idea of adaptation, specifically focusing on moths. We actually had a day at the library where the internet was down for several hours and I managed to convince both boys to read and review this book for me and get their impressions. Both were very positive in their responses and the 8 y-o mentioned that he was actually kind of scared of moths and this book gave him a bit more insight into moths and as a result, he wasn't as scared. That was super neat :) The other kid, when asked what grades this book might be good for was convinced that this book was good for EVERYONE, regardless of age :)

[Jessica Sharland · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing book with stunning illustrations.
A book aimed at KS2 with a heavy focus on change, survival, evolution and natural selection. I feel this book is really good at showing children why animals adapt and how they change over time.

It’s also gives us ‘hope’ for the future about our world and encourages children that change can be a good thing.
Lots of imagery language included.

[Aoife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evolution can feel like a daunting topic to teach. However, this book demonstrates change, adaptation, and natural selection clearly and easily. The illustrations are stunning and the colours reflect the “light and dark” theme as we follow the adaptation of the peppered moth.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book!! Would be fabulous to use with the science curriculum plus a bit of history thrown in too. Or just a lovely story with beautiful illustrations

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

YR reading lesson
Beautiful illustrations, lovely to read.
Two pages of information on moths at the end.

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is quite amazing to think that Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection can be quite vividly brought to life in a story of the life cycle of the tiny little peppered moth. In this story children will be introduced the concept of survival of a species and how often this survival is dependent upon an animal’s colour and ability to camouflage itself to stay safe from predators. During the industrial revolution in England in the 19th century, and the dramatic changes that were wrought by this revolution, life became more dangerous for the little peppered moth. As soot and smoke started to stain the buildings and trees black the lighter members of the species were easy target for their predators and thus the darker and blacker moths survived. Over time; however, as pollution controls were introduced and buildings cleaned the tables were turned. This is a fascinating story, beautifully illustrated, of the way a species has survived and adapted over the years. Isabel Thomas has written a wonderful introduction to biology for children but it is the illustrations that are absolutely captivating.
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_co...

[Sarah Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story talked about moths "evolving" throughout history. It explained the difference between dark colored moths and peppered moths and which ones survived during each time period. This was a great book for students to read because of the illustrations although there was not actual proof of where the writer go her facts. When having a non-fiction book in your classroom library you want it to be factual and resources are included in the story to show proof of research. I think this would be a great book students can learn from about gathering resources for a project or a paper they may right. You can read this book aloud and then pass it around the room and have the students look for actual facts where the writer got her sources from. There are no facts, therefore they would understand their papers must have resources throughout the format.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moth: An Evolution Story by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Daniel Egneus. NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK. Bloomsbury, 2019. $19. 9781547600205

BUYING ADVISORY: EL – ESSENTIAL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A certain species of moth used to be a combination of black and white, mostly, but when the Industrial Revolution hit and the trees and buildings became covered with soot and ash, the darker version became more prevalent.

That’s a pretty utilitarian summary, but Thomas’s book is very lyrical and Egneus’s beautiful illustrations make for a wonderful read. A great opener for a lesson on adaptation. I’m hoping my Biology teachers will embrace this.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...

[Sophie Snowden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book cleverly tells the story of how the peppered moth has adapted and changed over time due to pollution and climate change. I feel this story has a really important message running beneath it, that if we don’t change the way we treat the planet we may end up causing more damage to the animals than we realise.

[Supriya Kelkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, moving book about evolution and the impact we have on our world.

[V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why we chose this book:
Nature literature? Always on my radar, and the synopsis for Moth sounded special. Bloomsbury Children's Books provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mom's Review (V)

Beautiful and captivating, Moth introduces young readers to evolution and environmentalism through narrative. T loved the pictures and said he enjoyed the story, but he didn't understand how evolution worked after our initial read. This was no surprise. Throughout the day we continued to talk about camouflage, babies looking like their parents, and animals likely to get eaten. With leading questions and conversation, he learned the basic concept. I was impressed when he connected the evolution of one animal to the impact it has on the greater food chain: "But if all the moths and worms are black, and the birds can't see them, what will the birds eat? Won't they starve and die?"

Moth tells the story of the peppered moth's evolution. Prior to the industrial revolution, the moths had speckled wings, which provided camouflage on lichen-colored trees. Pollution from industry killed the lichen, so birds easily caught speckled moths, but not charcoal-colored moths; thus, the moths evolved to predominantly charcoal-covered wings. Thomas explains in understandable terms that this happened because the darker moths were not caught and were able to have babies, and their offspring resembled themselves. Jump ahead to today, when we have restrictions on pollution; we learn that the moths have evolved again. At present, both speckled and charcoal peppered moths can be found. Thomas closes her book with an encouragement to look for moths in the wild. Back matter provides more specifics on the evolution of the peppered moth.

Son's Review (T)
(Age: 4)
Mom: What was your favorite part of Moth?

Son: Um. Well, I liked the little girl.

Mom: What little girl?

Son, flipping through the book: The character...This girl [reading about moths].

Mom: What was the most interesting thing that you learned?

Son: Why they made a machines.

Mom: And why did they make machines? Did they hurt moths on purpose, or was it just something that happened?

Son: To hurt moths...that was something that just happened.

Mom: If you look at this picture you can see why people made machines. Why did they build steam trains?

Son: Haul things.

Mom: The humans didn't hurt moths. What did the birds do?

Son: Eat the moths.

Mom: What would you do if you found a moth?

Son: I would trap it gently.

Mom: What would you want to see on the moth?

Son: Its wings and its little butt.

Mom: What do you already know about moths?

Son: Well, what I already know is that moths have wings to fly.

Mom: When it is a good time to read Moth?

Son: When I don't understand a moth thing or I forget.

Mom: Who is this a good book for?

Son: Uncle B. Because it just is.

Mom: Why do you think that Isabel Thomas wrote this story? What do you think she wants us to learn?

Son: I don't know.

Mom: That's okay. How did the moths grow and change over time?.

Son: I forgot.

Mom: Let's look back...
(And here we had a long conversation about who got eaten at different points in history versus which moths grew up and had babies.)

Mom: So, what do you understand now?

Son: Now I understand that she wants to know that, "Keep the air clean...help the moths."

Mom: What's the most important thing to know about Moth?

Son: That you should keep the air clean!

[Allison]

Summary:
The story of Moth, is about a moth’s survival across the span of it’s lifetime. A moth’s journey to survive, begins as soon as they are born. The peppered moth’s wings are specifically created to help them adapt to their environment and remain hidden away from predators on the barks of trees. This particular adaptation had always been a useful trait for the peppered moth, until buildings and infrastructure begins to be created in their habitat. A moth’s survival continues to face its challenges in it’s new environment, as the trees begin to be polluted with soot from the fog. The moths have to learn how to adapt to their new surroundings, in order to simply survive, during the uprising of the industrial revolution.
Evaluation:
I found this particular book to have a beautiful storyline, as well as illustrations. However, for this to be based upon a true event, there were no factual evidence to back up the author’s reasoning behind why she wrote the story the way that she did. Students may ask further questions, regarding the true representation of a peppered moth. The moths drawn within the story, were extremely artistic and beautiful, but they did not display a true representation of all of the details that encompass this particular species. The author may have wanted to include additional photographs of real moths adapting to their environment, and changing over time in the back of the book. The book was not scientifically accurate, so young readers who are wishing to learn more about the adaptation of the peppered moth, should try to focus more upon non-fiction texts that have clear research citations written within them.
Teaching Point:
Although this particular book was not completely scientifically accurate, I feel as if this story could be useful as an engaging introduction to the concept of natural selection and adaption process of organisms in their environment over time. The story does not explicitly state that some of the occurrences within the story, were a result from the industrial revolution. As the instructor, I would be sure to explicitly fill in the gaps that the story fails to mention. After reading this particular story, I would follow up with a video that addresses more of the accurate and raw details behind the concept of natural selection. After students are given the necessary content, I would then create an activity, in which students participate in a peppered moth lab, where students are learning more about the likelihood of survival of certain moths in the wild, in comparison to other, through the process of a controlled experiment.

[Courtney Vandiver]

Summary: A moth's survival journey starts immediately after it is born. These moths with peppered wings rely on the trees surrounding them to stay hidden. This adaptation has always worked until buildings begin to go up and their surroundings begin to change. The moth's journey to survival continues in this new habitat, as the trees have become covered in soot. These moths learn how to adapt and flourish in this new land as the Industrial Revolution is booming.

Evaluation: While this book has a good storyline, there is no research listed in any part of the book to attest to the scientific accuracy of this story. The illustrations in this book are quite good, but the moth itself does not provide the reader with a lot of details as their the only notable characteristic is the outline of the wings. Students might have further questions on what the bat looks like. There is also a certain level of background knowledge that the reader needs to understand as the book does not explicitly state why the trees become covered in soot, which is due in fact to the Industrial Revolution. Some of the text in this book is hard to visually see due to the black font which which is camouflaged with the darker illustrations.

Teaching Point: While this book is not scientifically accurate, I think the book would be a good introduce natural selection to students. As a teacher I would read this book to students, but I would be sure to point out when reading that the soot is a result of the Industrial Revolution. After reading this book I would have students participate in a peppered moth lab. With a partner, students would take cut up pieces of newspaper and cut of pieces of a white sheet of paper and then put them on a white sheet of paper. One partner would then act as a predator picking up as many newspaper pieces as possible. The activity would then be repeated only this time a newspaper would act as the background instead of the white paper. I would then have a discussion on how the moths adaptions allowed them to survive and when natural selection was apparent. As this was the case with the newspaper piece on white paper and the white paper pieces on the newspaper. I would then relate this lab back to the book .

[Katie Langley]

Summary
This is a book about natural selection. The story starts off with a peppered moth awakening from its cocoon, followed by multiple other moths waking up too. There are two types of moth mentioned in the book: light peppered moths, and dark peppered moths. The dark peppered moths are as dark as charcoal. The story discusses how predators are searching for food, and end up eating the charcoal peppered moths but not the light peppered ones. The reason why is because the light peppered moths can camouflage into their environment and the charcoal peppered ones cannot. However, humans build coal plants and it ends up covering the forest with smoke and sod. This time, the charcoal peppered moths blend in better and the light peppered moths get eaten. The story discusses how the moths that are surviving are passing on their genes and traits therefore causing an increase in whatever type of moth is surviving.

Evaluation
I really enjoyed this book for the story. However, the information isn’t backed up with sources or research. I do believe this story is accurate and factual, but some of the vocabulary terms don’t make sense. This is not a story of evolution like it states, but a story of natural selection. The artwork is beautiful and engaging, but sometimes hard to read or understand where to look.

Teaching Point
I would use this book to engage students in a topic about natural selection and camouflage. It’s not backed up with evidence, but still works a good hook for that topic. It does a good job of explaining how natural selection works. You could also always refer to this book for a reteach lesson or when students just need some extra support. I think this is a great book to share those terms with them, but I would provide some more explicit instruction along with it as well.

[Kirstin King]

In this book, the author describes the process of speckled moths adapting to their environments. Speckled moths with spotted wings blend in better with tress, and black moths are eaten by predators. However, as the air becomes more polluted and soot covers the trees, black moths are able to hide better from predators on the trees than the speckled moths, resulting in an increase of black moths, and a decrease of the spotted moths. However, as we begin to clean the environment, the trees regain their color, and speckled moths begin to resurface. This helps explain the cycle of animal adaptations, and how the environment influences different animals and their features. This NonFiction book described how as the environment changed, the different moth colors were able to either increase or decrease.

I thought that this book described the process of animal adaptations and natural selection in an interesting and engaging way. The images were visually pleasing, but did not fully enhance the text in the best way possible. The information, upon further research, was factual, but the author did not cite the information or prove that it was factual in her writing. Extra facts about moths were provided in the back of the book, which was helpful for individuals wanting to know more about moths.

I would use this book to show examples of figurative language before a reading or writing lesson. This book is very good at incorporating alliteration, imagery, and rhyming, which is unusual for a NonFiction text. Students can find examples in the book, add examples to an anchor chart, and then practice using these figurative language skills in their own writing.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visually stunning illustrations, created with watercolor, crayons, acrylics, collage, and Photoshop, complement an excellent explanation of evolution, natural selection, and adaptation on the part of one species--the peppered moth. As sometimes happens, some peppered moths with dark and light features are born while others with dark wings are born. The book's text and illustrations show how, over time, the dark-colored moths were easier for predators to spot against the light branches of trees, making them less likely to survive. But things change when the world becomes more polluted, and the darker moths have the advantage. Years later, when humans work to keep the environment cleaner, the lighter-colored moths return. Now, both types of moths exist. The back matter includes additional background about the peppered moth and its evolutionary story through an explanation of natural selection and adaptation. The story ends on a hopeful note with the author expressing the possibility that other creatures like the peppered moth will find a way to adapt to climate change and the other changes humans have wrought in the natural world. That seems like an awful lot to hope for, but maybe, just maybe, it's possible. This lovely book would be a good introduction to evolution as well as a starting place for discussing changes in the world around us and why they happen.

[Katie Kubas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
This book couples science and history as it tells the story of the speckled moths as they fought to survive using adaptations during the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. The speckled moths were originally predominantly white and gray but as the industrial revolution carried on and pollution took over the area, the few moths that were able to survive were the darker moths. This book talks about one of the best examples of natural selection and evolution around.

Review:
When we discussed this book in our class, we did notice that there wasn't a lot of research documented in the book, but I did like it. I've done lots of activities surrounding the peppered moths and natural selection and I think this book is a great example of both good writing and an introduction to an interesting topic that kids may not know about. The illustrations are fun, and the writing is interesting, so kids will be engaged in the book.

Teaching Point:
I would use this book to go along with science content and to introduce the topic of natural selection and adaptations that animals use to survive. This is a great jumping off point to spark students' interests, and get them asking questions about adaptations. This is also a really great real-world example of adaptations that animals use to survive.

[Grace Cantrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: This book is all about the natural selection and adaptation of the peppered moths. While the title says it is an evolution story this is not accurate. The book tells us the peppered moths were born with two types of colored wings. Some were born with salt and pepper wings while others had wings as dark as charcoal. The book goes on to describe how the pepper freckled winged moths were in abundance while the charcoal winged moths fell prey to their predators. The book's illustrations show the predators of the moths were birds and bats. After the air was filled with pollution and the trees turned dark with soot the charcoal winged moths began to thrive. People decided to clean up the air and improve their ways almost 50 years later. This yet again had another effect on the peppered moth wings which goes to show how the environment changes the adaptations of animals.

Evaluation: This is a cool narrative nonfiction book. The illustrations are different in the way the shading is done. the story being told is a hard science concept for children to understand and I think the author did a great job addressing it.

Teaching: I would use this book to introduce the science topic of acquired traits to my 5th graders. We could talk about the reasoning behind the changes of the moth's wings. I would ask them to answer cause and effect questions after the reading.

[Lindsay Brzozowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an informational story about the changes of a moth. It gives details about the moth, such as how the wings of moths look, and how they are not all the same. It describes their movements. It gives details about what eats moths. The story also shows how the change in the environment has caused moths to change colors completely in order to better survive and blend in.
The images are bold. They take up the entire page, without white space. The colors are mostly dark, to represent the time of day that a moth is most likely seen. There is a lot of detail in the moth's wings, and other creatures in the story. The detail make it seem like real moths, and would allow readers to recognize a moth in real life. The images even show the change of the moth's wing color, like it happened in the real world.
This would be an excellent story to use to teach children about evolution and natural selection. This story mentions how the darker moths were more likely to survive and could pass their dark wings to their offspring. This story also briefly mentions the industrial revolution and could be a way to introduce that topic to a class. Additionally, this story would be easy to use to teach students about different insects. This book has a lot on information and I think that it can be very useful.

[Denaya Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Moth” by Isabel Thomas is a creative nonfiction book for the audience of children six to ten years old. The award given to the book was the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books for Children’s Science Picture Book (2020). Moths are the primary focus of the story as they must strive to survive out in the wild and encounter multiple challenges as the world changes around them. This science book is interesting because it covers the ideas of Darwin regarding natural selection and survival of the fittest. Moths are a common example to apply to the topic as they represent how changes to the environment influence survival odds greatly. The book could also tie into the events of the Industrial Revolution as that was a period where factory work production was rapid, leading to the changes in the forests. The two breeds of moth, the black and speckled moths, served as great insight that environmental changes can put certain species at advantages or disadvantages. Children can see that the moths that are unable to hide on the trees get eaten by predators, making that species unable to reproduce while the other type of moths grow in population. A theme of compare and contrast could be represented by the two moths as well, showing the differences and how nature can be unpredictable, especially when humans are added to the equation. (Review Date: 11/8)

[Donisha McCarter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is in the genre of nonfiction. This book would be suited for children aged 5 years to 9 years old. It has won multiple Awards including A School Library Journal's Best Book of 2019, A Horn Book Best Book of 2019, and A 2020 AAAS / Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Book Finalists. Thomas provides an audio format read-along through YouTube. Isabel Thomas's story follows the evolutions of moths and their struggle for survival. This is a great book to show themes such as survival of the fittest. The use of dark colors in the story deepens the meaning of the plot, showing the struggles of moths to adapt to survival. The use of texture in the illustration shows how the moths are changing and how the world is changing in the story. Thomas's use of language brings the story together, she uses a lot of imagery to show the physical change of moths. This book would be appealing to young readers because the illustrations look like they're telling a story even without the words. Word choice represented in the story would be entertaining to children, describing the moths as “peppered” due to pollution would help them remember the cause and effect of pollution on moths.