Darwin: With Glimpses into His Private Journal and Letters

by Alice B. McGinty, Mary Azarian (Illustrator)

Filled with the fascinating words of Charles Darwin—designed as handwritten entries—this picture book biography reveals the assembling of a profound idea: the survival of the fittest. Two hundred years after his birth, 150 years after the publication of his ORIGIN OF SPECIES, this thought-provoking, splendidly ilustrated account invites us into the private thoughts, hopes and fears of a soul who forever changed the way we see the world.

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

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 6, 2009

About the author

Alice Blumenthal McGinty is an American writer of children's books.
McGinty was born in 1963 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She attended Indiana University and the University of Illinois. McGinty is Jewish. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Reviews

[Kylie Svoboda]

Audience: Upper elementary 3rd- 6th graders who want to be inspired to try new things and to stay true to your interests and talents.

Appeal: The story is great it is not only educational but tells students to not give up on their dreams and inspirations. The book also contains real incerpts of Darwin's private journal. Kids will want to read it because the journal was kept secret for several years after his death.

Award: NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Honor Book

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a charming book! The illustrations by Mary Azarian are beautiful, the prose is simple and clear, and I LOVED the snippets from original sources (Darwin's diaries, notes, letters, books). It had so many interesting details about his childhood, his love of experimenting and collecting, his thought processes, his theories that he kept secret, his critics, his friends and family. I loved that it shared his view that he "saw the universe as too amazing not to have been created by a God," and that "more and more people...have found that their religious beliefs and Darwin's discoveries can exist side by side." It makes me want to read The Origin of the Species.

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent but rather dull picture-book biography of Darwin. And I'm quite interested in Darwin so if it didn't hold my interest I can't imagine it would do much for a small child. On the other hand, I'm mainly interested in his ideas and their ramifications, not his life, so maybe this would appeal more to someone else. I still think it would seem kind of dead, though. I didn't get a lot of sense of his personality or how he formulated his ideas. And the illustrations, although it a style I like (sort of pseudo-woodcut) were very static. Why so many images of Darwin standing still talking to other men? Those didn't really add anything.

[Annie Bastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is on the NCTE Orbis Pictures Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction for children. This book would appeal to students grades 1st-3rd. The text is still big print, but the passages are a little lengthy.

[Rolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

An accessibly written intro to Darwin for elementary kids.

[Mary DelColle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable and is definitely for older students. It was about interesting facts and stories about Charles Darwin. This is a good book to read when you are teaching about survival of the fittest and everything else we teach about Charles Darwin or relating to him. The illustrations were also great. This is a mature yet fun book to read for students interested in this area.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Darwin with Glimpses into His Private Journal & Letters by Alice B. McGinty is a picture-book biography that tells the story of the well-known and prestigious scientist, Charles Darwin. He grew up not knowing what exactly he wanted to do with his life, but he knew that he loved to collect things and explore. After disliking a couple potential career paths that his father encouraged, Darwin finally found his calling as a naturalist on an exploration to South America studying wildlife and nature. While his father disapproved, Darwin knew it was the right choice and convinced his father to let him go. This trip led to Darwin’s controversial and revolutionary scientific discoveries that changed the perspectives of the world and are still taught in classrooms today. Many scientists disagreed with Darwin’s theories, but his books- The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man- were well-written and filled with evidence and arguments that became hard for society to keep denying.
This biography was successful in telling all of Darwin’s life in a concise child-friendly format. The author did a good job of not being biased and telling the good and bad parts of Darwin’s discoveries and life experiences. However, because Darwin had such an influential and productive life, each of the book pages are jam packed with text in order to fit all of the information into the short story. This could make the story very overwhelming and boring for younger children. The story most definitely targets older elementary aged children or middle school students looking for an educational read. McGinty adds credibility to the biography by including excerpts of letters and journal entries that Darwin actually wrote. But, once again, sometimes there is too much going on and too many words on a page for what should be an easier, picture-focused read.
The book is illustrated by Mary Azarian who creates detailed and colorful depictions of Darwin’s life. The pictures have a cartoon-like feel which I personally think ruins some of the text’s credibility because it gives the book a fiction feel. The pictures do help expand and support what the text has to say, though, which breaks up the large amount of text on each page.
Overall, the book is a nice summary of an important scientist in history’s life and discoveries, there are just a few changes that could have been made to give the read more credibility and enjoyment.

[Ed]

McGinty, Alice B. (2009). Darwin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Unpaginated. ISBN 978-0-618-99531-8 (Hardcover); $16.00

Below the title on the cover, we read, “With Glimpses into His Private Journal & Letters.” It is exactly this approach that makes this book notable. Students are learning to distinguish the difference between primary and secondary sources and this book is a perfect book to show how McGinty used both primary and secondary sources to craft this extensively researched biography. Just about every page has an insert containing Darwin’s actual words, which shows students how McGinty decided to organize and write her text. We travel with Darwin as a mediocre student who upsets his father and continue on as Darwin boards the Beagle and begins collecting the critters that fill him with questions that are still argued fiercely today. While the artwork is not as appealing as Trueman’s (above), it serves the text well and is pleasing, if a bit skewed toward younger students. In the endpapers, McGinty writes, …Charles Darwin showed just how much can be accomplished by simply asking a question and working diligently to find the answer.” This book will answer many questions about Darwin’s life, but more importantly, it will prompt students to ask their own questions and then see the value of looking for answers independently. The picture book format should not discourage middle school (and even brave high schools) from adding this book to classrooms and collections.

[Sammie Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about the life of Charles Darwin. It told how he started out as a young boy, very interested in species and collecting bugs. When he was older he didn't find much interest in any type of school, although his parents definitely tried. Eventually he got the opportunity to travel the world and look at different types of species found world wide. When he got back he discovered that they were all the same species with different variations. This opened up his eyes to evolution and him eventually speaking his ideas to the public. Although he was criticized greatly, his work made huge gains in the science department. I really liked this book as a type of informational text. It did a great job at teaching about Darwin and his ideas while not throwing the church under the bus. I was very impressed with its level of equality and information for both sides of the debate. A lesson I would do with this would be to have students think of animals that could have came from other animals. This doesn't say that they did but that some animals look the same and they could have evolved over time to better fit their environment.

[Nyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darwin is a bit of a strange book. I like that it tells his whole story, but the placement of some of his journals and letters confuse me a little bit. I also wonder (because it is a children’s book) how many parts were re-worded so as to make sense to a little child. The English language has changed quite a bit over the years…
Also, the drawings kind of dumb down the story, in my opinion. It’s almost as if the illustrations are an adult trying to tell a child something that the adult doesn’t think the child can understand the importance of. I didn’t really want to read the rest of the book because of that feeling.
As a classroom book, I might use it as a comparison with other books on Darwin and evolution. Even though I don’t particularly like the book, I do think it has merits worth teaching.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third Cybils nominee that takes on Darwin. Like the other two, this one tells of Darwin’s life. This book includes excerpts from Darwin’s journal and letters.
A bit:
“In 1831, Charles Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle, beginning what would become a five-year trip around the world. Seasick, he got off at every stop. He explored islands and coasts. He followed rivers. He climbed mountains and hiked through tropical rainforests. What Charles saw filled him with awe and left him believing firmly in a God who had created these wonders.”
Children’s reactions:
I showed a group of eight first graders all three Darwin books. This was the least favorite, though they found the text in this book easy to understand. They liked the pictures better in the other two books.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darwin is a great introduction to evolution through the biography of the father of evolution - Charles Darwin. This would be a great way to get students interested in the world of biology because it shows them that science isn't just from dusty tomes, but also comes from just exploring the world around you with a critical eye. I loved the colorful pictures and the letter/journal excerpts from Darwin himself. I felt they really added to the authenticity of the story. What stood out to me most, though, wasn't just the facts presented, but also how Darwin pursued his passion despite opposing forces in his life. I think this is a great way to teach children to do what they love and to get good at it because, in the end, it'll pay off.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great find!!! It's really important to me that my children are exposed to Darwin and the evidence he brought to light without a diminishing of their faith. I LOVE how this book tackles science and faith, because I really don't believe they are mutually exclusive. Here's one of my favorite quotes from the book:

"More than one hundred years after his death, some people still argue over his ideas. More and more people, though, have found that their religious beliefs and Darwin's discoveries can exist side by side."

Although it is a little long, the illustrations are wonderful and I highly recommend this biographical picture book!!!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding picture book biography of Darwin that incorporates both biographical information and primary source materials that are accessible to a fourth and fifth grade audience. The biography provides wonderful details about Darwin, his life and his studies with a focus on how he developed his theories, his fear of publishing his findings, his struggle with the implications his theories had on his religious beliefs and his effort to reconcile the two. The most fascinating aspect of the book was the snippets of Darwin’s letters that were included and reflected his thoughts on the topic that the biographer was discussing.

[Tanner Mendelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Picture book that could be used by social studies teachers to discuss many issues and topics such as, evolution, travel, discovery, dreams, perseverance, religion, and experiments. Alice McGinty writes this informational and nonfictional picture book in a descriptive way that is great to give the social studies student the story of Charles Darwin's life history. Also, this picture book has excellent illustrations, is clearly written, and is extremely informative.

[Zebra3 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this very childish book because my teacher made me.

The core of this book was Darwin's life story practically.

I learned little to nothing in this book.

The books visuals were decent they always seemed to relate to the page or the next.

The information was organized from when he was born till he died.

I would not recommend this book to anyone because it has little to no useful information, and just trying to read it nearly made me fall asleep.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations (by Caldecott winner Mary Azarian) and just the right amount of text. A great book to use to discuss primary sources because it incorporates Darwin's letters with McGinty's text, and has a detailed footnotes section. More of an introduction to natural selection than a biography of Darwin.

[Laura Sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction picture book biography of Charles Darwin providing commentary from Mr. Darwin himself, giving his perspective on the things that changed the way the world would look at how beings originate (and evolve). The illustrations were made with mixed-media using woodcuts hand-tinted with watercolors.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book biography on Charles Darwin is done very well and perfect for all ages to take away something about this famous scientist and his work. The only criticism I would have is the overly cursive lettering, that while very neat, was at times challenging to read. A nice addition for any elementary/middle school classroom or library and perfect resource for a biography report.

[Dennis Liverani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was happy to find this book. I think any child at a young age whom has an interest in science would enjoy this book. I like how it shows some of Darwin's letters. This story is true and can be very powerful to the right reader teaching them to never let anyone take you away from what you truly
Love to do or learn.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book biography of Charles Darwin is a great introduction to the man for grade-schoolers. It gives an overview of his life and studies and includes quotes from some of his letters and notebooks. Woodcut illustrations are painted with watercolors.

[Beth Thames · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know a lot about Darwin, the man and found this book insightful. He was a religious man and one wonders what he would think about the continued uproar on natural selection. I also didn't realize that he wrote his book, so long after making his voyage.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book for introducing Darwin and some of his most important ideas to children! I learned things that I didn't know, and I enjoyed how they used real excerpts from his letters to tell the history.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great piece of elementary-level nonfiction for kids about Charles Darwin. McGinty emphasizes lots of things about Darwin that kids will relate to, such as his habit of collecting things like rocks and insects. Recommended for both browsers and kids who need to do an assignment for school.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book filled with excerpts from Darwin's own journals and letters. In the author's notes, I loved the quote: "Charles Darwin showed just how much can be accomplished by simply asking a question and working diligently to find the answer."

[Sam Bloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-done, thorough look at Charles Darwin's life. Fantastically illustrated by Mary Azarian, which is unsurprising considering she also did Snowflake Bentley.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting insights into the man, and the scientific process--loved the handwritten letters, journal entries, etc.

[W.H. Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Handwritten words of Charles Darwin show the evolution of his idea of the survival of the fittest.

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was obviously biased and one-sided. It seemed like the author had one goal--to win young readers over to Darwin's beliefs and ideas.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too watered down...kids are smarter than this book lets on as it just touches the surface of some really neat ideas. So far I'm not impressed with the RIBCA Nominees for 2001.