Charles Darwin

by Alan Gibbons, Leo Brown (Illustrator)

Ten-year-old Henry has just gotten the job of his life―assistant to Charles Darwin on a voyage of the HMS Beagle. He will help Darwin collect all the creatures that fly, scuttle, and leap on this expedition to faraway lands. Little does he know that it will be one of the greatest scientific expeditions of all time! As the trip gets under way, Henry records everything he sees and does in his diary, providing readers with a firsthand account of the famous adventure. Fictionally told but based on facts, Charles Darwin puts an innovative spin on the story and accomplishments of the most famous naturalist in history, just in time for Darwin's 200th birthday.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biography, Picture Books

64 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

Alan Gibbons is an author of children's books and a Blue Peter Book Award. He currently lives in Liverpool, England, where he used to teach in a primary school. His father was a farm laborer, but was hurt in an accident when Alan was eight years old. The family had to move to Crewe, Cheshire where Alan experienced bullying for the first time. He began to write for his pupils as a teacher, but never tried to get any of his work published.

Gibbons trained to be a teacher in his mid-thirties and starting writing short stories for his students. Later, he began to write professionally. In 2000, he won the Blue Peter Book Award in the category "The Book I Couldn't Put Down" category for Shadow of the Minotaur. He was a judge for the 2001 Blue Peter Book Awards. He was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2001 and 2003 and shortlisted twice for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also won the Leicester Book of the Year, the Stockport Book Award, the Angus Book Award, the Catalyst Award, the Birmingham Chills Award, the Salford Young Adult Book Award and the Salford Librarians' Special Award.

Reviews

[Denisa Drăgăneci · Rating 3 out of 5]

O carte cu ilustrații foarte frumoase.
Informațiile sunt conforme cu ceea ce s-a intamplat in acea perioadă din viața lui Charles Darwin.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only thing I knew about Charles Darwin as I was growing up was that he was responsible for the theory of evolution and therefore he was evil. (According to my mother.) I'm so glad that I was able to move forward in my life and not let all of that religious brainwashing ruin my mind! I love science and knowledge! I hope my children know how lucky they are that they are able to learn so much more than I was ever allowed to learn!

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the narrator is a fictional character, the rest of the material is pretty factual, especially epilogue part. Includes glossary and index. Illustrations aren't amazing since I was expecting more from the cover but they'll do.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. I think Charles Darwin was a changemaker because he helped the science of evolution. He is also a changemaker because he wrote books on science to help people learn about his discoveries. I think wanting to know more about the world might have inspired him to be a changemaker.

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

die fakten waren gut aber die geschichte bisschen komisch