Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure

Historical Notebooks

by A.J. Wood, Clint Twist, Various (Illustrator)

Discover the plants, animals, and people Darwin encountered on his groundbreaking voyage aboard the BEAGLE. Packed with novelties, including extracts from Darwin’s diary and later works, CHARLES DARWIN AND THE BEAGLE ADVENTURE takes readers on an eyeopening exploration of our globe and uncovers the path that led to the cornerstone of natural the theory of evolution.

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

30 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2009

Reviews

[Jonathan Funk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please forget all about Charles Darwin, the evolutionary theorist. This is a book about Charles Darwin, the NATURALIST.

He truly had an amazing amount of insight on the natural world and the story of his circumnavigation of the world on the Beagle is worthy of your attention regardless of other considerations.

This is a BEAUTIFULLY laid out journal of the journey, with wonderful illustrations of the ship, the animals, the peoples, and the paraphernalia that were a part of it. Also: fold out maps (which I have a weakness for).

This is not a comic book by any stretch, nor is it a novel exactly. Perhaps the best I can do is point you towards the Amazon page, which gives a bit of a preview: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Charles-Darwi...

Doesn't quite do it justice, however.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting format--I liked all the fold-out maps, letters, etc. but some of the "handwriting" typeface was extremely difficult to read. I'm not sure how well this book would fare at a library. Too much stuff that can fall out and get lost.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This caught my eye when I saw it on the holds shelf since it reminded me of the various -ology books (e.g. Dragonology, Wizardology), but with a more serious content. And actually, it appears to be from the same publisher so the resemblance is less than coincidental. Sadly, it still is a children's book. It isn't dumbed-down or anything, but it is fairly simple writing. It's too bad since I think the mix of inserts (pictures, maps, facsimiles of letters), along with reproductions of original artwork and journal entries can be a very unique and engaging way of exploring a topic and it would be interesting to see what could be done with such a book aimed at an older audience. As it is, I found the book enjoyable since it offered glimpses into the experience of the voyage, as well as into the culture and worldview of those involved. One awkward aspect is that the book starts alluding fairly early to Darwin's development of the theory of evolution, but it is a theory he didn't develop until many years later, even if the foundations were laid in this voyage. It feels like the book wants to be about something it isn't, and is a bit rough for that.

[SaraKat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the few number of pages in this book fool you. It is packed with dense little quotes and text explaining the voyage of the Beagle. It took me a while to read it while studying all the pictures and such. I loved the format of the book. It has a lot of pockets and envelopes and flip up portions that extend the text and make it fun. The book says it is for ages 8-12, but I think adult readers get a lot from this book as well. I have read several books about Darwin and I learned from this one as well. There are many excerpts from Darwin's journals and reproductions of the art and sketches from the trip as well. I enjoyed looking through the book and will probably end up adding this one to my collection.

I adored his observation when he saw beautiful orchids growing on decaying material in the jungle. He said he was "at an utter loss how sufficiently to admire this scene." He he he

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging interactive educational pop-ups, flip-ups, fold-out maps, field notes observations, handwritten correspondence letters inside envelopes, lists, notes, papertrails, sketches of Charles Darwin’s expedition. “The more I learn the more I want to know.”

[Melissa Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for someone of any age who either wants a refresher or as a first introduction. Fun and interactive.

[Mark Edon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for kids of all ages.

[PuniPoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo leí en español, un tesoro

[Amy Ringquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully interactive biography of Charles Darwin's life and his famous journey aboard the HMS Beagle. Students will enjoy the flaps, maps, letters and other interactive tools the author uses, which makes it an excellent model text for presentation. It includes quotes from works by Darwin himself as well as others involved in his life and voyage giving examples of voice. There are many different font types and special characters used to employ it as a conventions examples. The text is organized based on the trip and includes scientific, historical and modern day words & phrases.
Interest Level = ages 8-12
Reading Equivalent approximately 4.8

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The age range on this book says ages 8-12, but I question how many 8-11 year-olds would find this work of interest. The vocabulary may be challenging for younger readers. Overall, it seemed like a good snaphot of Darwin's voyage and studies.

[Apostate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fantastically beautiful & extremely well-crafted book is aimed at grade school children, but it probably would be a difficult read for them. I loved it though, & plan on buying myself a copy soon. it is like a visual outline of Darwin's experiences on the HMS Beagle.

[Inhabiting Books]

A clever, scrapbook-type book with lots of pockets, pictures, pull-out maps, quotes, etc.; in other words, much fodder for explorative learning. This book kept us entertained a long time, and my girls continually pull it out and pore over it.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent children's or YA book with good info about Charles' voyage. The format and the layout of the book is most excellent. Recommended for even just that.

- saw on the shelf in my library

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My year 10s have been enjoying this book for a few years so I actually got round to reading it all. All the little inserts make it like educational Christmas. Fantastic.