When Fish Got Feet, Sharks Got Teeth, and Bugs Began to Swarm: A Cartoon Prehistory of Life Long Before Dinosaurs

by Hannah Bonner

Take a fun, fact-filled trip back to Earth as it was 430 million years ago. Then, watch as continents drift and oceans take shape. Watch out (!) as fish get toothier, plants stretch skywards and bugs get bigger. Soon fish get feet and four-legged creatures stalk the planet. Here's the story of Earth in conversational text, informative illustrations, and humorous cartoons. Complete with time line, pronunciation guide, glossary and index.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Prehistory, Evolution, Picture Books, Childrens, History

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

HANNAH BONNER's natural illustrations have graced many publications including the best-selling Scholastic Science Dictionary and three award-winning National Geographic Kids titles, including When Bugs Were Big, Plants Were Strange, and Tetrapods Stalked the Earth, a Booklist Top 10 Science Book for Youth and included in the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing.

Reviews

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud to my daughter over the course of several nights. This is brilliant and I learned so much about early history! The cartoon illustrations are amusing and enlightening.

[Kevin Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really gave me more information about the Devonian period for my research project.

[Kristen Krip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this to my 6yr old.

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covering life on Earth during the Silurian and Devonian eras of evolution, nearly 430 million years ago, National Geographic publishes this entertaining book with a cartoon flair. The topics of changing plants, fish, and bugs during these periods are covered using humorous illustrations and text. One chapter, for instance, is named "The Great Devonian Fish Race" and shows the four groups of fish from this period in a race. The acanthodians, placoderms, sharks, and bony fish all existed, but it was the bony fish that won this "race", accounting for 96% o all fish alive today and are the ancestors to all living vertebrates with only a few exceptions. This is a short book at the 6.2 A.R. level and would interest children in grades 4 - 8. For those interested in the next stages of development, the sequel to this book is When Bugs Were Big, Plants Were Strange, and Tetrapods Stalked the Earth.

[Leah Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book uses text and cartoon-like illustrations. It follows a chronological order from barren landscapes and warm shallow seas alive with animals through the first forests and the evolution of four-legged animals.
I thought it was great and very informative.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about prehistoric life forms (before dinosaurs). It’s easy to understand and great for curious children in upper elementary school & middle school. The cartoon drawings help keep it lively.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Really helps you wrap your mind around the history of life on Earth.

[Kristine Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book! Scientifically accurate (though simplified for little readers). Totally recommend.

[Talia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book packed with information. Terrific to supplement our paleontology lessons.

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. There is a ton of information presented about the Silurian and Devonian periods. I haven't done a lot of searching, but the author says that there aren't other books like this available in the juvenile section. That seems important to note. There's plenty out there about the periods of time that include dinosaurs, but this one seems unique. I loved reading this abbreviated information (nice not to have to wade through too many details) and I learned a lot even given my background in fishes.

On the other hand, sometimes there's so much information that it seems overwhelming, even in this simplified version. The cartoons with humor didn't do anything for me, but I'm guessing my kids will like it (Yup, my daughter just told me she's enjoying that part!).

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. There is a lot of scientific detail packed into a little space. The illustrations and other graphics are outstanding, and really help support the reader's understanding of the text while being kid-oriented (that is to say, a little silly). In particular, I like that the illustrations show places children may be familiar with (Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Greenland) as they were millions of years ago, in order to show how the landscape has changed. The Appendix timeline is very helpful and easy to understand, as is the guide of how to pronounce the many scientific terms throughout the book. A very, very well-done book. Probably best for upper elementary and early middle schoolers.

[Ashleigh De nicola]

This book makes learning about sharks fun. It's all about the history of the fish and how they came about. There's a map in the book that shows where certain sea creatures are in the world. It's cool to know where these creatures are so when you do decide to go into the ocean, you know what you swimming with. What I thought was really cool were the recipes. There's some joke recipes of how to make a land plant or a land animal and it's funny to think about. I know as children, we ask where these things come from or how they're made so it's cool to see it in a different perspective as a child.

[Kate Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! National Geographic presents this incredibly interesting story of life before dinosaurs; from the emergence of life underwater to the first plant life on land. The evolution of fish to four footed amphibians unfolds in a series of wonderful cartoon illustrations by Hannah Bonner. The text is quite detailed, but never dry. This is ostensibly a book for children, but adults are sure to find the biology illuminating. I plan to search out the sequel to this book: When Bugs Were Big, Plants Were Strange, and Tetrapods stalked the Earth.

[Jordan Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take a trip nack 430 million years ago for this journey telling the tale of how animals and the earth has changed over time. This fun fact filled book gives great detail into how the earth and the plants and animals that inhabit it have changed. I think that students would love this book for it's awesome pictures and the way the author makes learning about the far past interesting. Instead of boring textbook reading a student could pick up this book and find out all sorts of facts about life before the dinosaurs.

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating children's book about the Silurian and Devonian periods, when life just beginning to colonise the land.

Written in a easy to follow style without too much information and with nice illustrations, the books gives an easy introduction to this prehistoric period of history, showing the various types of animals and plants that inhabit the earth at the time and the adaptations they underwent in order to colonise the land and to compete for space and food.

Adults and children should enjoy the book and probably will learn a fact or two about this period of prehistory.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of interesting facts and funny little cartoons, this book examines life way before the dinosaurs. Hannah Bonner presents the Silurian and Devonian periods in accessible terms and with appealing and informative illustrations. Hand this one to any kid interested in dinosaurs. It's a cool way to find out what was there before the dinosaurs were a twinkle in evolution's eye.

(Especially cool to me was seeing pictures of how the continents were arranged... before Pangea!)

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Fish Got Feet, Sharks Got Teeth, and Bugs Began to Swarm – A Cartoon Prehistory of Life Long Before Dinosaurs by Hannah Bonner – Non-Fiction, 3rd grade and up – Brilliant non-fiction book from 2007 that leads you through the Devonian and Silurian time period reviewing all fascinating information about life during this time from plants to jawless fish to the evolution of them… this book is fascinating. Highly recommended.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was overall one of the better explanations of prehistory that I've encountered, high school biology included. The timeline in the back of the book was a thing of beauty. The author also gets full marks for suggesting sources for more information. I'll definitely be reading and purchasing other books by this author.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice supplement to learning about fish--lays out fish in the evolution of life--REALLY nice to read before a trip to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point since they have a lot of these kinds of "fish" on display.

[Aleap · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, concise history of the Silurian and Devonian eras presented in a child-friendly way. My only concern is the dated illustrations/art style but I have faith that the information will be more important to those reading this for school or for fun.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as her earlier book, but still gets the information across in a way kids will enjoy.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read info about early prehistory. Good pictures and humor. Made me want to read more.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The description in this book of the transition from fish to four-legged animals is fascinating! The author does a great job of keeping lots of information entertaining and simple. Great series!