Mammals Who Morph: The Universe Tells Our Evolution Story

by Jennifer Morgan, Dana Lynne Andersen

The third book of the series is a scientifically accurate telling of the story of mammals and humans. Gorgeous and ethereal illustrations and a story that brings children into a state of connectedness with the universe makes this an amazing book for parents and teachers who want to instill in kids a deep appreciation for themselves, their community, and the need to protect this planet that we all reside. This remarkable evolution series, narrated by the Universe itself, concludes with this third book, the amazing story of mammals and humans. It picks up after From Lava to The Universe Tells Our Earth Story with the extinction of dinosaurs, and tells how tiny mammals survived and morphed into lots of new Earthlings―horses, whales and a kind of mammal with a powerful imagination―you! It's a story of chaos, creativity and heroes? the greatest adventure on Earth! And it's a personal story . . . about our bodies, our minds, our spirits. It's our story. As the president of the American Montessori Society said, "These books are alive with wonder, radiance, and deep relevance." A perfect series of kids' books

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

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2006

Reviews

[Sandra Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three of the best children’s books I’ve found on evolution are a series by Jennifer Morgan and Dana Lynne Andersen (illustrator): Born with a Bang, From Lava to Life, and Mammals Who Morph. Morgan tells the story of the universe from the universe’s point of view, using metaphors a child can identify with: “About 13 billion years ago, or so, I was smaller than a piece of dust under your bed.” That piece of dust bursts into a “gargantuan balloon the size of a galaxy” and describes its future in terms of dreams: “fish cruising deep blue seas, insects alighting on flowers, reptiles basking on hot rocks in the Sun. . . .” I like the use of dreams as metaphor for change and possibility. Morgan emphasizes that the universe is “us.” We are all one, created from that single first piece of dust. The second book, From Lava to Life, focuses on the growth of life on earth, beginning with bacteria and ending with the dinosaurs. And in Mammals Who Morph, we see the evolution of animals into humans, again with the universe telling the story. On the last page we are reminded of our history:

“Every cell in your body is packed with hydrogen, made when I was born.

Your bones are hardened with calcium made by stars.

Your backbone was fashioned by fish.”

Morgan, who has a degree in theology from the University of San Francisco, also studied science at Princeton and interviewed many physicists while writing this series. She told the stories to her son, who wanted to know all about the universe, she said, including the texture of its edges.

I recommend this series to children, parents, and teachers.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the weakest book in the trilogy, but still good. I had the same problem as with the previous book of feeling like the pictures don't always support the text as well as they should, but I love the final picture on page 38.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series of books is wonderful. The illustrations are beautifully done. The writing is done in such a way that you could read just the boldface sentences on each page to tell a simpler story to young kids, but there is also much more detailed information on all the stages. Great way to talk about evolution and where we came from with even kindergarten-aged kids. It also has a nice message at the end about how we are all part of the universe and therefore have a responsibility to care for earth.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part three in The Universe Series which tells how our universe was formed.

This is an excellent series. In this installment we learn about the development of creatures on the Earth. This tells a story and, at the end, there is a section explaining the science (this part is definitely for the older kids).

It is all well done, but it is a little heavy handed with how we are to blame for what might be the biggest extinction event. I just didn’t like the artwork as much as the other two books.

All in all, a great way to explain the development of the universe to children.

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of human evolution. This is book three in a series of three. I recommend all three books. I really like the timelines at the beginning of every page of text/

[Mandie McGlynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like its predecessor, it's heavy on the anthropomorphism, but an enjoyable read, and my young kids enjoyed it.