The Dawn of Life

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Using extremely simplified language and kid-pleasing cartoons, this
series explains natural history from the beginning of the universe to
the emergence of early human societies. The first volume takes readers
from the Big Bang theory, through the formation of our solar system to
the unique development of life on earth. The second volume discusses how
single cells developed into early life forms that moved from the oceans
onto land. The third volume covers the rise and fall of the dinosaurs,
and the fourth book describes the advent of humans.

Bailey’s text is flip, funny, and full of puns. She uses comparisons
(e.g., insects being the size of pigeons, a stegosaurus being the size
of a bus) to provide context, and maintains interest by choosing amazing
facts and weaving them into her down-to-earth explanations. Lilly’s
comical illustrations extend the humor in the text by personifying
inanimate objects; for example, the star description page depicts a
happy, glowing sun with sunglasses and a speech balloon exclaiming
“great balls of fire!” Together they tackle huge scientific
concepts, presenting them in an entertaining and understandable format
that speaks directly to today’s children.

The format is the same for each volume. A small amount of text and
large cartoons fill each page, with speech balloons providing humorous
touches. Scientific terms are identified by upper case letters and
defined in a glossary at the back; concepts requiring further
explanation are identified by an asterisk and covered in a text box on
that page. The books include additional information in cosmic timelines,
charts, and maps, and each volume concludes with the exclamation “But
that’s another story!” to lead into the next one, with the final
volume announcing that there are more to come. All the books stand well
on their own but, they are so captivating children will clamor for the
next volume. Highly recommended.