Catherine Barr

Picture book with bright, whimsical, cartoonish illustrations. This is a cosmology book, starting with the Big Bang, and travelling forward in time towards development of our solar system and Earth as they are formed, and the evolution of life on our planet, and then forward through human space exploration and future speculation. It hits very briefly on tons of complex concepts, pretty much just naming and giving a simplistic explanation of things like dark energy and black holes. It also very quickly blasts through major milestones in space exploration, noting things like the first man and first woman in space (both were Russian), often showing more in the illustrations than the text. Great jumping off point for introducing the subject.

Back matter includes a glossary of terms… (more)

For me, reading this book is preaching to the choir.
The first third is a review of how "progress" has come to the point where conservation has become vital to the continued existence of the flora and fauna of planet earth. Then it progresses to what is needed and how things are progressing in a positive manner with hope for the future. There is even a glossary to help the reader understand some words.
The illustrations by the Amy Husband are delightful, imaginative, striking, and brilliantly colorful.
This book is well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Quarto Publishing Group/Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you!… (more)