Mammals Who Morph: The Universe Tells Our Evolution Story

by Jennifer Morgan, Dana Lynne Andersen (Illustrator)

Overview

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 Life: 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 for:

• teachers and librarians looking for a series of books that explains the story of our universe.
• Parents and teachers following Montessori's cosmic curriculum.
• Long time fans of Dawn Publications starting with the classic Sharing Nature With Children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781584690856
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	09/01/2006
Series:	Sharing Nature with Children Series
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	277,320
Product dimensions:	9.75(w) x 11.50(h) x 0.12(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Morgan's work as a storyteller, author, educator and environmental advocate flows out of her love of the natural world and cosmology. She holds a degree in theology from the University of San Francisco. To learn science, she took courses at Princeton University and worked with cosmologists, biologists, and anthropologists. Her storytelling evolved from bedtime stories for her son who wanted to know more and more, even the texture of the edge of the Universe. She believes that our cosmology stories fundamentally shape us—our relationships, our work, our play, our culture, our institutions, our everything. Information about her programs and other books is available at www.UniverseStories.com

Dana Lynne Andersen, M.A., is a multi media artist, writer and teacher with degrees in philosophy and consciousness studies. Her fine art seeks to reveal Being in the midst of Becoming, and to express the intelligence that swirls in energy and congeals into matter. She believes that as our "depth perception" expands outwardly (billions of galaxies have been discovered in our lifetime!) it is crucial to also expand inwardly. She is the founder of Awakening Arts Institute, nurturing a global network of artists through retreats, traveling workshops, exhibitions, and a small fine arts press. Workshop information and prints of the artwork in this book are available from awakeningarts.com

What People are Saying About This

Jane Goodall

"...mammalian evolution told in a way that will engage and enchant, as well as educate, children and adults alike."
—DBE, Founder of Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace - January 2006

Editorial Reviews

Gr 2-4-This follow-up to The Big Bang (2002) and From Lava to Life (2003, both Dawn) is the last in a trilogy in which the personified universe presents the history of our cosmos in "letters" to an "Earthling." This one picks up at the dawn of the Age of Mammals and ends with present-day humans inhabiting a modern Earth. Enveloped in a New Age-ish aura, the chatty text ("Wow! Humans tamed fire!") is accompanied by frequently swirling art that may not reach the intended audience. While "evolution" is used in the subtitle and appears in the afterword for adults, it is never defined, not even in the glossary; nor are the terms "natural selection" or "morph." There are occasional lapses in accuracy ("Some day, their ancestors would be true hippos." Unh-uh. Descendants, please.) and manages to impart a good dollop of oversimplification as well. Creationists, who will be cranky in any case due to the proffered concepts, will not find God in the text, and pure scientists will balk at some of the statements ("-grass loved horses") and the unexplained gaps in known evolutionary trails. Satisfy young readers interested in evolution with titles such as Steve Jenkins's handsome Life on Earth (Houghton, 2002) or Lisa Westberg Peters's excellent Our Family Tree (Harcourt, 2003).-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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