Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Look Out, Beatles Fans: Lucy's No Longer in the Sky with Diamonds...


Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where We Came From by Catherine Thimmesh (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2009, 63pp.)

An earth-shattering discovery in Ethiopia rocked the anthropological world when scientists unearthed the skeleton of a little creature whose like had never been seen before. A mere 3.2 million years ago, the skeleton dubbed “Lucy” had walked on two legs, and defied all categorization scientists had made thus far—was she an early ancestor of man or ape? How did she live? What did she look like? This beautifully designed and informative picture book is eloquent in its treatment of the subject. The author lays out, step by step, the process that takes place when handling field work. The only complaint one can make is the lagging pace of the material towards the end: it provides a satisfying conclusion, but younger readers or those with short attention spans might lose interest. Recommended for Ages 9-12.

Click on cover for image source.

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