The ultimate biography of earth by Nick Lund, illustrated by Jason Ford

 This colorful nonfiction book, illustrated with humorous cartoons, takes readers from the formation of the earth and other planets up to the present day.

A colored timeline helps readers keep track of the appropriate eon and, narrated by Earth and the pencil interviewing it, The first half of the book zips through the Hadean, Archean, and Proterozoic eons and then the Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian periods. Explanations of the formation of life, development of cells, aquatic life, mass extinctions, and more are briskly and simply explained.

The second half of the book takes readers through the shorter but more lively periods leading up to the contemporary Cenozoic Era. The rise of complex organisms, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, and the catastrophic mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period. A quick overview of the current era, including the threats of climate change and an explanation of glacial periods is included.

Additional material includes a lengthy discussion of ways to help the earth, including our old favorites (yes, I'm being sarcastic) not using plastic straws and walking instead of driving, a variety of questions like "Why is the sky blue?" a nice timeline reference, long pronunciation guide, resources, and index.

My only caveat for the main part of the book itself is that not all the cartoons of various creatures are identified adequately, and it can be hard to tell which illustration the text is referring to. For the resources, the pronunciation guide was excellent and I didn't feel the lack of a glossary, since it was incorporated into the book. I did, as usual, find the "how you can save the earth" section exasperating. It didn't fit into the main text, especially since there was no adequate explanation of the difference between the current extinction and previous mass extinctions. Also, the abrupt jump from talking about mass extinctions caused by meteors and volcanoes to the idea that kids can avoid a future mass extinction by not using plastic straws and begging their parents to walk and bike instead of drive, was frankly ridiculous. However, this is certainly my own personal pet peeve, and this type of section seems to be pretty much de rigueur for any book about natural sciences.

Verdict: This is fairly text-heavy, but written with a light touch that shouldn't be too intimidating even for struggling readers. Pair with Don Brown's Older Than Dirt and Volcanoes: Fire and Life by Jon Chad for a deeper look into geology or for younger readers Elizabeth Shreeve's Out of the Blue to go more in-depth into the evolution of organisms.

ISBN: 9781523513598; Published March 2022 by Workman; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library