Module 7 – One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin

 

Citation: 

Lasky, K. (2009). One beetle too many: The extraordinary adventures of Charles Darwin. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

Summary: 

This book is a comprehensive story about the life and work of Charles Darwin, starting with his childhood, and ending with his later years when his own children are grown and gone. Darwin was somewhat introverted and perhaps even “scatter-brained” child, with a constantly growing bug collection. His mother was a free spirit, and activity abounded in the Darwin household. Unfortunately, Darwin’s mother died when he was eight, and he began boarding school the following year. He was a not a traditional, or successful student, much to the irritation of his father. Try as he might, he just couldn’t fit into the “box” of society. Thanks to the encouragement of a professor, his destiny was forever changed when he was offered a position as a naturalist aboard a ship named the Beagle. The bulk of the story documents this journey voyaging around South America with Captain Robert Fitzroy. The observations he made on his adventure became the basis for his famous book, The Origin of Species. 

Impressions: 

The author does a good job of addressing the controversy surrounding Darwin’s work, and his own spiritual beliefs that were only strengthened by his observations rather than diminished. This was a terrific read, and I would recommend it to all parents and teachers, even those that do not agree with Darwin’s theories of evolution. The pictures are great for a young audience, but the book is pretty wordy with some lofty concepts, so it should be read by older elementary students, and can even be enjoyed by interested middle school students. It fits a much needed niche in children’s literature, as there are not many texts about Charles Darwin that can be understood and enjoyed by young audiences. 

Usage in a Library Setting: 

This of course is a good book to pair with a science lesson as the students begin to tackle the concept of evolution. It’s too long to be read aloud in one library storytime, but could perhaps be read to the students over two or possibly three different science sessions. If possible, it would be interesting to invite a biologist or zoologist that has access to a bug collection, live animals, or even just great visuals that they could share with students and talk about the different ways species have evolved based on their location and environment.  This could also be parlayed into a lesson on classification and identification of various species in which students learn how to use library resources and online databases to locate good information and images that can then be to put together in a class display.

Review: 

This substantial picture-book biography divides the life of nineteenth-century naturalist Chares Darwin into brief chapters that retrace his childhood, his search for a career, his voyage aboard the Beagle, his development of his seminal theory of evolution, and the publication of The Origin of Species. Most of the content here has been thoughtfully and artfully covered for the same readership by Peter Sís in Tree of Life (BCCB 12/03), but Lasky blazes her own path in emphasizing Darwin's disagreements with Beagle captain Fitzroy over issues of religion and slavery and in addressing more candidly Darwin's attempts to reconcile his spiritual and scientific views. Trueman's mixed-media compositions, which are undeniably appealing in their complex textures and gently humorous caricatures, occasionally add a cartoonishness that turns setting religious and scientific communities on their ear into a jolly little enterprise. Still, this is an accessible presentation that's likely to circulate briskly as interest in Darwin crests in this bicentennial celebration of his birth year. A bibliography, mostly of adult works, is appended.

Review Citation: 

Bush, Elizabeth. (2009). One beetle too many: The extraordinary adventures of Charles Darwin [Review]. Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books,  62(6), 246.