From Lava to Life: The Universe Tells Our Earth Story

by Jennifer Morgan

Book Overview

The second book of this series about our universe is a scientifically accurate telling of the story of the formation of Earth, ending with the dinosaurs. 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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584690429
• ISBN13: 9781584690429
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Dawn Publications (CA)
• Length: 47 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 9.8" x 11.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Accurate and Engaging

As with the first book in this series, Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story (Sharing Nature With Children Book), the scientific information in this book is accurate, the level of detail is just right for elementary schoolers, the graphics are vivid and engaging, and the narrative speaks in an effective personal voice. Most importantly, my daughter really loves this book (about as much as Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story (Sharing Nature With Children Book)), as evidenced by her unusually focused attentiveness to the text and her vivid recollection of the graphics. In short, this book was written specifically to engage and teach kids, and it works. Highly recommended to any parent wishing to introduce their child to the basics of the evolutionary history of life up to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

From Lava to Life

This is a wonderful way to introduce my grandchildren to the wonders of the universe. The text and the images are professional and beautiful. Even a first grader can appreciate them.

my daughter loves this book, and so do i!

i was a little unsure about getting a book that made the universe a consciousness being. but i have to say that the way in which this book, and the first in the series, are written is very easy to read, and very easy to understand. some books in this genre are harder to read, because they are more like text books with words. this book flows smoothly, and reads like a story book, and keeps my daughters interest the whole way through. my daughter is always asking me to "read the universe story" and "read the lava book!" i have not purchased the 3rd in the series, but after reading the first 2, i will definitely be purchasing this author's take on evolution!

A lot of learning in an easy-to-absorb format

After reading this book, my five-year-old grandson brought me a picture he had drawn of a eukaryote with a twisted DNA helix and mitochondria. I promptly order its sequel. I even reread the book on my own to help my understanding of the terminology of early evolution.

Accurate science for children and adults!

As a scientist who works on early evolution I was looking for a book for my 7 year old cousin who is fascinated by science that would counterbalance the creationism he is getting in Sunday school. I purchased this book after reading reviews but was skeptical that it would be accurate. I was beyond thrilled while reading through it! Jennifer Morgan does an excellent job of taking the origin of life, evolution of eukaryotes, prokaryotes and metazoans, the oxygen crisis, migration from sea to land and mass extinctions and making it understandable to children (and lay adults!) I found no true errors in the science, only things that I wish were expanded on such as calling the "mounds of bacteria" what they are, stromatolites (though I may be biased as I work on these and other similar structures!) Evolution is never mentioned by name though she does a wonderful job of saying that certain animals are "your ancestors" and, for example, how dinosaurs evolved into what are ancestors to modern birds. I honestly believe that not only should every child be reading this book and that it would be an excellent addition to grade school science curriculum, but that every adult in the United States should read this as well. I had several adult friends and family members read it and they said they finally understood certain concepts that I work on and have tried to explain to them in the past. One friend actually said "oh so that is the difference between a eukaryote and a prokaryote!" I'm going to purchase a second copy to keep for myself to help explain the origins of life and early evolution to others. I look forward to purchasing the other two books in this series and highly recommend this book to anyone.