If every known species on Earth were a leaf on a tree, the tree would have almost 2 million leaves. Humans are just one leaf on this tree of life. "Tree of Life" is a dazzling introduction to the incredible variety of life on Earth, from the team behind the bestselling "If The World Were a Village". It shows how living things are classified and interconnected, and how a problem with just one part of the tree of life can have devastating consequences for the whole tree. This book is the winner of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Henry Bergh Children's Book Awards 2004.

Tree of Life  is beautifully illustrated by Margot Thompson, and it is the sort of book you might have in a primary class room for children to read in independent reading. They would pick it up because of the pictures, but it also has a lot of very educational content on different types of species. The only slight concern was the use of the Latin names for the species. Some children might need extra support to read them. I liked the ‘tree of life’ idea to explain the different types of organism, and I think this would also appeal to primary age children.

2008-05-25