Assembling the Tree of Life Additional Information

Published by Millbrook Press, 2001.

Western scientists have recently discovered new animals in many unexpected places. How do scientists identify new species? What must they do to make their discoveries “official?” And what can we learn about these unusual animals? In this book, you can read about the golden-brown mouse lemur found in Madagascar, the world’s smallest frog found in Africa, a panda with a pouch found in New Guinea, and many more newly discovered species. You’ll also learn clues to discovering some animals that scientists have not yet seen in the wild. We must all work together to protect these animals in their natural habitat.

Published by Twenty-First Century Books/Millbrook Press, 1998.

Where does life come from? The Greek philosopher Plato believed that all the creatures on Earth were reflections of “ideal” forms. Another philosopher, Aristotle, thought that Earth’s creatures could be organized into a hierarchy, with humans crowning the top. Creationism teaches that each species was created exactly as it exists today. But when 18- and 19th-century geologists showed that Earth was constantly changing and reshaping, English naturalist Charles Darwin found support for the idea that living creatures might also be changing, in a process that is called evolution. This book discusses the history of evolution, the evidence for evolution, and how evolution works. It goes beyond Darwin to discuss genetics and reaches back in time to theorize about the first forms of life and the birth of our planet. The book also covers primate evolution, and speculates on our future as an evolving species.

Published by Millbrook Press, 1992.

Earth is home to more than 1 million kinds of animals. There are 44,000 species of animals with backbones, 21,000 species of fish, and 8,600 species of birds—and that’s just the beginning. With color photographs, drawings, and maps, this atlas of animal life explains how animals are divided into species, how they evolved, and how they form unique communities. Travel on land and water to various climates, where you can observe the animals that live there. From the giant anteater of the South American grasslands to the orangutans of Southeast Asia’s tropical rain forests to the sidewinder snake of the Siberian desert, the book explains how each creature is adapted to the place where it lives. Attention is paid to specific habitats—such as deserts, marshes, swamps, coral reefs, and the ocean. Migration patterns, changes in body structure over time, and vanishing wildlife species are all described.