Charles Darwin (Giants of Science) - Hardcover

Kathleen Krull, the noted social historian, lives in San Diego, California.

Boris Kulikov, the illustrator of this series, lives in New York City.

*Starred Review* In the latest entry in the acclaimed Giants of Science series, which began with Leonardo da Vinci (2005), Krull once again offers an illuminating, humanizing portrait of a famous scientist. Young readers will connect with descriptions of Darwin as a poor student who felt stifled at school but maintained a voracious curiosity for the natural world outside the classroom. “At age nine, his goal was to know something about every single stone on the path to the front door.” Krull is a seasoned pro, and as in the series’ previous entries, she writes in easily paced, lively, conversational prose, knitting together interesting facts, anecdotes, and historical overviews into a fascinating whole. She offers clear definitions of not only Darwin’s theories but also how his discoveries built on previous scientists’ work and notes that his greatest contribution to science was his theory of natural selection, not evolution, a distinction that sometimes gets muddied in the still-feverish debates about his work. Those ongoing arguments, Krull says in a final chapter about Darwin’s legacy, motivated her to add this title to the already crowded shelves of youth biographies of the scientist. Despite a few typos, this succinct offering will be an excellent resource for contemporary classroom discussions. Kulikov’s whimsical ink drawings and a well-culled list of resources round out this strong entry in the series. Grades 5-8. --Gillian Engberg