Life: The First Four Billion Years: The Story of Life from the Big Bang to the Evolution of Humans by Martin Jenkins, Grahame Baker-Smith
Published by Candlewick Studio on September 10th 2019
ISBN: 153620420X
Pages: 80
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Life is one of Candlewick’s recent spate of oversized book releases.  Clocking in at 14 inches long, with the heft to match, this is will not be an easy book for kids to carry around.  Life begins with facts about humans and follows their lineage back in time to lead you into the beginning of the book which starts at the forming of the sun and our galaxy. The book leads the reader through the historic time periods up to the Neogene, where our ancestors the primates were living around 22 million years ago.  Each time period has illustrations of creatures that were likely alive during that time as well as explanations of what was taking place on the planet.  The illustrations are fascinating, and you learn some really interesting facts, such as there was once a relative of a mushroom as tall as a tree.  However, the vocabulary is difficult, even with the glossary at the end.  And the text is quite small in most places. While very thorough and well-researched, this book is very academic and therefore not necessarily a good choice for kids.  Best for ages 12+ but probably enjoyed by teens and adults.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library, Augusta