The Wonder of Life on Earth Pan MacMillan (394455816)

In thirty bite-size chapters, complete with detailed illustrations, Nature editor Henry Gee charts the most pivotal moments in the incredible, unlikely story of life on our planet. Life began billions of years ago, as tiny bubbles sheltering from boiling, toxic seawater began to spring up on the ocean floor. What follows is a story of survival against all odds: faced with supervolcanoes, toxic air, and asteroids, life adapted. The Wonder of Life on Earth condenses 4.6 billion years of evolution into one exquisite and colourful 80-page book, giving a broad overview that is peppered with fascinating facts about amazing animals and evolutionary innovations. The astonishing artwork from talented botanical illustrator and designer Raxenne Maniquiz brings to life a cavalcade of strange and marvelous creatures. Travel back in time to look inside bacteria and the first cells, the planet's first trees and plants, the odd, soft-bodied rangeomorphs, the evolution of the egg and the seed, as well as armored fish, dinosaurs, nimble mammals, and endlessly adaptable apes and primates. Henry's immersive, engaging writing makes it easy to understand complex processes like the carbon cycle, natural selection, fossilization, and the galactic fluctuations that have built and shaped our planet and its inhabitants. This astonishing and readable natural history is perfect for middle graders, teens, and adult readers looking for a very accessible introduction to the biggest topic around: LIFE.