Island - by Jason Chin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The award-winning author of Redwoods and Coral Reefs explores the evolving terrain and animals of the Galápagos in this nonfiction picture book.

Charles Darwin first visited the Galápagos Islands almost 200 years ago, only to discover a land filled with plants and animals that could not be found anywhere else on earth. How did they come to inhabit the island? How long will they remain?

Thoroughly researched and filled with intricate and beautiful paintings, this extraordinary book by Award-winning author and artist Jason Chin is an epic saga of the life of an island--born of fire, rising to greatness, its decline, and finally the emergence of life on new islands. Chin's approach makes this book a must-have common core tool for teachers and librarians introducing scientific principals to young students.

Island is one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2012

Review Quotes

"Handsome and succinct..." --The Wall Street Journal

"In full-page watercolor paintings and small-size panel illustrations, Chin shows how the tremendous explosion leaves a mass of lava, which hardens and grows into an island. Any reader who has ever made a homemade "volcano" out of baking soda will be hooked. . . a remarkable work and an asset for educators..." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Chin's gorgeous illustrations include sweeping double-page spreads of the island and its inhabitants..." --Horn Book Magazine, starred review

"Another superb contribution to scientific literature by Chin." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"...this fine introduction to [the Galápagos] will surely stimulate readers' interest." --School Library Journal, starred review

"The art is masterful in its combination of realism and artistic flow; the layout complements sweeping full-page, full-bleed landscapes with carefully controlled panel sequences that provide additional focus on a process or creature, so the evolution of larger finches' beaks, for instance, is clearly demonstrated and explained." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB), starred review

About the Author