Older Than Dirt
A Wild but True History of Earth
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The award-winning cartoonist offers "a witty history of the planet" for young readers—covering everything from the Big Bang to climate change (Publishers Weekly).
Almost 14.5 billion years ago, it all started with a Big Bang. What began as a cloud of gas, dust, and rock eventually took shape and bloomed into a molten sphere. Battered by asteroid collisions, ice ages, and shifting tectonic plates, our fledgling planet finally pushed forth continents. But if you think the earth has calmed down since then—think again!
In this illustrated history of earth, the Sibert Honor medalist Don Brown teams up with geologist Michael Perfit to tell the strange-but-true saga of our planetary home. A knowlegeable groundhog and his earthworm sidekick take young readers through a wide range of topics—from solar energy and liquid magma to the ozone layer and the formation of mountains. Plus mini-biographies of scientists are included throughout.
"A guaranteed hit with science lovers and a best bet for convincing skeptics that science is indeed a grand and exciting adventure." —Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the tradition of Larry Gonick's The Cartoon History of the Universe, Brown (Drowned City) and geologist Perfit craft a simultaneously irreverent and informative comic that examines how Earth came to be. This grand tour of the planet is hosted by an affable and well-informed groundhog who introduces significant moments, key theories, and scientists, accompanied by an earthworm, who lobs easy questions and provides comic relief. "Radiation from the sun! Where's my umbrella?" gasps the worm. "You already have one," replies the groundhog. "It's called the ozone layer." Brown strips down unnecessary backgrounds and eliminates extraneous details to focus on exactly what needs to be depicted; one three-panel sequence, for example, follows India's collision with Asia that created the Himalayas. Brown and Perfit recount Earth's history mostly through dialogue, except during mini-biographies that explore the discoveries of specific scientists, such as Alfred Wegener, who first proposed the theory of continental drift. The groundhog and worm's repartee results in a witty history of the planet that packs a remarkable amount of information into an engaging format. Ages 10 12.
