Evolution Books for Children

Posted on January 5, 2009 by Guest Contributor

This list is making the rounds, but it’s so good, it deserves another plug.

Kate Miller of Charlie’s Playhouse has put together a fantastic compilation of evolution books for children (PDF) in honor of Charles Darwin‘s bicentennial.

Are there any other books you would recommend for kids to learn about Darwin’s contributions to our understanding of life?

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  • Craig

    Very timely – I just yesterday ordered “Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution” for my 6 year old daughter. She was asking me about who was the first person and I attempted to explain how people came from other forms of animals. I decided it was time to get a book for a better job of explaining! Nice to see the one I chose is recommended on this list.

  • http://www.otmatheist.com hoverFrog

    Rather than a book on evolution I think I’d recommend a history book. Nobody in England (in there right mind) believe in that creationist nonsense so the pressure to explain that evolution is a valid and interesting theory is removed. Although Eugenie Scott’s Creationism Vs Evolution is on my reading list as I got it for Crimbo….not really suitable for younger kids though. Instead I’d look at something like Inside the Beagle with Charles Darwin. It’s interesting and engaging, more like a story than a text book.

  • http://www.parentingbeyondbelief.com Dale McGowan

    Nobody in England (in there right mind) believe in that creationist nonsense so the pressure to explain that evolution is a valid and interesting theory is removed.

    There’s still the challenge of helping kids understand how evolution takes place, especially the timescale and the process of natural selection. Otherwise they (like adults) are often stuck with “A long time ago, apes turned into people.” Several of these books do the job very nicely indeed.

  • http://www.otmatheist.com hoverFrog

    There’s still the challenge of helping kids understand how evolution takes place, especially the timescale and the process of natural selection. Otherwise they (like adults) are often stuck with “A long time ago, apes turned into people.” Several of these books do the job very nicely indeed.

    I do agree Dale but in England evolution forms part of the National Curriculum for Schools. Poor as I sometimes think science education is as least evolution isn’t a controversial issue. It’s taught with the same dry disinterest as calculus or titration but it is still there.

    Anything that gets kids to take a greater interest in education, particularly science, should definitely be promoted. The bicentennial is a perfect opportunity for schools to promote interesting topics in lessons or arrange extra-curricula visits to museums or popular science lectures and demonstrations. Yes, books are important too.

    If I lived in a nation where the majority doubted the veracity of evolution then I’d certainly want more resources to promote the idea. Luckily I’m left with the larger issue of promoting the virtues of learning for it’s own sake rather than just one topic.