"A wonder indeed."
May 2026 Debut of the Month
This beautifully illustrated book sets out to tell the story of life on Earth, from its very beginnings right through to the end of life (maybe a billion years from now). And it manages to do that in a way that will fascinate and inspire readers as much as it will inform them.
A timeline on the opening page begins with the Hadean Eon 4.6 – 4 bya (a key explains that bya = billion years ago) and finishes at the top of the next page with the Phanerozoic Eon 539 mya (million years ago) - now. In between are names young palaeontologists will recognise e.g. the Cambrian and Jurassic periods, and over its 80 pages we learn what was happening on our planet over these billions of years and the unique ways in which life began and developed.
There are close ups on things like the strange creatures living in the Cambrian Period such as Odontogriphus, which looked like a cross between an airbed and a coffee grinder, or the ear – very useful for creatures hunting at night - and each page provides information to build on what has gone before.
Based on the author’s bestselling book A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth, it has been rewritten with young readers in mind and is thoroughly accessible without ever even slightly talking down to them. It’s a book that demands to be read from cover to cover, and then again, and again, there’s so much to take in and so beautifully presented. A wonder indeed.
Discover the story of life on our planet as you have never seen it before! The perfect gift for the curious of any age.
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the best books for 9-12 year olds · the best books for teenagers
Discover the story of life on our planet as you have never seen it before! The perfect gift for the curious of any age.From the first tiny bubbles of life in the ocean to the arrival of endlessly adaptable apes, this is the ultimate survival story.In 30 bite-size chapters, Nature editor and author of the award-winning A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth, Henry Gee tells the incredible, unlikely story of life on our planet, with vibrant colour illustrations from Raxenne Maniquiz.The Wonder of Life on Earth packs billions of years of evolution into one amazing 80-page book, journeying through disasters, evolutionary oddities, and a planet shaped by supervolcanoes, toxic air, and asteroids.Talented botanical illustrator Raxenne Maniquiz brings to life a parade of strange and marvellous creatures.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Wonder of Life on Earth and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
The Wonder of Life on Earth features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Dinosaurs, History, The Natural World, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Physical world, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Ecosystems, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Hardback. £18.00, down from the £20.00 cover price. In Stock.
The Wonder of Life on Earth was written by Henry Gee and published by Two Hoots an imprint of Pan Macmillan
The Wonder of Life on Earth has 77 pages
£18.00, reduced from £20.00. In Stock.
