This book walks the reader through the history of the Galapagos islands, starting with how the islands formed to how animals and plants ended up on the islands to the exploitation of the islands in the 1800's. Finally, the account of the islands ends with the current changes happening in the geology of the islands. My biggest concern with this book is its needless use of higher level vocabulary words and sentence structures that actually make the book difficult to read for adults. Ex: "The cones of fiery volcanoes may collapse and form circular depressions called calderas." This sentence rates as a 10th grade level passage according to the Flesch-Kincaid scale used by Microsoft Word. For older grades, passages could be selected out of this book to help explain how land changes, or how wind can move even birds to new places. ( )

This book could be introduced during the lesson plan about evolution and/or ecology in a 10th grade biology class, namely a lesson in ecology or evolution. It could also be used in a geography class that was covering the topic of biogeography, because of the history of movement of the species and the traits that allow the organisms to be adjusted to the specific geographic features of each of the 13 islands. Another high school class this book could be introduced in would be earth and environmental science class, because the formation of islands by volcanic activity is demonstrated with diagrams and text.
The book is organized very well, because it first discusses how the islands are formed and the how they evolved over time. It is suggested that some of the first likely biological organism to arrive, such as plants and birds. Many of the different types of species are discussed in great detail, including the turtles, finches, and iguanas. The evolution of both the animals and islands themselves are discussed in great detail as well. The authors discuss this information in a very concise manner that did not put me to sleep at all. One of the authors teaches biology at a university in Miami and the other is writer for travel magazines. Together they seem to appeal to anyone interested in the natural world in in an entertaining manner. They also do not over-simplify the reading material, yet it is still kept simple enough so that a child about 8 years old and up would understand it. Beautiful photographs demonstrate the beauty of these islands and nice glossary is provided, but that is it. No bibliography, index, or table of contents is provided.

This book is an informative specialized look at the archipelago that inspired Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. The book focuses on the biodiversity and earth science that played a role in the development of the chain of islands. The book has a moderate depth of information probably geared for upper middle school level students. The tone is neutral, clear, and informative. The book contains no table of contents or chapter headings. It is organized in a chronological order first dealing with the mechanisms responsible for the inception of the islands, then the development of life, the arrival of humans, and the ongoing earth processes that continue to shape the islands. Beautiful photographs compliment the description of the islands and its history. Some charts and diagrams also illustrate the concepts contained in the text. The authors are described as an evolutionary and ecological biology professor and a writer of travel articles. The book is void information in the front of the book containing publication information or any accuracy qualifications. ( )