Island: A Story of the Galápagos

Brilliant picture-book author and artist Jason Chin, whose previous works of natural history for younger children have examined such unique ecosystems as the coral reef and the redwood forest, presents a "biography" of a Galápagos island in this latest venture. Beginning with the birth of the island six million years ago, when an undersea volcano erupted, leading to its creation in the first place, the narrative follows the slow process whereby the island is colonized by both flora and fauna, and how that life evolved, in the relative isolation off the west coast of South America. The narrative concludes with the story of the island's gradual sinking back into the ocean, as newer islands take its place, while an informative afterword show more gives more details about the Galápagos in general, and about their role in inspiring Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Having greatly enjoyed Chin's Redwoods and Coral Reefs, I was quite excited to discover that Island: A Story of the Galápagos was forthcoming. All in all, I'd say that is lived up to my expectations, presenting an informative narrative in a coherent and engaging fashion. There is no fantasy storytelling device here, as there was in Chin's previous two books - no boy on a subway reading about the redwoods, and then finding himself amongst them; no girl picking up a library book about coral reefs and falling into a watery world - but that's OK, the notion of a "biography" of an island, with chapters devoted to the stages of its life, was entertaining enough to do the trick. The artwork, as is to be expected from Chin, was simply marvelous, beautifully capturing the wild charm of this very special part of the world. Highly recommended to all young naturalists, to anyone looking for a simple explanation of the concept of evolution for children, and to fans of Jason Chin's gorgeous artwork. show less

Beautiful and packed full of information without being overwhelming. On some pages, 4-panel time-lapse pictures accompany short paragraphs to illustrate concepts more completely than the words alone can--Chin is a master of the "picture worth a thousand words." The illustrations are realistic, as befits a Science book, but soft and lovely; evolution and geographic change in this book are a beautiful natural processes, not brutal survival of the fittest situations, even as animals do die--Chin doesn't shy away from what a small beak means for a starving finch.

Overall, a beautiful book excellent for science discussions with kids. I had hoped to buy this one in the Galapagos on my honeymoon, to support a local business, but didn't find show more it--or any books--in my limited time among humans. show less

Redwoods was my introduction to the wonderful Jason Chin a couple of years back, but it was a bit too fiction-y for the other Cybils panelists back then. Times have changed, though, and we readers are more open to a whisk here and there of fiction elements in our nonfiction. And (at least I think) it makes for a better world.

So then Island. Let's look at Island. Chin, panel by panel, takes us through the birth, growth, and eventually disappearance of an island in the Galápagos. We see the island and its inhabitants change, over years and years, in little ways that, as time passes, become big and helpful modifications. Chin pulls his characters, all the creatures who begin to populate the island, right to the center of his drawings, show more posing for us, where we can look closely at all the curious developments, and slowly, reading along, we are pulled into the story of this intriguing spot in the world. Perhaps for the first time, like the first people who visited the islands, we see the inevitability of slow evolution and change in our world. Beautiful. show less

Short Description: In a picture book, the island of galapagos is introduced from over 6 million years ago and kind of explains the evolutionary process and the history of the natural world as we know it.

Personal Reflection: The illustrations are enough to make me want to use this book in the classroom! It has really strong visual elements that look like watercolor or even oil pastel? Some of the concepts and wording is kind of complicated (for younger readers) but I still think it would be great to open a lesson on history/geography with this one or to incorporate it into an art lesson even! I liked that this was straight forward but still remained imaginative through the illustrations.

Omg. Gorgeous, and *so* educational. We adults know about Darwin's finches... but I didn't know that they diverged just within the last 3 million years. Nor did I know anything about the gulls, cormorants, snails, boobies, and tortoises and how they changed. This book is for young children with support, for older children, *and* for adults.

The *geologic* evolution of the islands is brand-new to me, and amazingly fascinating. Hot spot, seamount, conveyer belt (continental drift), sinking & dying, over & over....

Valuably informative endpapers and back matter, missing only a bibliography.
Do not read on a digital device as it's just too glorious; you'll want to be sure to see the details.

4.5 stars rounded down, just barely, because too show more many people that I know wouldn't read it carefully enough to appreciate it (iow, fails the universal appeal test). show less

Starting at an island of the Galápagos’s creation some six million years ago, Chin uses this particular island to tell the story of the entire island chain, and how it became home to so many unique plant and animal species that still exist today. Written in a traditional birth through death cycle, readers get to experience an island from its birth to its disappearance millions of years later. Additionally, how the island became populated with such unique species as it did becomes a focal point of the story.

Although the topic is fascinating, the length of the book might detract some readers; however, the beautifully detailed illustrations will surely invite readers even to just glance through. Chin’s illustrations showcase the show more uniqueness of the species of the island, as well as the natural beauty of the island. Chin also manages to explain complex theories like evolution and natural selection without it being too overwhelming, although at times, as mentioned, the pages get extremely text-heavy. At the end of the story, there’s more information on Charles Darwin (who is never named in the story, but attentive readers will catch his presence), the Galápagos Islands in general, and also about endemic species, of which the Galápagos Islands has an extraordinary amount. Recommended. Grades 1 to 3. show less

This beautifully illustrated story tells the true story of the Galapagos.The book is written in biographical style beginning with the birth of the island and discussing its aging, and all the life the island has supported in its cycles.