This large-format book first introduces Darwin as a boy collecting bugs, but quickly moves on to the main subject: his voyage aboard the Beagle. The ship's many stops, particularly in South America and the Galápagos Islands, gave the young naturalist opportunities to observe wildlife, collect specimens, and muse about topics such as how fossils of sea creatures came to be embedded in rocks far above the ocean. Though the narrative ends when he returns home, the appended notes continue his story. The large-scale watercolor-and-pencil illustrations portray Darwin as a boyish figure in a colorful world teeming with life. Throughout the book, the most visually impressive features are Thermes' many excellent maps. Similarly, the endpapers display two world maps that are informative as well as decorative. Each indicates the locations Darwin visited with red dots and the Beagle's route with directional arrows, while providing a more detailed listing of locales below. The first map shows the outbound voyage, and the final one, the return trip. A colorful, childlike presentation of Darwin's eye-opening voyage of discovery.

K-Gr 3 Thermes traces the route of the 1831 voyage of the HMS Beagle in this picture book biography of Charles Darwin. The focus of the story is on Darwin's wonder and delight as he observed and collected animals, plants, stones, and fossils on his five-year journey around the world. The endpapers feature maps of the departure and return (details of which will be obscured by the book jacket covers used in many libraries). Friendly watercolor and pencil illustrations portray the creatures and objects that fascinated Darwin. However, the art does not always line up with the text. In one spread, a tiny Darwin is highlighted on the deck of the HMS Beagle , yet a page turn shows him under a tree in the rain forest. (A few pages later, we learn that he was seasick and "happy to stay on land and explore.") In another spread, a dramatic moment in which his small boat is almost capsized by a calving glacier is paired with a map of the crew's route around Tierra del Fuego. Young readers unfamiliar with the naturalist's work may be puzzled by the ending: "And what he wrote would change the world forever." Back matter has a brief explanation of evolution. VERDICT An additional purchase for elementary school science collections. Jennifer Costa, Cambridge Public Library, MA

Letting her background in map illustration shine, Thermes (Little Author in the Big Woods) follows the travels of Charles Darwin while concisely explaining the influence they had on his growing understanding of the interconnectedness of nature. As Darwin sails from England to the South American coast and the Galápagos Islands, Thermes-s neatly outlined pencil-and-watercolor images mix full-bleed scenes of bounteous wildlife with maps of the corresponding landscapes, labeling towns, geographic features, and local animals. A boyish enthusiasm is frequently apparent in Thermes-s portraits of the young scientist at work, even when seasickness was getting the best of him (-The landscape was so different from anything Charles had known in England,- she writes. -He was giddy-). Substantial back matter includes an in-depth look at Darwin-s later life and research, as well as a spread of 18 additional facts tied to his journey. Ages 5-7. Agent: Marietta Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Oct.)