Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors, by Joyce Sidman. Illustrated by Beckie Prange.

This unusual book includes succinct information about forms of life that have lived for millions and sometimes billions of years, a poem about each entry, and an accompanying double-page, very appealing and often fact-filled illustration. Readers will learn about bacteria (3.8 billion years old), sharks (375 million years old), ants (140 million years old), humans (only 100,000 years old) and much more. Included in the factual section are the genus, age, and size, as well as the fascinating reasons why these creatures have survived, while "99 percent of all species that have existed are now extinct." The poems are accessible. This book is sure to enhance the knowledge of a young person interested in biology, and hopefully whet the appetite of readers who might be potential scientists. The timeline on the endpapers, author's and illustrator's notes, and the glossary make this book even more intriguing.
2010

C. Buchanan