EXHIBIT: The Children’s Darwin

Kids' books about evolution on display

Undergraduate students in the History of Science department (congrats, Piers!) at the University of Oklahoma have begun exhibits, with Professor Katherine Pandora,  which are on display at the university’s History of Science Collections.

The first exhibit is The Children’s Darwin:

Because 2009 marked the 150th anniversary of Origin of Species, it provided a handy rationale for celebrations of Charles Darwin’s science — and a good marketing hook for new children’s titles on Darwin and evolution. What can looking at children’s literature teach us about cultural views of science? And how can it help us to analyze the history of science in public? Those are great starting points for doing research, so we brought the books together for anyone to take a look at some of them and see for themselves!

The exhibit includes twelve recent children’s books about Darwin and evolution, and they are looking for comments here. Which books are on display?

Alan Gibbons, Charles Darwin (Lifelines) (Kingfisher, 2008)

Deborah Hopkinson, The Humblebee Hunter (Hyperion Books, 2010)

Laurie Krebs, We’re Sailing to Galapagos (Barefoot Books, 2007)

✓ Kathryn Lasky, One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin (Candlewick, 2009)

✓ Kristin Lawson, Darwin and Evolution for Kids: His Life and Ideas with 21 Activities (For Kids series) (Chicago Review Press, 2003)

Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom, What Mr Darwin Saw (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2009)

Sandra Markle, Animals Charles Darwin Saw (Explorers (Chronicle Books)) (Chronicle Books, 2009)

Alice B. McGinty, Darwin (Houghton Mifflin, 2009)

Rosalyn Schanzer, What Darwin Saw: The Journey That Changed the World (National Geographic Children’s Books, 2009)

✓ Peter Sis, The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards)) (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003)

✓ Anne H. Weaver, The Voyage of the Beetle (U of New Mexico Pr, 2007)

A.J. Wood, Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure (Templar, 2009)

I’ve got only four out of the dozen, marked by checks!

Some others that could have been part of this exhibit: Young Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the Beagle, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith, The True Adventures of Charley Darwin, The Riverbank, and Following in Darwin’s Footsteps. And these two are forthcoming: Charles Darwin and the Mystery of Mysteries and Charles Darwin (Giants of Science).