Charlie and Kiwi
An Evolutionary Adventure
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
To Charlie’s classmates, it seems like the kiwi bird got a raw deal: It barely has wings at all, so it can’t fly, and its long whiskers are more like a cat’s. How can such an unlucky bird even survive in the wild? But Charlie thinks the kiwi is cool, and with the help of his great-great-great-great-great-grandpa Charles Darwin, he travels back in time to learn how the kiwi evolved from a dinosaur-like creature to its present-day wingless state. Learning that “little changes in each generation can add up to BIG changes,” Charlie begins to understand that the kiwi bird’s flightless ways and catlike whiskers might be a bit odd, but they are exactly what has helped the species survive over thousands of years!
Based on an exhibit from the New York Hall of Science that is currently touring the country, this Darwinian adventure through time explains the hugely important principle of evolution in an accessible, kid-friendly style.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When Charlie decides to research the unique kiwi bird for a school report, he is launched on a time-travel adventure that delves into the underpinnings of evolutionary theory. First stop in his makeshift time machine is 1860, to meet Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa Charles (Darwin, it's assumed). The two visit the first kiwis in New Zealand, then feathered dinosaurs 150 million years ago, before returning to the present. "Peering out the window, Charlie and Grandpa Charles watched the world change. There were more feathered dinosaurs in each generation. They had more feathers, longer feathers, stiffer feathers." While some plot devices are gimmicky or fall flat (Grandpa Charles's witticisms about needing dinner; Charlie's stuffed kiwi spearheading the time travel, yelling "Keee-weee! Keee-weee!"), the story's fast-paced narrative and cartoon vignettes do a commendable job of explaining how small adaptations over time lead to evolution. The book was written as a companion to an exhibit at the New York Hall of Science, and flap copy directs readers to a Web site with an animated version of the story, games, and other resources and information. Ages 4 8.
