Thimmesh, Catherine. Lucy Long Ago.

Thimmesh, Catherine. Lucy Long Ago.
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher 2009 64p 18.00 978-0-547-05199-4 ms/hs

Catherine Thimmesh has done a masterful job of “uncovering the mystery of where we came from,” explaining how the discovery of the hominid skeleton named Lucy would change paleontologists’ view of the evolution of mankind. Catherine Thimmesh has done a masterful job of “uncovering the mystery of where we came from.” With Donald Johanson’s discovery of the hominid skeleton soon named Lucy in 1974, paleontologists’ view of the human family tree was altered irrevocably. Lucy fit into no conventional branch of our ancestral tree and changed the accepted perspective of the evolution of man.
This compelling narrative of mankind’s history begins with a description of the death of an unnamed hominid and its final unearthing in Ethiopia. The book continues with a lively and detailed discussion on the recovery of the bones and their study and how scientists’ developed hypotheses to include and explain this new information. The book is both thoughtfully presented and visually exciting. The fascinating text is enhanced by vibrant, labeled cross-section illustrations, stunning color photographs, and boxed sections, and the information offered is clearly explained. The book ends with a glossary, acknowledgments, a bibliography of source material, and an index. Susan Ogintz