Pringle, Laurence. Billions of Years.

Pringle, Laurence.      Billions of Years.      Boyd's Mills Press      102p  $17.95      978-1-59078-723-6       ms/hs       E-BN       

The story of evolution begins with the simplest of organisms and traverses millions of years and billions of changes in the history of Earth.   Scientific studies began with the early geologists who studied alterations in the rocks and discovered the immense diversity of fossil remnants of extinct animals that were left within them.  They reached the conclusion that Earth must be much older than originally thought, but it took the great works of Charles Darwin to postulate the theories of evolution, origin of species, and natural selection that would explain their findings.   Pringle opens a window into this complex science in his well-balanced, succinct, and insightful look at the natural world and its development.  He supplements the basic information about evolution with more current discussions about carbon dating, genetics, missing links, and plate tectonics that are understandable to the intended age groups.  The writing is crisp and concise, explaining the science of evolution with clarity, and it is enhanced by extraordinary color photographs, illustrations, and maps.  There are fact boxes and a wealth of secondary material in sidebars that enrich the text.  The book ends with a glossary; a bibliography of books, periodicals, and web sites; and an index.    All in all, a most stimulating and exciting book.         This is a “must purchase” for middle- and high-school libraries.           -- Susan Ogintz