Last week was National Moth Week. You may have noticed all the posts about these fascinating creatures. And it reminded me of a picture book that I thoroughly enjoyed, Moth~ An Evolution Story by Isabel Thomas and stunningly illustrated by Daniel Egnéus.
This award-winning book tells the true story of the peppered moth. It explains that the moth is born with some having dark wings and some moths having lighter, speckled wings. Long ago, the black-winged moths were easier for predators to see on the trees and therefore more speckled moths survived than the black ones. However, with the Industrial Revolution, the darker moths became less visible because of pollution, and, over time, their numbers out paced those of their lighter-winged siblings.
The story continues with a hopeful note that since we have become more environmentally conscious in the past 50 years, once again, the lighter moth numbers are now dominating those with dark black wings.
Not only is this a gorgeously illustrated book, but the information is so poetically delivered. It’s a wonderful introduction to evolution, natural selection, Darwin, and science, for young readers.
The back matter is extremely interesting and well-written. Diving in a bit deeper to answer questions and spark curiosity.
And the story’s hopeful ending about conserving our environment and nature is a positive call to action for all of us.
Sounds interesting.
The cover is spectacular and I love moths. I can hardly wait to get a copy. I love stories with happy endings and back matter. Thanks for sharing Jennifer.
Gorgeous cover! It pulls me in … I want to learn more about these winged creatures.
I read that book years ago. I loved it!
This is one of the most impressive nonfiction picture books I’ve ever read. Kids of any age m (and adults) are equally impressed by the miracle nature can achieve, and the text/illustration are perfectly aligned to bring the facts to life.