This is actually a really fun family read, coffee table in format, and I promise, it will be on my coffee table through the holiday seasons. I suppose it is a kids book, but my kid can have it when I’m done with it.

This dictionary has some helpful front matter to assist in understanding, learning, and pronouncing hard words.

The illustrations are charming and helpful. The definitions are engaging and accurate.

Jane Solomon is a lexicographer based in Oakland, California. She spends her days writing definitions and working on various projects for different dictionaries and reference sites. She was at Dictionary.com for seven years, and she’s also worked on projects for Oxford, Cambridge, HarperCollins, Scholastic, Thinkmap, and K Dictionaries. She’s a member of the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, the group that decides what new emoji pop up on our devices. She has a twin sister who is also a lexicographer. Louise Lockhart has illustrated about one gazijllian excellent children’s books.

And now there is a new book, One Iguana, Two Iguanas: A Story of Accident, Natural Selection, and Evolution by Sneed B. Collard, exploring this story, for kids.

Collard’s book does the science very well. Note, common wisdom is that the two iguana species split over 8 million years ago. Collard says closer to five. There is a more recent study that says closer to five,so I assume this is the one being referenced, but you know how these DNA phylogeny studies are. “You don’t like this date we give you? Wait a few months, we’ll have a different one!” No matter, it is said in this wonderful children’s science book that the two iguanas arose from the Ctenosaura iguanas, and then split on the Galapagos after arriving there, and that is almost certainly correct.

One Iguana, Two Iguanas is a fast read, very well illustrated. It is for kids age 8-12, but you can read it to a younger science oriented geek-child, and if you are an adult who is not a biologist, there is a good chance you’ll get something out of it yourself.

The book is well illustrated, makes a good story, and I’d suggest this time of year, it would make a great holiday gift.

The author has written approximately one gazillion children’s books, and has been awarded several awards.

The publisher, Tilbury House, has a number of great kids science books, including these two I just reviewed.

“Global warming is one of the most talked about science subjects today. Maybe you have seen pictures of polar bears or other animals stranded atop floating chunks of melting ice. Perhaps you have heard about or lived through extreme weather – hurricanes, floods, water shortages, heat waves, or electricity blackouts. Many of these events can stem from the world getting warmer. As that happens, the climate changes, too. This book helps young readers understand the sciences used to study global warming. Each chapter addresses specific questions about why the temperatures of the earth’s air and oceans are rising. The information presented aligns with the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: that most of the warming observed over the last half-century is due to human activities and that the impacts of global warming will be significantly negative. Using a question-and-answer format supplemented by hands-on activities, this book fosters an understanding of the complex processes at work in global warming while also enabling youngsters to think critically about their future. McCutcheon ends his book by offering young readers productive ways to think about – and act on – changes in the environment contributing to climate change. McCutcheon taps his mastery of a complicated, highly charged topic to permit young readers to become informed consumers of sciences associated with the most urgent topic of their future – global warming.“

Perfect for an earth science or environmental science class in middle school or for the youngish home schooler. Now we need one for high school!

It is a textbook like hard cover, nicely laid out and richly illustrated. The book does a great job of dealing with modeling, climate-weather distinction, and the longer term history of human impact on the environment. The activities are fun and useful. Personally, I want every 9-12 year old to have this book.