{"id":6247,"date":"2025-12-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/?p=6247"},"modified":"2026-01-21T22:35:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T14:35:42","slug":"life_20251226","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2025\/12\/26\/life_20251226\/","title":{"rendered":"Life: An Epic of Earth \u2013 Using Art to Tell Truth, Reshap\u00ading a 4.6 Bil\u00adlion-Year Jour\u00adney Through Time and Space"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chi\u00adnese ver\u00adsion of \u201cLife: An Epic of Earth\u201d has been intro\u00adduced and pub\u00adlished by Shen\u00adzhen Pub\u00adlish\u00ading House, trans\u00adlat\u00aded by A\u2011Jia, and with thanks to pale\u00adon\u00adtol\u00ado\u00adgist Miao Desui for his pop\u00adu\u00adlar sci\u00adence review.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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\"\u56fe\u7247\"<\/figure>\n

Imag\u00adine how to present the Earth\u00ad\u2019s 4.6 bil\u00adlion-year evo\u00adlu\u00adtion in a long poem (while main\u00adtain\u00ading a rig\u00ador\u00adous sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic approach).<\/p>\n

Before time begins,<\/p>\n

The world has just been born.<\/p>\n

All over the earth<\/p>\n

There are no liv\u00ading beings yet.<\/p>\n

This new world is unsuit\u00adable for life.<\/p>\n

Bom\u00adbard\u00aded by rocks from deep space;<\/p>\n

A ter\u00adri\u00adfy\u00ading comet with a torn tail<\/p>\n

And the bom\u00adbard\u00adment of mete\u00adorites speed\u00ading along their burn\u00ading tra\u00adjec\u00adto\u00adries.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

\"\u56fe\u7247\"<\/figure>\n

Life: A Cel\u00ade\u00adbra\u00adtion of Earth\u00ad\u2019s His\u00adto\u00adry cre\u00adates a unique \u201cdou\u00adble immer\u00adsion\u201d expe\u00adri\u00adence by trans\u00adform\u00ading rig\u00ador\u00adous sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic knowl\u00adedge into catchy, rhyming long poems, accom\u00adpa\u00adnied by mag\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcent water\u00adcol\u00ador illus\u00adtra\u00adtions. It\u2019s more than just a pop\u00adu\u00adlar sci\u00adence book; it\u2019s an audio\u00advi\u00adsu\u00adal feast span\u00adning 4.6 bil\u00adlion years.<\/p>\n

Author Elli Wool\u00adlard breaks away from the dry prose or dia\u00adlogue style of tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal pop\u00adu\u00adlar sci\u00adence books, bold\u00adly adopt\u00ading an extend\u00aded long poem for\u00admat. Through rhyme and rhyth\u00admic vari\u00ada\u00adtions, the text sim\u00adu\u00adlates the pulse of Earth\u00ad\u2019s his\u00adto\u00adry. For exam\u00adple, in describ\u00ading the ear\u00adly days of the Earth, the vers\u00ades depict the \u201cbom\u00adbard\u00adment\u201d of cos\u00admic rocks and the \u201cflights\u201d of comets, cre\u00adat\u00ading an atmos\u00adphere of vio\u00adlent upheaval; while in describ\u00ading the emer\u00adgence of tiny bac\u00adte\u00adria, the tone soft\u00adens, describ\u00ading their \u201cqui\u00adet spread.\u201d This rhyth\u00admic cadence makes the oth\u00ader\u00adwise pro\u00adfound geo\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal eras easy to read and remem\u00adber, described as \u201ca per\u00adfect blend of nar\u00adra\u00adtive, sci\u00adence, and won\u00adder.\u201d Elli uses imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive vocab\u00adu\u00adlary to explain com\u00adplex sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic con\u00adcepts. For instance, she describes cyanobac\u00adte\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal pho\u00adto\u00adsyn\u00adthe\u00adsis as \u201cbreath\u00ading oxy\u00adgen out of the ocean,\u201d and the extinc\u00adtion of dinosaurs as \u201cfinal\u00adly, only bones and dust remained.\u201d This poet\u00adic lan\u00adguage not only low\u00aders the bar\u00adri\u00ader for chil\u00addren to under\u00adstand evo\u00adlu\u00adtion but also imbues cold fos\u00adsils with warmth, allow\u00ading read\u00aders to empathize with the pass\u00ading of life.<\/p>\n

The book is struc\u00adtured like an epic, begin\u00adning with the dark void \u201cbefore time began,\u201d tra\u00advers\u00ading the explo\u00adsion of marine life, the age of dinosaurs, and final\u00adly the rise of human civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtion. Par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly note\u00adwor\u00adthy is the end\u00ading, where the poem shifts from praise to warn\u00ading, blunt\u00adly stat\u00ading that human\u00adi\u00adty is a species \u201ccapa\u00adble of both build\u00ading and destroy\u00ading.\u201d This emo\u00adtion\u00adal turn is high\u00adly impact\u00adful, inspir\u00ading read\u00aders to feel a sense of respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty for the future.
\n\u200b<\/p>\n

\"\u56fe\u7247\"<\/figure>\n

Illus\u00adtra\u00adtor Dorien Brouw\u00aders uti\u00adlizes the trans\u00adparen\u00adcy and flu\u00adid\u00adi\u00adty of water\u00adcol\u00ador to cre\u00adate immer\u00adsive panoram\u00adic images that are both sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly detailed and aes\u00adthet\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly pleas\u00ading. Instead of a car\u00adtoon\u00adish style, Brouw\u00aders employs a del\u00adi\u00adcate, beau\u00adti\u00adful, and mag\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcent approach. For exam\u00adple, she uses deep blacks and bursts of orange-red to depict the mag\u00adma and impacts of Earth\u00ad\u2019s ear\u00adly days, show\u00adcas\u00ading a \u201chos\u00adtile\u201d yet spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar pri\u00admal beau\u00adty; she uses fresh greens and soft light and shad\u00adow to depict the lush green\u00adery of the first forests. This style trans\u00adports the view\u00ader to that dis\u00adtant time and place.<\/p>\n

While main\u00adtain\u00ading its artis\u00adtic mer\u00adit, the illus\u00adtra\u00adtions are rich in detail in their depic\u00adtion of pre\u00adhis\u00adtoric crea\u00adtures. From \u201cshelled tubes\u201d in the ocean to \u201cflipped worms\u201d on land, and var\u00adi\u00adous dinosaurs (horned, spiky, swift), the images vivid\u00adly \u201crevive\u201d extinct crea\u00adtures. Crit\u00adics have not\u00aded that these illus\u00adtra\u00adtions are \u201cextreme\u00adly detailed, bring\u00ading his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal scenes to life.\u201d On the page depict\u00ading the aster\u00adoid impact that led to the extinc\u00adtion of the dinosaurs, the image sud\u00adden\u00adly turns gray, reveal\u00ading only skele\u00adtal remains; this strong visu\u00adal con\u00adtrast inten\u00adsi\u00adfies the dev\u00adas\u00adta\u00adtion of the dis\u00adas\u00adter. Lat\u00ader in the book, when human cities appear, the illus\u00adtra\u00adtions are filled with sky\u00adscrap\u00aders and machines, cre\u00adat\u00ading a stark con\u00adtrast to the pre\u00advi\u00adous nat\u00adur\u00adal land\u00adscape and vivid\u00adly illus\u00adtrat\u00ading the enor\u00admous changes humans have made to the Earth\u00ad\u2019s appear\u00adance.<\/p>\n

This non-fic\u00adtion pic\u00adture book skill\u00adful\u00adly bal\u00adances \u201cpoet\u00adic expe\u00adri\u00adence\u201d and \u201csci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic rig\u00ador\u201d in its depic\u00adtion of evo\u00adlu\u00adtion: the main text is respon\u00adsi\u00adble for \u201cwonder\u201d\u2014focusing on sto\u00adry\u00adtelling and con\u00advey\u00ading emo\u00adtions, allow\u00ading chil\u00addren to expe\u00adri\u00adence the mir\u00ada\u00adcle of life\u2019s evo\u00adlu\u00adtion and the fragili\u00adty of the Earth through read\u00ading; the appen\u00addix is respon\u00adsi\u00adble for \u201ctruth-seeking\u201d\u2014a spe\u00adcial \u201cmin\u00adi\u00admal\u00adist his\u00adto\u00adry of life\u201d time\u00adline at the end of the book lists key mile\u00adstones (such as the appear\u00adance of water 3.8 bil\u00adlion years ago, the extinc\u00adtion of dinosaurs 66 mil\u00adlion years ago) and their sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic expla\u00adna\u00adtions. This design ensures the accu\u00adra\u00adcy of the pic\u00adture book as a sci\u00adence book while avoid\u00ading exces\u00adsive data that could dis\u00adrupt the poet\u00adic flow of the main text.<\/p>\n

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Unlike text\u00adbooks that mechan\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly list geo\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal ages, this work reshapes Earth\u00ad\u2019s his\u00adto\u00adry through the chem\u00adi\u00adcal reac\u00adtion of poet\u00adry and paint\u00ading. If we com\u00adpare Earth\u00ad\u2019s 4.6 bil\u00adlion-year evo\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary his\u00adto\u00adry to a grand sym\u00adpho\u00adny, then Ellie Woolard\u2019s poet\u00adic words are the undu\u00adlat\u00ading melody, guid\u00ading the direc\u00adtion of emo\u00adtions; while Dori\u00adan Brouw\u00aders\u2019 immer\u00adsive illus\u00adtra\u00adtions are the mag\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcent stage set\u00adting, com\u00adplete\u00adly draw\u00ading the audi\u00adence (read\u00aders) into this per\u00adfor\u00admance that tran\u00adscends time and space.<\/p>\n

[Author and Illus\u00adtra\u00adtor]<\/p>\n

Elli Wool\u00adlard is a British chil\u00addren\u2019s book author, best known for her pic\u00adture books and chil\u00addren\u2019s poet\u00adry. With a degree in social anthro\u00adpol\u00ado\u00adgy, she has worked as a teacher, edi\u00adtor, and trans\u00adla\u00adtor, a diverse back\u00adground that imbues her work with both a human\u00adis\u00adtic per\u00adspec\u00adtive and child\u00adlike charm. Wool\u00adlard\u2019s works are renowned for their catchy rhyming vers\u00ades and humor\u00adous sto\u00adries, char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adized by their brisk pace and wit, mak\u00ading them pop\u00adu\u00adlar with chil\u00addren and par\u00adents alike. For exam\u00adple, her rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive works, such as *The Giant of Jum* and *The Drag\u00adon and the Nib\u00adble\u00adsome Knight*, are rhyming fairy tales that blend humor and warmth, show\u00adcas\u00ading her tal\u00adent for nurs\u00adery rhyme-style nar\u00adra\u00adtive. In her new book, *Life: An Epic of Earth*, Wool\u00adlard con\u00adtin\u00adues her sig\u00adna\u00adture poet\u00adic nar\u00adra\u00adtive style, using lyri\u00adcal long poems to tell sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic sto\u00adries, hailed as a mod\u00adel of \u201cper\u00adfect\u00adly blend\u00ading nar\u00adra\u00adtive, sci\u00adence, and won\u00adder.\u201d It\u2019s worth not\u00ading that Woolard\u2019s own con\u00adcern for soci\u00adety and his\u00adto\u00adry, as well as her iden\u00adti\u00adty as a moth\u00ader of four, prompt\u00aded her to con\u00advey her care for the evo\u00adlu\u00adtion of life and our plan\u00adet Earth to chil\u00addren through poet\u00adic lan\u00adguage. This book is her first attempt at large-scale pop\u00adu\u00adlar sci\u00adence, a bold explo\u00adration that inte\u00adgrates pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal knowl\u00adedge into the nurs\u00adery rhyme genre.<\/p>\n

Illus\u00adtra\u00adtor Dorien Brouw\u00aders is a Dutch illus\u00adtra\u00adtor who grad\u00adu\u00adat\u00aded from a British art school with a degree in graph\u00adic design. Her art\u00adwork has been select\u00aded for the Bologna Chil\u00addren\u2019s Book Fair Illus\u00adtra\u00adtion Exhi\u00adbi\u00adtion and has won awards at world illus\u00adtra\u00adtion com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtions, demon\u00adstrat\u00ading her high artis\u00adtic lev\u00adel. Brouw\u00aders\u2019 style is del\u00adi\u00adcate and beau\u00adti\u00adful, and she excels at cre\u00adat\u00ading immer\u00adsive images using tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal media such as water\u00adcol\u00ador. She has pre\u00advi\u00adous\u00adly pro\u00advid\u00aded illus\u00adtra\u00adtions for renowned muse\u00adums such as the Pra\u00addo Muse\u00adum and Tate Mod\u00adern. In *Life: An Epic of Earth*, Brouw\u00aders recre\u00adates the var\u00adi\u00adous stages of life\u2019s evo\u00adlu\u00adtion with mag\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcent and grand visu\u00adals. The illus\u00adtra\u00adtions are exquis\u00adite, vivid, and full of epic grandeur, with many scenes so real\u00adis\u00adtic that they feel like you are actu\u00adal\u00adly there. Her illus\u00adtra\u00adtions enhance the impact of the text, turn\u00ading the his\u00adto\u00adry of sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic evo\u00adlu\u00adtion into a series of beau\u00adti\u00adful scrolls of life. From her cre\u00adative moti\u00adva\u00adtion, Brouw\u00aders has a gen\u00aduine pas\u00adsion for nature and envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal protection\u2014in the book\u2019s title page, she pays spe\u00adcial trib\u00adute to a young read\u00ader, May, who once asked, \u201cCould humans have been born from dinosaurs?\u201d, and to William, a child who calls her a \u201clit\u00adtle eco\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal fight\u00ader.\u201d This reveals her desire to answer chil\u00addren\u2019s curios\u00adi\u00adty about life through pic\u00adture books and inspire envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal aware\u00adness among the younger gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion. This cre\u00adative inten\u00adtion coin\u00adcides with Woolard\u2019s poet\u00adic approach to sci\u00adence pop\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adiza\u00adtion, lay\u00ading a foun\u00adda\u00adtion for the book\u2019s poet\u00adic yet respon\u00adsi\u00adble tone.<\/p>\n

\"\u56fe\u7247\"<\/figure>\n

[Com\u00adpar\u00adi\u00adson with sim\u00adi\u00adlar sci\u00adence pic\u00adture books]<\/p>\n

Chil\u00addren\u2019s pic\u00adture books on the theme of nat\u00adur\u00adal evo\u00adlu\u00adtion are not uncom\u00admon, with clas\u00adsics such as *Life Sto\u00adry: The Sto\u00adry of Life on Our Earth from Its Begin\u00adning Up to Now* (by Vir\u00adginia Lee Bur\u00adton) and more recent orig\u00adi\u00adnals like *The Great Evo\u00adlu\u00adtion: The Mir\u00ada\u00adcle of Life on Earth Over 3.8 Bil\u00adlion Years* (by Mil\u00adly Chil\u00addren\u2019s Books) each pos\u00adsess\u00ading their own unique char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtics. How\u00adev\u00ader, *Life: An Epic of Earth* stands out for its unique inno\u00adva\u00adtion in both con\u00adtent depth and form:<\/p>\n

First\u00adly, in terms of nar\u00adra\u00adtive form, most life sci\u00adence pic\u00adture books use prose or dia\u00adlogue to con\u00advey knowl\u00adedge, while *Life* is entire\u00adly a long nar\u00adra\u00adtive in poet\u00adic form. One review not\u00aded, \u201cOf all the books on this sub\u00adject to date, none has been writ\u00adten with such ele\u00adgance and com\u00adpo\u00adsure in the extend\u00aded poet\u00adic form as *Life*.\u201d Woolard skill\u00adful\u00adly employs rhythm and rep\u00ade\u00adti\u00adtion, mak\u00ading the entire book melo\u00addi\u00adous and easy to read aloud, per\u00adfect for par\u00adent-child read\u00ading. This poet\u00adic nar\u00adra\u00adtive not only enhances the lit\u00ader\u00adary beau\u00adty but also low\u00aders the read\u00ading thresh\u00adold for pro\u00adfound sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic con\u00adcepts. In con\u00adtrast, Bur\u00adton\u2019s *The Sto\u00adry of Life* uses a five-act play struc\u00adture to metaphor\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly rep\u00adre\u00adsent the his\u00adto\u00adry of life on Earth; while the lan\u00adguage is equal\u00adly poet\u00adic, it leans towards a prose style. *Life*, on the oth\u00ader hand, com\u00adplete\u00adly con\u00adnects bil\u00adlions of years of his\u00adto\u00adry with rhyming poet\u00adry, a bold\u00ader form.<\/p>\n

Sec\u00adond\u00adly, in terms of illus\u00adtra\u00adtion style and visu\u00adal pre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion, *Life* employs immer\u00adsive panoram\u00adic images, with a del\u00adi\u00adcate and real\u00adis\u00adtic style that does\u00adn\u2019t lack artis\u00adtic imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion. Each illus\u00adtra\u00adtion is \u201cdeeply impact\u00adful and beau\u00adti\u00adful, rich in detail, bring\u00ading his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal scenes to life.\u201d Many pic\u00adture books on sim\u00adi\u00adlar themes either use exag\u00adger\u00adat\u00aded car\u00adtoon styles to appeal to chil\u00addren or take a real\u00adis\u00adtic, sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic illus\u00adtra\u00adtion route. Brouw\u00aders, how\u00adev\u00ader, chose a blend of impres\u00adsion\u00adis\u00adtic and real\u00adis\u00adtic tech\u00adniques: it pro\u00advides accu\u00adrate sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic depic\u00adtions of ancient crea\u00adtures and their envi\u00adron\u00adments while cre\u00adat\u00ading a breath\u00adtak\u00ading epic atmos\u00adphere through col\u00ador and com\u00adpo\u00adsi\u00adtion. For exam\u00adple, scenes of the birth of the ocean, the roam\u00ading of dinosaurs, and glacial storms are han\u00addled with a real\u00adis\u00adtic yet dream\u00adlike grandeur, ele\u00advat\u00ading the over\u00adall aes\u00adthet\u00adic of the book. Bur\u00adton\u2019s *The Sto\u00adry of Life* fea\u00adtures illus\u00adtra\u00adtions with a mid-20th-cen\u00adtu\u00adry retro feel; while the com\u00adpo\u00adsi\u00adtions are grand, the col\u00adors and brush\u00adstrokes are sim\u00adpler. *Life* suc\u00adcess\u00adful\u00adly strikes a bal\u00adance between sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic rig\u00ador and artis\u00adtic aes\u00adthet\u00adics, pro\u00advid\u00ading chil\u00addren with visu\u00adal enjoy\u00adment while inspir\u00ading won\u00adder and reflec\u00adtion on the evo\u00adlu\u00adtion of life in every illus\u00adtra\u00adtion.<\/p>\n

\"\u56fe\u7247\"<\/figure>\n

In terms of breadth of con\u00adtent, *Life*, like many evo\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary pic\u00adture books, cov\u00aders the entire process from the birth of Earth to mod\u00adern humans. How\u00adev\u00ader, it weaves com\u00adplex knowl\u00adedge into sim\u00adple and easy-to-under\u00adstand poet\u00adry, inte\u00adgrat\u00ading sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic infor\u00adma\u00adtion into the sto\u00adry\u00adline, achiev\u00ading both sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic accu\u00adra\u00adcy and enter\u00adtain\u00adment. The text \u201cskill\u00adful\u00adly uti\u00adlizes poet\u00adic fea\u00adtures, is rich in infor\u00adma\u00adtion, sup\u00adports curi\u00adous chil\u00addren in under\u00adstand\u00ading the evo\u00adlu\u00adtion of the world, and is hon\u00adest about con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adrary world prob\u00adlems while still hold\u00ading hope for the future.\u201d For exam\u00adple, the book uses imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive vocab\u00adu\u00adlary and rhymes to describe ancient life (such as using ono\u00admatopoeia to depict comet impacts and the \u201cthump-thump\u201d foot\u00adsteps of dinosaurs), con\u00advey\u00ading knowl\u00adedge through enter\u00adtain\u00adment. The end\u00ading, dis\u00adcussing the impact of human envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal impact, becomes more seri\u00adous and direct, prompt\u00ading read\u00aders to reflect. In con\u00adtrast, *The Sto\u00adry of Life* is more detailed and praised for \u201cpre\u00adsent\u00ading a time and space land\u00adscape that is both dis\u00adtant and close with extreme\u00adly sim\u00adple yet grand lan\u00adguage and mag\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcent illus\u00adtra\u00adtions,\u201d but it has more text and a rel\u00ada\u00adtive\u00adly high\u00ader read\u00ading thresh\u00adold. *Life: An Epic of Earth*, on the oth\u00ader hand, while ensur\u00ading accu\u00adra\u00adcy, clev\u00ader\u00adly reduces the dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adty of under\u00adstand\u00ading through the con\u00adcise\u00adness and rhythm of poet\u00adry. The \u201cA Brief His\u00adto\u00adry of Life\u201d time\u00adline append\u00aded at the end of the book lists key evo\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary events on a time\u00adline with brief anno\u00adta\u00adtions, sup\u00adple\u00adment\u00ading the pop\u00adu\u00adlar sci\u00adence infor\u00adma\u00adtion. This design bal\u00adances read\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty and sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic accu\u00adra\u00adcy, fur\u00adther high\u00adlight\u00ading its inno\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive form.<\/p>\n

[Core Con\u00adcept: Earth\u00ad\u2019s Epic and Human Respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty]<\/p>\n

\u201cLife: An Epic His\u00adto\u00adry of Earth\u201d is pub\u00adlished by Puf\u00adfin Pub\u00adlish\u00ading in the UK. Puf\u00adfin is a renowned chil\u00addren\u2019s book pub\u00adlish\u00ader under Pen\u00adguin Ran\u00addom House, known for its high-qual\u00adi\u00adty chil\u00addren\u2019s lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture and pic\u00adture books. Puffin\u2019s release of this pic\u00adture book, which com\u00adpiles a \u201ccom\u00adplete his\u00adto\u00adry of Earth,\u201d demon\u00adstrates their endorse\u00adment of the book\u2019s con\u00adcept. The edi\u00adtors empha\u00adsize in the pro\u00admo\u00adtion\u00adal mate\u00adri\u00adals that the book \u201cper\u00adfect\u00adly blends sto\u00adry\u00adtelling, sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic knowl\u00adedge, and a sense of awe,\u201d hop\u00ading to sat\u00adis\u00adfy chil\u00addren\u2019s curios\u00adi\u00adty and inspire won\u00adder at nature.<\/p>\n

From the per\u00adspec\u00adtives of the authors and illus\u00adtra\u00adtors, the core mes\u00adsage of this book is very clear: to respect the evo\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary process of life and to face the respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties that human\u00adi\u00adty bears. A major moti\u00adva\u00adtion for the two authors in cre\u00adat\u00ading this book was to answer chil\u00addren\u2019s curios\u00adi\u00adty about the ori\u00adgins of life, cul\u00adti\u00advate their sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic spir\u00adit, and at the same time raise their aware\u00adness of envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal pro\u00adtec\u00adtion.<\/p>\n

The book\u2019s approach to Earth\u00ad\u2019s his\u00adto\u00adry and envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal issues is both grad\u00adual and impact\u00adful. The first half, filled with won\u00adder and praise, depicts the mag\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcent process from the prim\u00adi\u00adtive Earth to the emer\u00adgence of dinosaurs and humans, its soar\u00ading and poet\u00adic tone inspir\u00ading awe in the read\u00ader regard\u00ading the evo\u00adlu\u00adtion of life. How\u00adev\u00ader, after the intro\u00adduc\u00adtion of humans, the sto\u00adry shifts dra\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, using stark and somber lan\u00adguage to describe human\u00adi\u00adty\u2019s exploita\u00adtion and destruc\u00adtion of the Earth: \u201cWe cut down trees, destroy soil, and dump waste on land and in the ocean. We release pol\u00adlu\u00adtants into the sky, caus\u00ading glob\u00adal warm\u00ading, ris\u00ading sea lev\u00adels, and the extinc\u00adtion of unique and rare plants and ani\u00admals\u2026\u201d These words are quite rare in pic\u00adture books, yet they accu\u00adrate\u00adly pin\u00adpoint the cause of the con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adrary eco\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal crisis\u2014humans are the first species on Earth capa\u00adble of both cre\u00adation and destruc\u00adtion. This mes\u00adsage reflects the author\u2019s strong sense of urgency: to help chil\u00addren under\u00adstand the pain and \u201cpathol\u00ado\u00adgy\u201d that human\u00adi\u00adty has inflict\u00aded on the Earth. But the author does\u00adn\u2019t stop at warn\u00ading; instead, at the end, the author appeals for \u201ccher\u00adish\u00ading this pre\u00adcious place\u2014our home, Earth.\u201d This nar\u00adra\u00adtive tech\u00adnique of first prais\u00ading and then crit\u00adi\u00adciz\u00ading, and then turn\u00ading to hope, allows chil\u00addren to feel both the sever\u00adi\u00adty of the cri\u00adsis and the sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcance of tak\u00ading pos\u00adi\u00adtive action.<\/p>\n

\"\u56fe\u7247\"<\/figure>\n

Over\u00adall, the cre\u00adative con\u00adcept behind *Life* is to tell chil\u00addren an epic sto\u00adry of life on Earth, allow\u00ading them to expe\u00adri\u00adence the grandeur and mir\u00ada\u00adcle of life\u2019s evo\u00adlu\u00adtion; at the same time, it guides them in a sim\u00adple yet pow\u00ader\u00adful way to rec\u00adog\u00adnize their envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty as the most intel\u00adli\u00adgent beings on Earth. The pub\u00adlish\u00ader clear\u00adly val\u00adues this kind of work that com\u00adbines sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic per\u00adspec\u00adtive with val\u00adues edu\u00adca\u00adtion, believ\u00ading it can both stim\u00adu\u00adlate chil\u00addren\u2019s inter\u00adest in sci\u00adence and his\u00adto\u00adry and cul\u00adti\u00advate glob\u00adal cit\u00adi\u00adzen\u00adship. For young read\u00aders, this book plants the seeds of \u201crespect for life and cher\u00adish\u00ading the Earth\u201d\u2014perhaps this is the core mes\u00adsage that the cre\u00adators and pub\u00adlish\u00aders want\u00aded to con\u00advey.<\/p>\n

\"\u56fe\u7247\"<\/figure>\n
\"\u56fe\u7247\"<\/figure>\n

\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Chi\u00adnese ver\u00adsion of \u201cLife: An Epic of Earth\u201d has been intro\u00adduced and pub\u00adlished by Shen\u00adzhen Pub\u00adlish\u00ading House, trans\u00adlat\u00aded by A\u2011Jia, and with thanks to pale\u00adon\u00adtol\u00ado\u00adgist Miao Desui for his pop\u00adu\u00adlar sci\u00adence review.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,16,12],"tags":[5,10,501],"class_list":["post-6247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review","category-my-translation","category-ajia-review","tag-5","tag-10","tag-501"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6247"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6342,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6247\/revisions\/6342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}