Out of the Blue: How Animals Evolved from Prehistoric Seas by Elizabeth Shreeve and Frann Preston-Gannon - ADVISABLE

Out of the Blue: How Animals Evolved from Prehistoric Seas by Elizabeth Shreeve, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. PICTURE BOOK, NON-FICTION Candlewick Press, 2021. $18. 9781536214109 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

How are a dolphin, a shark and a hippo related? Well, first it started billions of years ago with single cell microbes living in the seas. They evolved into Jellyfish and sponges, which over millions of years evolved into mollusks, and annelid worms and echinoderms. Some were the predators, some were prey and each evolved over millions of years, eventually moving from the sea to the shore. More evolution brought scorpions on land and sea spiders and horseshoe crabs in the sea. Then, over millions of years bugs (both on land and in the sea) evolve and mollusks from the sea evolve into snails with lungs. Then fish, then amphibians and reptiles, an extinction, then dinosaurs, and another great extinction, then mammals, like the dolphin (water) and hippo (land). 

Beautiful illustrations complement the scientist reviewed and well sourced picture book. There is text all over the page - a section of the story, but then "more facts" and names. The period and how many million years ago is easy to spot on every 2 page spread. A great introduction to evolution, with so many ancient animals!

Lisa Librarian