cover image Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth

Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth

Rochelle Strauss. Kids Can Press, $18.95 (40pp) ISBN 978-1-55337-669-9

Several titles delve into an exploration of the environment. A family tree metaphor serves as the basis of Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth by Rochelle Strauss, illus. by Margot Thompson, which presents the entirety of life on Earth, incorporating branches devoted to Monera (bacteria), Fungi and more. Strauss explains the traits of the different divisions, dissects them further (e.g., animals to vertebrates to amphibians to frogs, salamanders, etc.) and offers unique facts about particular species. Thompson's ""crackled"" illustrations depict species as the leaves on the Tree of Life. .