Jonathan TweetGrandmother Fish: A Child's First Book of Evolution

I think this book makes evolution very accessible to children and really opens your mind to a new level of imagination going back so many generations that you can't even calculate anymore. How many generations are in a million years? And how many millions of years of evolution have passed since our ancestors were fish? I love these questions.I grew up both religious and very open to scientific learning. This is a great twist on the story of origins because rather than going back to a purported Grandma Eve, we get to keep going back to Grandma Fish. It helps me feel so connected to the whole natural world, all my cousins of all shapes and sizes climbing trees and dwelling in deserts and forests, not just apes, but dogs and cats and squirrels and elephants and horses and rabbits, etc.I love the emotional bonding and compassion we can experience with all living beings. I have almost always had pets all of my more than 50 years. I hope this book inspires children to feel a deeper kinship and responsibility toward everything living and sharing our world with us.

I can't imagine a better way to talk about and teach evolution to kids. My daughter loves it and we get into great science conversations while going through it, and she's asking fantastic questions (which she knows always gets me talking!). It's a must buy for anyone with kids who value the understanding of science! I started reading it to her around age 5/6 and now she's reading it to me at 8.

I have long looked for a book on evolution for children, as those in my life often ask about evolution. I am so very happy that I stumbled upon this one while I still have lots of young grandchildren.The subject is so cleverly depicted and beautifully rendered that it's an instant favorite with us.I love how it encourages children to reflect on some abilities that they have, which they have inherited from our ancestors - inspiring them to act out those abilities while reading the book. So great for young children!Another reviewer mentioned that it contains elements that make it useful for older children as well, and I have to agree with that.I came online today to purchase another copy for the grandchildren who live far away. I could not be more pleased with the depth of knowledge presented in such a simple way that is also gorgeous to look at.

Blends story with learning

WE LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!We have a digital copy of this book (that's how I knew how awesome it was) and just had to have a physical copy as well!Purchased for our 3yo and read at bedtime, this book is easy and fun for her to follow and recite/read along to. She has so much fun acting out the different characteristics of each grandmother, (wiggle, crawl, squeak, etc..) and the concept of grandmothers in general is easy for her to understand. It presents the idea of commonality in a beautifully simple way. A wonderful introduction for a spongy young mind. The book itself is well made with sturdy pages and has beautiful artwork, especially of grandmother fish herself.If you only buy one book on this subject for your child, it should be this one!

This book may be my favorite purchase of the year. When I selected it as a book to read to my four year old granddaughter I suspected that, as a book about evolution, it would be one of those books that I would like and she would not. Was I wrong! It quickly became her favorite book. The first time I read it with her she made me read it three times in a rows each time acting out the wiggling, cuddling, grabbing. Then at bedtime I started to read her another book, but she asked, "Could you go downstairs and get that book about Grandmother Fish?" The book is brilliantly conceived and executed. I was fascinated that a four year old would find it so comforting that she would want it to be the last book read to her before she fell asleep.

My 2.5 year old loves it! And there's some great additional information so this book will grow with her. Only complaint I have is that my printing of the book must have come off the press too quickly because the one set of pages has ink transfer - not the end of the world but it is less attractive on those pages.

I've had to read this book literally every night for bedtime for the past three months. My kids have it memorized. They insist on trying out every single skill that is learned. They're especially fond of the grabbing and cuddling skills. The tree of life diagram in back a nice touch. We've had many discussions at this point about why Neanderthals went extinct, what is a Bonobo, can mushrooms think? Thank God for google. I do not recommend this book if you don't have access to either google, a public library, or a decent set of encyclopedias. Good luck.