Eukarya: A Child’s
Guide to Knowing Names of Nature, by Cole Williams (Burning Belly Press,
2015, 41 pages, $15.99)
Eureka! No, Eukarya!
Delightfully drawn, the plants and animals (and myriad other
living things) of Eukarya illustrate
their names and make learning so easy, logical and, yes, even fun with rhymes,
from the exceptionally clever Table of Contents to the asterisked organisms
with “fictitious names of creatures* created by children.”
Starting at the beginning with an excellent overview of taxonomy
then traipsing through the Protists, Fungi, Plants and Animals, Cole Williams
uses phrases and terms like ‘different bubbles housing different jobs’ to designate
membrane-bound organelles, and ‘roommates’ to describe dinoflagellates living
peacefully with corals.
“Amoebas have no true feet,
But are very famous blobs.
Paramecia are predators
Eating little gobs.”
Looks Like a Coloring
Book but for Kids or Adults?
With pages between chapters left mostly blank, Eukarya
simply begs for the reader to draw his/her own creatures, real or imagined, and to
name them. Williams has even included an alphabet of plant names and
adjectives.
So much is included in this unassuming little tome that it
appeals to curious kids and to college students who need a short explanation of
taxonomy with oodles of examples.
Minutiae
I might add a pronunciation guide to help non-biologist
parents but I am still considering using this in the college biology classes
that I teach.
Eukarya is bound to
be your child’s new favorite word!
* like "horkey" and "froggert"
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