  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 01/01/2014 Eye-catching, earth-toned watercolors fill the pages of this brief story of the Pinta Island saddleback tortoises—how they came to be millions of years ago and why the species became extinct in 2012 with the death of the 100-year-old Lonesome George. The narrative follows one of George’s ancestors as she (yes, she) is washed from the South American continent to one of the little islands of the Galápagos and then traces how her descendants evolved into the saddleback tortoises. With a mixture of panoramic views and detailed close-ups, Minor’s rich illustrations capture the drama of the journey and the subsequent existence on the island. The information in the text is minimal and could have used an author’s note to fill in some of the blanks. However, the back matter does include a list of key terms, a time line, and a page of helpful resources encouraging further research. A map of the Galápagos Islands in the front endpapers is particularly edifying. A good combination of precise writing and illuminating artwork. - Copyright 2014 Booklist. School Library Journal - 03/01/2014 Gr 1–3—This is an account of the evolution of the Galápagos Tortoise, as well as the life and death of a famous Galápagos tortoise named Lonesome George. When Lonesome George died in 2012, it marked the extinction of a species thousands of years old and perfectly adapted to living on the Galápagos Islands. The life of the tortoise and the plants and animals of its habitat are illustrated in vivid, brilliant color paintings on every page. A map of the Galápagos Islands spreads across the end papers and includes an inset of South America, placing the islands in their geographical context. The author explains the adaptations that led to the unique features of the species: the tortoise's "neck was a little longer than those of the other tortoises on the island, and she could eat the leaves of trees when the ground plants were gone." When humans caused too many drastic changes, such as the inadvertent introduction of predators, many individual tortoises could not adapt, and drastic declines in numbers of survivors led to extinction. A half page of definitions for key terms such as "adaptation" and "evolution" is included, as is a time line of the Galápagos Islands.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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