Life Story [Paperback]

Virginia Lee Burton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 1989 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

A beautifully designed book set up as a play in five acts. The passage of time is shown visually on each page.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"The drama of Life is a continuing story," says Burton in her epilogue; she amply demonstrates this in her magnificent description of the evolutionary process, with text and paintings presented as a five-act play. All ages.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Miss Burton succeeds in giving the reader a sense of his own place in the magnificent flow of time and creation." Horn Book

"Miss Burton succeeds in giving the reader a sense of his own place in the magnificent flow of time and creation." Horn Book Guide

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; None edition (October 30, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395520177
• ISBN-13: 978-0395520178
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Virginia Lee Burton was the talented author and illustrator of some of the most enduring books ever written for children. The winner of the 1942 Caldecott Medal for The Little House, Burton's books include heroes and happy endings, lively illustrations, and a dash of nostalgia. She lived with her two sons, Aristides and Michael, and her husband George Demetrios, the sculptor, in a section of Gloucester, Massachusetts, called Folly Cove. Here she taught a class in design and from it emerged the Folly Cove designers, a group of internationally known professional artisans.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Wonderful Book!, January 10, 2004

By 

Rebecca (Kearney, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life Story (Hardcover)

My first-grade daughter has been fascinated by this book since she found the dog-eared 1962 copy in her school library last year. She's checked it out so many times that we're buying her a copy for her birthday.
It's not often you find a science book for kids that doesn't talk down to them, or leave out a lot of facts to make the book shorter or less wordy. This book has a lot of words, some of them big scientific words, but it is so elegantly written that my daughter has never lost interest. It begins with descriptions of the creation of the planet and solar system and follows the story of life on our planet through prehistoric times, to present day life on the author's farm. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, very folk-art like, and very detailed. If your child is interested in dinosaurs, like my daughter is, this is a great book and will broaden their interest into other eras of prehistoric creatures.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Earth Science for Preschoolers!, May 21, 2000

By 

mama loves electronics "Statu-Esq" (New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life Story (Hardcover)

This book is absolutely fabulous! It reads extremely well to preschoolers and possibly younger children as well. Even though earth science has progressed since this book's first printing, it's still a great introduction some of the basic, foundational concepts in the study of: Space/Time; Earth and the Universe; Geology and Prehistoric Life Science.

Also, the illustration's are beautiful! My 3yr. old is as fascinated by the pictures as he is by the story!

I read this book and "The Little House" by Burton when I was a child and it has been a wonderful experience to share these books with my son!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dear Friend of Mine!, October 8, 2005

By 

Steven R. Webb (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life Story (Paperback)

As a child this was my favorite book as well. I had it checked out of the school library so often I may as well have owned it. I was thrilled to recently find it still in print, and I ordered a copy for my kids -- and one for myself!

The artwork is incredible. There's something about the style of it that almost... psychedelic. There's a swirling flow to it, with orderly ribbons of plants and animals winding into the distance. Yet while highly stylized, the artwork at the same time offers a wonderful sense of realism. The swamps of the Carboniferous seem so dark and mysterious; the verdant forests at the opening of the Cenezoic Era are infused with the essence of life born anew. And the intricate borders around the "program" at the beginning remind one of the lovingly detailed borders one might find along the high ceiling of some Victorian-era museum.

Even after 40 years, the science behind the book holds up amazingly well. If you want to inspire a love of natural history in your children, get them this book!