"Every living creature, even within the same
species, is slightly different, Darwin realized.
A difference that makes it easier to survive
is a difference that a creature is more likely
to pass on to its offspring, simply because it
has survived to have offspring. And so that
slight difference gets preserved.
Why did the finches have different beaks?
Because each differently sized beak helped
crack a differently sized nut."
What an intriguing look at Charles Darwin and his daily walks! His ability to think creatively is set out for readers in a series of actions taken as he begins each one. It starts with a rock. For the reader, it won't be Mr. Darwin's rock; it can be any one that appeals. One could even take a few (or more), or a box, or a jar ... anything will work. Next, a stick is needed. Again, not the one Mr. Darwin carries every day. Your choice. Finally, a loop. Mr. Darwin walked the same one every day. As he walked, he would knock one rock off the pile with his stick, and keep walking the loop over and over again, if he needed the time for thinking.
There is much to know about Charles Darwin. He lived in England in the 19th century and was a naturalist and scientist. As a young man, he travelled around the world on a ship he called the Beagle. Upon his return to England, he set about studying all he had collected on his journey. There was much to remember and consider. Every day, from then on, he did the same thing. As he walked, he let his mind wander. If it was not much of a concern, it was a one-rock problem, and so on. The most important problem of all was about the trip he had taken, and the wonders he had seen. It lay in knowing all creatures are not exactly the same; there must be a reason for even these slight differences. In a book as creative as Charles Darwin's mind, readers are offered a final piece of advice:
"Here is how to have a thought:
Stack your rocks high.
Hold your stick firm.
Throw your loop over the land.
And step."
Wonderful text, written in a conversational tone with unconventional advice given, sitting alongside dazzling digital illustrations make this a book that suggests readers can be just as creative in their thinking as Charles Darwin was in his. Additional context and insight into Mr. Darwin's life and thoughts are provided in an extensive and welcome author's note.













