2019 Finalist: Children’s Science Picture Book

Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth, by Nicola Davies. Illustrated by Emily Sutton. Candlewick, 2017.

How many different kinds of living things are there on Earth? So many! The more we look, the more we discover: And all living things—including us—are part of a big, beautiful pattern and depend on one another for survival. When humans interfere with parts of the pattern, by polluting the air and oceans, taking too much from the sea, and cutting down too many forests, animals and plants begin to disappear. What sort of world would it be if it went from having many types of living things to having just one? In a beautiful follow-up, the creators of the award-winning Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes deliver an inspiring look at the extraordinary diversity of Earth’s inhabitants—and the importance of their preservation.