How to Have a Thought: A Walk with Charles Darwin by Nicholas Day & illustrated by Hadley Hooper

How to Have a Thought: A Walk with Charles Darwin  

  

ISBN: 9780823458509
Neal Porter Books ~ $19.99 USD
Holiday House Publishing

My thoughts:  The cover of this children's picture book and the title "How To Have A Thought" were enticing. Firstly, I love lovely children's picture books. Secondly, the idea of the book's imparting a concept on how to have a thought - how to think, or have an idea - was especially appealing. Charles Darwin was obviously a "thinker" and his ideas were certainly original and controversial.

The book explains how Darwin took daily walks, sometimes more than one a day, to clear his head and open it to the thinking process. That's when he had his "thoughts." He would get a rock, a stick, and his dog. He'd walk in a loop. As he did so, he would have a stack of rocks and knock one off with each loop-around in his walk. Some thoughts were one-loop walks and some took more loops around.

So basically, the book is about Darwin's having a healthy habit from which he benefited both in his body and his mind's processes.

In the book's story, it touches a bit on Darwin's discoveries of differences in birds and other animals or critters. Finches having slightly different beaks seemed to be a starting point in his realization of minute variations in creatures virtually the same. He began to speculate on these various differences in creatures and how they point to survival of the fittest.

I think the book's conceptual presentation of taking a walk on a regular basis as beneficial for good thinking is well worth the read. I also think the illustrations are good. I found the idea of evolution or survival of the fittest one that is not suitable for the ages intended to enjoy this book. Also, the back material provides more detailed information on Darwin and his theories. Again, these are not suitable content for ages 4-8.

I can't recommend this book.

About the book: Take a walk with Charles Darwin in this electrifying new picture book from Sibert Medalist Nicholas Day.

How do you work through a complicated idea, solve a tricky problem, or make a big discovery? Charles Darwin had a lot of ways to do it. He paced in circles and hit rocks with a stick. He studied the bones of his dinner. He even rode around the world on a boat called The Beagle.

These methods may sound unorthodox, but they led him to some pretty great thoughts—and discoveries about the origins of life as we know it.

Sibert Medalist Nicholas Day's conversational text has all the charm of a true story told by your smartest, most interesting friend. With Hadley Hooper's engrossingly textured illustrations, How to Have a Thought is both an introduction to Darwin and an invitation to live with brilliant curiosity.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.