About 3 billion years ago, in the Precambrian era, microscopic, single-celled bacteria emerged. As they began to photosynthesise, the atmosphere of the planet changed, and around 600 million years ago, an array of complex life forms began to appear. This was called the Cambrian explosion.
Since then, the planet has been through many convulsions. Continents have drifted and merged and fragmented again. Life forms have evolved and great extinction events have wiped them out. Fish turned into tetrapods, turned into archosaurs, turned into dinosaurs and mammals. Eventually, a mere two million years ago, humans appeared, transforming the planet into what we know today.
This highly illustrated, large-format book offers an awe-inspiring introduction to the history of life on planet Earth, as it is told through the fossils that remain. Clear, concise texts can be understood by readers as young as six, and case studies of the stranger ends of the life spectrum bring incredible histories to life. Illustrations by Sophie Williams (Earth-Shattering Events and Map of You) illuminate the texts with a warmth and humour that will make it a book to cherish and return to.
