Life: The First Four Billion Years The Story of Life from the Big Bang to the Evolution of Humans

Award-winning children’s book creators Martin Jenkins and Grahame Baker-Smith team up for a large-scale look at our planet, from the big bang to the dinosaurs and beyond.

Before humans took their first steps, there were billions of years of vibrant and varied life-forms on Earth. Discover the story of our planet during this time, from the formation of the universe to the first mammals and all the incredible life that flourished in between. Covering ice ages and fossils, the first life in the sea and on land, the time of the dinosaurs, and the rise of mammals, Martin Jenkins navigates through millennia of prehistory in a style both enthralling and accessible. With superb illustrations from Kate Greenaway Medal winner Grahame Baker-Smith, this is a captivating journey through the life of our planet before we called it ours.

Martin Jenkins has written many acclaimed books for children, including the First Science Storybook series; The Emperor’s Egg, illustrated by Jane Chapman; and Can We Save the Tiger?, illustrated by Vicky White. Martin Jenkins lives in England, where he works as a conservation biologist.

Grahame Baker-Smith is the author-illustrator of FArTHER, which won the Kate Greenaway Medal, and many other books for children. He lives in England.