S672 Galapagos George (youth nonfiction book review)

 Galapagos George (2014)

Written by: Jean Craighead George

Illustrated by: Wendell Minor

Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books

Book type: Picture book

Ages: 0-8 years

Lexile level: N/A

Summary

Galapagos George opens around one million years ago with Giantess George, “a vegetarian who ate prickly things like cacti and ground-growing greens that grew in her ancient desert.” Giantess George becomes witness to massive earthquakes and erupting volcanoes which began to reshape the landscape. Then she, and many other animals, were swept up in a flood which was caused by a large South American storm. Able to change her body fat into water and food, Giantess George was able to survive on a forest debris raft for up to a year in the open ocean without eating or drinking. She, and others like her, finally washed ashore on a small island called San Cristobal, which was close to Earth’s hot equator. She laid her eggs on the island. When her food supply began to run short, she used her unique long neck to begin reaching into the trees to eat leaves to survive. Beginning with Giantess George and continuing long after she passed away at 200-years-old, the tortoises began to evolve. The tortoises with longer necks survived because they could reach the food supply in the trees. Tortoises became spread out over several islands and began to develop distinct physical features depending on where they lived (long necks, domed backs, etc.). In 1535, the bishop of Panama discovered the islands of the giant tortoises and they became known as the Galapagos Islands (or, “Island of the Tortoises”). When people came to live on the islands, the tortoise population was diminished. In the 1970s, a long-necked, or saddleback, tortoise was found and taken to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, where tortoises are protected. This tortoise was found to be the last remaining descendant of Giantess George, and they named him Lonesome George. When Lonesome George passed away on June 23, 2012, the Pinta Island saddleback tortoises became extinct.

Commentary

This real-life story provides a great overview of how the Galapagos Islands were formed and how the tortoises came to live on the islands and evolve over time to adapt to each individual island. The story maintains a particular focus on the Pinta Island saddleback tortoises, and it ends when Lonesome George dies, marking the extinction of his species. Nevertheless, the book ends on a positive note, reminding readers, “... because of him and the tortoises of the Galapagos Islands, we know that as long as there is life, there will always be ‘new and unimaginable things that can happen.’” It is with this sentiment that readers are left to wonder which new animal species are evolving now and will evolve in the future.

Special Features

In the beginning of the book, there is a map of the Galapagos Islands which labels the names of the islands as well as points out where the Charles Darwin Research Station is located, which is where George spent his final days. After the story, there is a list of key terms such as “adaptation” and “Charles Darwin.” There is also a timeline which spans from three million years ago when the Galapagos Islands formed as we know them today until 2012 when George passed away. A Remembrance on the last page pays homage to both George and author Jean Craighead George, who passed away within weeks of each other. 

Teachers Will Appreciate 

Additional resources include books and a list of useful and related websites. Galapagos George meets the Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts/Science and Technical subjects.

Read Alikes

Island: A story of the Galapagos (2012) by Jason Chin

One of School Library Journal’s Best Nonfiction Books of 2012, Island illustrates the evolution of the Galapagos Islands from volcano eruptions and the movements of the tectonic plates. Readers learn about species of reptiles and birds unique to the islands and how Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection explains the changes in the animals over time.

One Tiny Turtle (2001) by Nicola Davies

The narrative follows the life cycle of one female loggerhead turtle as she grows from being tiny in her early years to returning to the beach where she was hatched to lay her own eggs. Readers learn facts about the endangered loggerhead turtles such as their habits and behaviors in the open ocean as well as the dangers they face from predators on the beach.  

Adelita (2020) Jenny Goebel

This book tells the true story of Adelita, a loggerhead turtle who was accidentally caught by a fisherman in Mexico and then studied by scientists for more than ten years. She was eventually fixed with a satellite tag so that scientists could follow her journey through the open ocean. Researchers learned a lot about loggerhead turtle habits and behaviors from Adelita.