Charles Darwin was, above all else, an independent thinker who continues even now to influence the way we look at the natural world. His endless curiosity and passion for detail resulted in a wealth of notebooks, diaries, correspondence, and published writings that Peter Sis transforms into a visual treasure trove.

A multilayered journey through Darwin's world, The Tree of Life begins with his childhood and traces the arc of his life through university and career, following him around the globe on the voyage of the Beagle, and home to a quiet but momentous life devoted to science and family. Sis uses his own singular vision to create a gloriously detailed panorama of a genius scientist's trajectory through investigating and understanding the mysteries of nature and evolution.

In pictures executed in fine pen and ink and lush watercolors – cameo portraits, illustrated pages of diary, cutaway views of the Beagle, as well as charts, maps, and a gatefold spread – Peter Sis, the author of The Wall, Starry Messenger, Tibet, Madlenka, and The Pilot and the Little Prince, has shaped a wondrous introduction to Charles Darwin. This title has Common Core connections.