5★
“False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science.”

That is one of the many quotations and short notes which are sprinkled through the book much as we find them in today’s magazines and online articles. They are not excerpts, but additional little facts that help to break up the pages. I’ll include a few illustrations to give a feel for the book.

Young Charles found school boring, but he was fascinated by the natural world. Still, his father sent him to Edinburgh University at the age of 16.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption: Charles preferred bugs to the classroom.

This book was published to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the HMS Beagle, which was built as a warship but never went to war. It launched originally in May 1820, but nothing much happened with it for several years until it was fitted out for exploration and surveys.

This history is discussed, but it’s not until its second trip in 1831 that we see Darwin aboard. He is not quite 22 and he is thrilled!

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption: Map of the voyage that took young Charles Darwin on his first voyage of exploration

He was particularly looking forward to seeing the Brazilian rainforest for himself.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption: Darwin, captivated by the rainforest plants and creatures

The two-year voyage had lasted five years, and Darwin was ready to take his notes and sketches home. He’d been bitten by something which made him ill, and he was distressed by the treatment of slaves in Brazil. He wanted to show his findings to other scientists and GO HOME.

“When he left England, the 22-year-old was a bright young university graduate who thought he might return from his voyage and maybe become a vicar. But by the time the Beagle returned, he was a changed man. He had survived many hair-raising adventures, had become an experienced naturalist and was considered a leading expert who was well-known in both London and Cambridge for the astonishing quality (and the sheer quantity) of the spectacular specimens he had collected and sent back to England.”

It’s pretty obvious he wasn’t going to become a vicar! What he learned on the Galapagos Islands alone was enough to change the course of his life.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption: Darwin’s studies on the Galapagos Islands led to his understanding that plants and animals changed and adapted to their locations.

“Darwin would eventually use the specimens he collected from the islands to illustrate and explain an exciting new scientific theory. This theory would dramatically enhance his reputation as a scientist, and completely alter the way people looked at the world. It would also mean that, instead of being somewhere most people had never heard of, the Galápagos Islands would eventually become famous as a place of enormous scientific importance and discovery.”

Then there’s this – an example of how adaptation and survival of the fittest, which led to controversy which continues today. There is a belief that each being was created exactly as it is by a supreme being. Evolution says that each being changes itself, over time, to adapt itself better to its circumstances.

In this example, a hawk would spot and kill highly visible white rabbits, leaving the brown ones to multiply (except in the Arctic, of course!), showing that each colour is fit for purpose in different locations.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption: Illustration of a hawk flying over brown rabbits and white rabbits

But, oh, didn’t his Theory of Evolution cause a stir?! It still does amongst some who have trouble reconciling science with religion, although my understanding is that most religious leaders think that it’s the supreme being who enabled evolution, so what are we arguing about?

“It took quite some time for Darwin to work out all the details, but 20 years after his momentous voyage around the world he was ready to share his ideas with the world and published his theory of natural selection in a book he called On the Origin of Species.”

This is one of the little side-notes: “Darwin’s book was an immediate bestseller. Everybody wanted to read it.”

People seemed to be much more attuned to science then than now. Over the course of his life, he changed himself from a boy who disliked school to become the most famous scientist in the world!

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption: Charles Darwin, considered the most famous scientist in the world

There is a handy timeline at the end as well as a page with a few of his discoveries.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption: Timeline of Charles Darwin and his adventures

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption: Some of Darwin’s discoveries

While the target audience of this would be primary and middle school children, it is just as enjoyable and informative for adults. There’s a lot more history I haven’t mentioned as well as snapshots of other people with whom he was involved and a glossary.

A worthy anniversary production of a book that should be in all school libraries! Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for the preview copy.

This is a really thorough and beautifully illustrated introduction to Darwin for kids. The amount of text makes it better suited for older kids or a read-aloud over a period of time. It's a great resource that will really give kids a feel for Darwin.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

An interesting and well-written biography of Charles Darwin, with an engaging text and lovely illustrations throughout. I especially enjoyed learning about his less than stellar academic career, which I'm sure will give struggling students some hope. I also appreciated that the controversy surrounding the publication of On the Origin of Species was covered in a fairly straightforward manner; of course the religious backlash is talked about, but it's done without being spiteful. This book gives a good overview of Darwin's life and accomplishments in an approachable way for middle grade readers, without talking down to its audience.

#WhenDarwinSailedtheSea #NetGalley

I've learned about Charles Darwin's work for so many years, studying what he studied, learning how he learned. But there was so much to learn about him in this book! It's a lovely introduction to not only his theory of natural selection, but of him and his personal life as well. The illustrations were great, although I do wish there were more for a children's book. It was told in a way that was just interesting enough to not bore children, but still stay very true to his story and clearly be a biography.

4 stars

This book was very over the stop for me in terms of how you get to appreciate mother nature.
Darwin sails around the world to discover new finding to increase his understanding on insects and other animals.

There is one part of the book that the gross me out was the when he ate ostrich meat and insects meat.

A fascinating children's book about the life of Charles Darwin. Beautiful illustrations are contained throughout the text. I really liked learning about his unconventional life, interests, and impact. Darwin found studying and class boring, but excelled while in the field. Children with an interest in the natural world will find this fascinating! There is a lot of text, so this would probably be good for middle elementary school aged readers who are already reading chapter books. This would also be a great book to read at bedtime.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions for providing this ARC.

I guess I take a lot of visual cues to figure out who a book is for. I'm guessing this is middle grade. It's really interesting and I learned a lot from it. It does address religion-- talking about how Darwin trained to be a priest and how his views disagreed with the way Creationism was believed at the time (and still by some now). (Maybe I'm off base, but from my own religious life, it seems that the book shows Creationism as much more rigid than most of the people I grew up in religion with.) I think it is very respectfully done and shows religious thought, scientific thought, and people's hesitations with each belief on both sides.

I liked the illustrations and the extra information in the back matter.

The illustrations are lovely, and there are aspects to Darwin’s story that will interest upper elementary age kids, especially the fact that Darwin was a late bloomer and for a long time a disappointment to his father. The scientific information is presented in an accessible way, albeit repetitive in spots. But some things will leave a reader unsatisfied. For example, Darwin almost was rejected for the journey on the Beagle because the new captain didn’t like the shape of his nose. While the author explains that people in the 19th century often linked facial features with a person’s character, he fails to describe shape of Darwin’s nose and what it supposedly implied. No information is provided on how Darwin actually collected his samples. And the Beagle – a 2-masted sloop – is shown in the illustration with 3 masts. It is also regrettable that the book lacks a bibliography and quotation sources at the back.

This illustration nonfiction book introduces young readers to Charles Darwin and his pioneering scientific discoveries around evolution. The book is described as narrative nonfiction, but there isn't a lot of showing through scenes or use of narrative detail. Instead, it's mostly tells readers in broad strokes about Darwin's academic career and how he wound up on the HMS Beagle. I think the book really gets interesting after he starts his voyage on the Beagle, so I would have liked a little less exposition up to that point. The author also explains how Darwin pieced together an understanding of evolution and explores the controversy around it, both in a succinct, kid-friendly way. I think this will appeal to teachers and especially kids who are interested in zoology or science in general.

(I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

This is a wonderful book for children who are interested in scientific discovery or for a child that you would like to interest in the natural world.  It tells the story of Charles Darwin in a beautifully illustrated title that was written to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the voyage of the Beagle.  Adults can learn quite a bit from spending time with this title as well.  I know that I did.


Readers discover that Charles lost his mother when he was young, that he did not always like school and that he did not conform to his father's expectation that he would follow as the third generation doctor in the family.  Rather he became intrigued with the world of nature.  This biography serves to humanize Darwin, a figure who is larger than life in the history of scientific discovery. 


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

When Darwin Sailed the Sea is an illustrated non-fiction book for older children by David Long. It follows Charles Darwin's early life and his time at University before his voyage of discovery. Captain Robert Fitzroy an expert sailor, surveyor and keen meteorologist needed a companion and someone who was able to put together accurate reports of countries they visited. He invited Darwin to join him aboard the HMS Beagle for its second voyage. The Beagle set sail on the 27th of December 1831 and they spent 5 years at sea discovering many new species of flora and fauna from different islands and continents. Darwin returned as an experienced naturalist and went on to publish his fascinating findings. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my digital copy.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is a fantastic biography in a child friendly format for children aged 9-14 years of age about Charles Darwin and how he became famous, the ups and downs of the start of his discovery path and what lead him onto this path and then where he went, what he discovered and how he discovered natural selection.

This book will be a fabulous addition to my classroom at school and the year 6 children will greatly benefit from this book when we do natural selection next year.

This was not a good fit for me - I was hoping for something that would be appropriate for a read-aloud with my young elementary child, but it was a little wordy to read in a few sittings, and a little dry to expect her to read on her own. There was nothing specific that I found wrong with the book, but it just isn't one I'd choose to own, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book

This is a great children’s book chronicling Darwin’s early school years, his time at sea and in the Galápagos.

Definitely informative even for us adults !

An excellent nonfiction title that will entertain readers and educate them on very important and timely historical events and how they influence present scientific inquiry.

I really enjoyed this read and so did my sons. Charles Darwin is such an important character in history, one that I touch on very regularly in my classroom so I know I will refer back to this book very regularly in my teaching next year. While we don't learn too much about Charles Darwins years at sea during the voyage we do learn about the new and interesting creatures that he saw and the specimens that he collected. It explored Darwins theory of evolution and provides absolutely beautiful illustrations which contribute enormously to the book. I really enjoyed this and I know I will re-read many times in the years to come.

A really thorough review of Charles Darwin's life presented well for young readers. From his younger years in England to his travels across South America. Charles really did a lot for science. This book shows well not only his story but also how important staying true to science is. The illustrations were very lovely and aided in telling the story. I would recommend this for elementary/middle schools to have in their libraries and for young readers interested in the natural world.

When Darwin Sailed the Sea by David Long is an entertaining biography of Charles Darwin for elementary school aged children, with lovely illustrations by Sam Kalda. The contributions of Charles Darwin to science are so important that, as the author says, “Scientists around the world still believe that Darwin’s theory of natural selection is one of the greatest ideas that the human mind has ever produced.” Long has given us a biography that also serves as a motivational read for young students everywhere, with a window into the history of scientific thought and processes.

This book presents the life of Charles Darwin in an engaging narrative format that follows the renowned scientist throughout his life, with a particular focus on his groundbreaking five year voyage on the HMS Beagle. This book is not only a wonderful biography, but also can be used in science classes to illustrate the important role of observation in scientific inquiry, how important questioning current thinking is and the evolution of the scientific method. The explanations of Darwin’s theory of evolution, and survival of the fittest are very accessible for elementary students. The historical controversy is addressed in an age appropriate manner. I particularly enjoyed the author including a chapter on the people in Darwin’s life who helped influence and support his work. The glossary is also a welcome addition for students, as is the beautifully illustrated timeline. There are enough extras thrown in for adults to say, “That’s cool, I didn’t know that!” Overall a fantastic addition to a class library and a fitting tribute to the 200th anniversary of the launch of the HMS Beagle.

##WhenDarwinSailedtheSea #NetGalley #science #CharlesDarwin #HMSBeagle #TheoryofEvolution

When Darwin Sailed the Sea: Uncover how Darwin's Revolutionary Ideas Helped Change the World, written by David Long and illustrated by Sam Kalda, is currently scheduled for release on July 1 2020. At the age of 22 Charles Darwin clambered up the steps of HMS Beagle, armed with enough notepads to last him for several years and set sail on a journey of exploration that would change his life and how we view the entire world forever. This book tells the story of Charles Darwin, and shows how his revolutionary research changed the world forever. From his fascination with the natural world which began at an early age, his love of collecting new specimens and keen eye for observation, to his groundbreaking theory of evolution, uncover the incredible life of Charles Darwin with this illustrated, narrative non-fiction book.

When Darwin Sailed the Sea is a book that offers readers a look at Darwin as a person and a scientist. The book does a good job of explaining his interests, determination, and how he collaborated with a variety of people. The information was accessible and interesting.I found the accompanying artwork to be lovely to look at while also adding meaning and detail to the text as appropriate. I learned quite a bit about Darwin, and liked the narrative tone that I think works very well in this format. I will admit that I was not expecting it to be as text heavy as it was, but the style and substance balanced that out. I am hoping some young people reading this will see how hard Darwin worked to follow his interests and be inspired. I really liked the timeline, further information on the people Darwin worked with, and additional information included in the endpages. Good use of this section always makes me happy- and this book delivered.

When Darwin Sailed the Sea would be a great addition to school, classroom, and public libraries. Some readers will want it for their personal collections as well.

A wonderful little book on Darwin. A very quick read. Darwin's upbringing, his search for his path in life, his voyage on the Beagle, his discoveries, his theories, his books, and his later life. All done very succinctly, and in an easy to read and understand manner that is very enjoyable. Wonderful illustrations. Perfect for middle school to high school readers. Makes me want to go back and reread "Voyage of the Beagle". Bravo!