OLIVER'S GREAT BIG UNIVERSE

A boy’s wacky mishaps, boundless enthusiasm, and eager friends (plus many dinosaurs) enliven the third in this STEM-centered graphic novel series.

Neighborly retired paleontologist and “cat lady” Dr. Bertha helps 11-year-old Oliver, who has paper-white skin and tousled black hair, learn how a common ancestor gave rise to saber-toothed cats, lions, and today’s domestic cats. When Oliver, saving up for a gaming computer, wants to write a book, his friend Ana suggests that he write about evolution. Guided by Dr. Bertha, he does—from (primordial) soup to incidents that are pure nuts. Once again, the humor (including groan-worthy puns, farting, and mentions of poop) is matched to a middle schooler’s DNA, and the droll black-and-white line drawings reduplicate the fun (and convey information). The language is largely accessible: Words like paleontologist, domesticated, and fossils are defined in the text. A pronunciation cue is integrated for fungi (Dr. Bertha: “It’s pronounced ‘fun-guy.’” Oliver: “Yes, I am!”) but not for harder vocabulary (e.g., eukaryotes, haikouichthys, and Chicxulub). Cham explains scientists’ various theories for potential sources of life (such as lightning hitting the primordial soup or asteroids bringing “the right ingredients”). He also describes natural selection and mass extinctions. The book gets down to the microbe level, but there’s no mention of genes (even in the explanation of mutations), and evolution comes across as largely occurring in the past; nevertheless, this is an entertaining overview of the basics.

Amusing, enthralling, and informative.