The Universe Verse
James Lu Dunbar James and Kenneth £22.99 HB
Like the book it is about, this review is entirely written in verse.
It’s always nice from time to time to read a book that’s written in rhyme. And being a comic it’s easy to read, so one can get through it very quickly indeed.
At the start of the book we meet two friends / and they stay with us till the journey ends. / There’s a striking resemblance from just a quick glance, / to Albert Einstein – though perhaps it’s just chance...
They’re constant companions on our cosmic travels, / and they add to the fun as the story unravels. The adventures of Einstein and his female buddy / give extra levels of detail for us to study. While the book is initially black and white, / as the story develops it bursts with light.
In case your reading has interruptions, / this book is split into three main sections. / The author begins with early cosmology, / using clear, fun pictures and helpful analogy. He skips over most of our long cosmic history, / and the rest of the book explains life’s mystery.
Part two of three describes the birth of the one and only planet Earth, at first describing the early geology, then moving on to more complex biology. / We start with life and it’s first emergence, / and end with evolution and its infinite divergence.
The third book looks at the special case of our own ingenious human race. / The transition from slimy gelatinous gloop, / to our upright, technology-wielding troop. It’s not just a case of the biochemistry; there’s also historical anthropology. With such eye-catching pictures gracing its pages, / this book is one for all the ages. But if you think the style means it sticks to the basics, you’d be wrong: it delves into some pretty deep physics. And it certainly doesn’t shy away, from describing the details of DNA.
But don’t be too worried about feeling a fool, you’ll have heard most of the words in your classroom at school. There may be the odd term you don’t understand, / but – rest assured – the pictures provide a helping hand.
CHRIS NORTH is a presenter on The Sky at Night , the Herschel outreach officer and, when inspiration strikes, a poet