Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the Beagle

In 1831, young adventurer and nature enthusiast Charles Darwin set sail on a remarkable five-year voyage that changed the study of biology forever.

Award-winning author Ruth Ashby shares the story of Darwin's famous journey aboard the British navy ship, the Beagle, which led to the development of his theories of evolution and natural selection.

This lively account follows the naturalist's exciting trip around the world—through seasickness, a life-threatening illness, and even an earthquake—as he explores South America, the Cape Verde Islands, Tahiti, and the Galapagos Islands. During his travels, Darwin meets Indigenous peoples and carefully collects and catalogs plants, fossils, birds, mammals, and insects. Darwin's observations of the distribution and diversity of plant and animal life ultimately leads to the development of his theories on evolution.

Readers will be inspired by Darwin's transformation from talented but mediocre schoolboy into a remarkable scientist as they read about the revolutionary voyage that forever changed the world of biology."Ashby makes good use of Darwin's own writing, sprinkling quotes throughout the text, which allow his adventures and opinions to come to life. . . . This biography will work well for book reports."—School Library Journal

"The author couches the tale as an adventure, and what an adventure it is."—Kirkus Reviews

"Exciting questions are raised."—BooklistRuth Ashby is the award-winning author of dozens of nonfiction and fiction books for juvenile readers. She lives in New York.