cover image One Million Oysters on Top of the Mountain

One Million Oysters on Top of the Mountain

Alex Nogués, trans. from the Spanish by Lawrence Schimel, illus. by Miren Asiain Lora. Eerdmans, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-8028-5569-5

How did an outcrop of fossilized shellfish wind up on top of a mountain? With this question, Spanish geologist Nogués (Stories in a Seashell), who specializes in paleontology, invites readers on a journey to learn more about Earth and the ancient life forms that once inhabited it. Static landscapes in cool greens and browns shift to fine-grained vignettes that illuminate an engaging, conversational back-and-forth: “Did they climb up here? Did they fall like rain, carried by a hurricane?” The cake-like layers of earth Lora (Hello, Earth!) paints, rendered in gouache on paper, present part of the story: “The strata, like a music score, can be read—they have an order, and they can sing us a song.” The narrative goes on to cover an impressive amount of ground, from the appearance of early life to the development of radio-carbon dating and the different ways that the surface of the earth moves and buckles. Schimel’s clear, natural translation offers an engaging, step-by-step introduction to the way paleontologists think through problems—and proof that the top of the mountain, and those oysters, were once under the sea. Back matter features a glossary and brief creators’ notes. Ages 6–10. (Sept.)