The Ultimate Biography of Earth is smarter than most who won’t read it

That’s a bold claim, isn’t it? Actually, any book that has ‘ultimate’ in its title is aiming high or asking for trouble. The Ultimate Biography of Earth is a graphic novel that meets that metric, as long as you’re willing to walk down a certain STEM path. And that path is 100% STEM, The Ultimate Biography of Earth is by Nick Lund with illustrations by Jason Ford and is solidly aimed at those middle elementary through middle-middle school students who want to make the history of Earth fun.

See, that is a bold claim? First off, let’s state that graphic novels can be an excellent source for teaching students any angle of the STEM rainbow. There was a post on Twitter today about a school librarian who supposedly purchased dozens of books for their school, but the ones for the science teachers were returned because they were graphic novels. I have no reason to doubt that it happened, but I didn’t see it for myself. All of the schools that I teach at are just fine with graphic novels as a teaching or reading vehicle. Having said that, I have heard on more than a couple of occasions that parents or educators are averse to teaching via graphic novels. And that is really a shame because if those same people took the time to read The Ultimate Biography of Earth then they’d realize that the book is incredibly intelligent, it’s just that the message is in a friendly wrapper.

One possibility is that those educators would discover that there are entertaining ways to teach things that upper-elementary students might unconsciously, or overtly, avoid. It could also be the parents fear the stigma of their children becoming more educated on ancient Earth matter than they are. While both of those situations are unlikely, it’s more likely that either of those camps just don’t know. It’s not that they’re stupid, but they’re certainly ignorant of how effective graphic novels like these can be in teaching, readers, especially reluctant readers about STEM.

Now, let me put my soapbox to the side so that I can scoot closer to the computer. The Ultimate Biography of Earth will not be for every reader. You have to like illustrations that are bright, happy, and interesting. You also have to be mildly interested in STEM, curious about animal life, think that rocks are pretty, or wonder where either of the two of them came from. At some point during your 9-14-year-old school life, you’ll encounter one of the aforementioned subjects.

It’s also likely that when you do so, your initial encounter won’t be laden with bright graphics, cartoon fish, or anthropomorphic characters. However, do not let that taint you in thinking that any of the creation-oriented subjects are boring or otherwise not interesting. Also, don’t think that The Ultimate Biography of Earth isn’t educational. Each chapter in the book is more than 13 pages long and packed with real, project-worthy facts about the Devonian Period, the Cambrian Period, Proterozoic Era, Jurassic dealings, deadly plants, age-appropriate questions, and more. This is not a baby graphic novel that will merely placate those fourth-grade teachers.

If any, this is a STEM graphic novel that is perfect for those really smart fifth-grade reports, all the way through middle school. The graphics and bright colors are just there so that the medicine can easily be swallowed. Once you open the book its content will take hold and let the eons of Earth education take the driver’s seat. All you have to do is not get in the way of students reading it.

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