Are today’s kids as obsessed with dinosaurs as we were in the 80s and 90s? Dinosaurs were everywhere back then, even before Jurassic Park. We had the Dinosaurs sitcom and cartoons like Dino the Last Dinosaur, the Dinotopia book series, and of course tons of non-fiction books about dinos for all ages, plastic dinosaur toys, dino-shaped chicken nuggets… Dinosaurs are just objectively cool. They’re like dragons, except they really existed. I definitely had a brief period after Jurassic Park where I wanted to grow up to be a paleontologist.
All of this to say, When the Earth Was Green by Riley Black is not about dinosaurs, but it’s also not not about dinosaurs. It’s about the evolution of plants and their impact on the planet and their relationships with animals. Which means that at certain parts of the book, there are dinosaurs, because they ate and lived alongside plants, but they’re not the focus of the book.
However, this book is written with the same sort of enthusiasm as books about dinosaurs. It makes early plants and prehistoric animals all feel very cool and exciting, even the kind of dorky looking ones. It’s presented as a series of vignettes at important times in the development of life on Earth, focused on the plants but expanding out to the rest of the ecosystem they were part of, from animals to soil to the very atmosphere.
This is an adult book written at an adult reading level, but it captures the same sense of wonder that you’d feel as a child, learning about a really cool animal or historic period at the same time. And honestly, while it is written for an adult audience, I’d say older kids will probably enjoy it as well. If you’ve got a family summer road trip coming up, consider queueing up the audio, or if you’re staying home, make reading a chapter of this book together part of your nightly routine. You’ll all learn something!
Helpful appendices provide additional context for each vignette, explaining what is explicitly supported by the fossil record, what is extrapolated based from other fossils or behavior of living plants and creatures, and what is the occasional bit of well-informed artistic license from the author.
When the Earth Was Green is, to me, a shining example of what non-fiction can be. It doesn’t have to be dry. It doesn’t have to be dense. It can be both informative and entertaining. It can teach you and leave you wanting to learn even more. It can inspire conversations and daydreams.
Riley Black is trans, and I mention this for two reasons: one, I really think it’s great to be able to read non-fiction books by marginalized authors that are not focused on their marginalization; let them share their expertise in something other than what it’s like to be trans, a BIPOC, or disabled. Two, in the epilogue, Black beautifully weaves together a narrative about her identity, and the validity of other queer identities, and the amazing diversity of nature. My words really aren’t doing justice to how moving the epilogue is. If you, or someone you know, is struggling with the tide of hate against trans people and the rest of the LGBTQIA+ community, consider reading this book not just for the cool plant facts and dinosaur cameos, but for the hopeful message.
One final note: The audiobook narrator for When the Earth Was Green is amazing. This was such an entertaining book to listen to, with Wren Mack breathlessly reading Black’s vignettes and infusing them with wonder and excitement. Highly recommend it if you enjoy reading with your ears!
Wait, one final final note: If you really want more dinos, Black also has a book called The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, and while I haven’t read it yet, you can bet it’s on my TBR. So maybe check that out, too.
CWs and TWs: Towards the minor end of the sort of animal death and violence between animals you’d witness in a nature documentary, and the epilogue touches on themes of transphobia.
Source and Format: I borrowed the audiobook from Sno-Isle Libraries.
Reading Challenge Prompts
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): Going Back in Time. This book is like taking a tour with The Doctor in the TARDIS, if that particular incarnation of The Doctor was really obsessed with the evolution of plants. This would be an adventure you had between episodes, since there are no Cybermen or Daleks. But it has the same sort of gee-whiz enthusiasm and hope for humanity that some of the most fun episodes have.
World of Whimm: Published This Year. Came out this February!
Reading Challenge Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 10 of 25, no bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 12 of 25, 1 bingo.
Book Riot: 11 of 25.
Physical TBR: 6 of 12.
World of Whimm: 14 of 24, no bingos.