How the Piloses Evolved Skinny Noses

Gr 3 Up—Kelemen's story is a device to help children understand Darwin's theory of natural selection. The narrative follows the fictional piloses species throughout several generations, showing why certain piloses had more successful offspring than others. Because piloses found their food—milli bugs—underground, the piloses with longer and skinnier noses were able to find more food by sticking their trunks further into the ground. Piloses with wider and shorter trunks were unable to reach as many milli bugs, produced fewer offspring, and eventually became weak and died. The simple text and illustrations make the advanced topic of natural selection easily comprehensible to kids. Kelemen also uses repetition to reinforce concepts. The author has taken some liberties here. Although the real biological order of Pilosa includes anteaters and sloths, there is no species called piloses. The artwork is gentle but lacks energy or appeal. Overall, the story does a fine job of connecting the ideas of good genes or traits, the effect of the environment on reproduction, and the heritability of these traits.