Eddy is the daughter of Charles Darwin. Her full name is Henrietta, but she prefers to go by Eddy. This book is about how she walks along the sand walk that her father walks, just to think. No one knows exactly what questions, Eddy and her father posed on these rocks, the author poses the question “are fairies real?”. The reader sees how Charles teaches his daughter to have an open mind and the way his daughter teaches her father that not everything is as it seems. Overall, this was a lovely book and unlike many nonfiction books, would be very easy to read at story time.

Lauren Soloy is a new favourite illustrator - so much detail in the pictures. Etty is full of spunk.

This is a really sweet story. Charles Darwin liked to think while walking, so he created a long oval track of sand in his gardens he called the Sandwalk. Twice a day, he would walk in circles around it and think, and sometimes his daughter Etty would join him. This story imagines one such walk, as Etty asks her father if he believes in fairies. He doesn't say no, he explains that he's never seen proof of their existence, and he prefers to have some proof before he believes in things. As they walk, they discuss the clues one can find in nature by observing things carefully, and he points out several things to her, including some butterflies that are very good at hiding in trees by looking like leaves. She suggests that he can't prove fairies don't exist either, and he can't disagree with that. It's an interesting discussion they have, and they each learned something from it, but in the end, the important thing is a father listening to his child and not dismissing what they say, but actually listening and taking them seriously, and that's a lovely thing.
The author includes a note at the end about Darwin's life and work, and the role Etty would play in his work once she grew up, which was very interesting, I never knew about that. The art is lush and lovely, and suits the story very well. This one's a keeper!

#NetGalley

This picture book is cute and sciencey and has fairies- all of which will be a big hit with the 6-year-old crowd. We'll be using it in next year's Kindergarten round table.

Henriette (Etty) Darwin, was Charles Darwin's third child. Her two older siblings died at a young age. Etty, although a sickly child, lived to be 84. When she grew up she edited some of her famous father's work and was her mother's biographer.

The family home had a sand path that Darwin like to walk on and think. Often his children accompanied him on his rounds. This book imagines such a meander with Etta.

First they set out flint rocks to determine how many laps around the garden they will take. On this excursion, they decide upon four. As the two of them amble along, Etta asks her father questions. She is especially interested in whether or not fairies are real. Even when she doesn't like his answers, Etta always appreciates that her father never treats her questions as childish or silly.

They discuss evidence, the need to look closely and not be mistaken by what you see. He shows her how to look for the evidence living things leave behind.

Darwin might be modeling how to think scientifically, but at the same time, Etta has a few things to teach him.

Lauren Soly shows us such tenderness in this authentic relationship between father and daughter. Darwin did dote on his children, and this book is chock full of the loveliness of it.

Soloy's art is created through ink, pain and collage. Lush gardens are the backdrop for graphic novel characters conversing with each other in speech bubbles.

I appreciated the note at the end with additional information about Darwin and Etty.

In this story we go on a walk with Etty Darwin and her father, Charles Darwin. She has a big imagination and curious mind. This story shows you that it is ok to ask questions.

I liked the watercolor illustration for this book and the bit of history at the end

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC

Lauren Soloy’s gorgeous new picture book Etty Darwin and the Four Pebble
Problem is a step back to the past. It’s a story about Henrietta Darwin and her famous father Charles Darwin and their laps on The Sandwalk and how they solve problems with a rambling walk in nature.

The book is full of colour in a comic and prose style, parents with young children will be very familiar with the interactions between Charles and Etty, all the chitter chatter that happens when you take a walk with a young child. They solve a lot of life’s problems on their walks in nature, a fantastic reminder to young readers of the power of the natural world to clear the mind and provide comfort. I love that the problem they are trying to solve is the existence of fairies and as they finish laps of The Sandwalk they use pebbles to mark their progress. It takes four pebbles to come to a conclusion while wondering about all the beauty that surrounds them.

I am enjoying the picture books that are told in part comic and part prose style, giving young readers a taste of the graphic or comic style of writing while also appealing to those who love a good literary story. Our favourite is the full page spread of the fox. It is stunning and surprising and one of our favourite moments in the story. I love how it looks in PDF form so hopefully it will translate when the book is printed and bound as it is an incredible moment in the story. During the story, there is no ultimate conclusion to the question about fairies but there are a lot of questions that lead to hypotheses which then lead to more questions. It’s important for children to know that having the answers sometimes is less important than knowing the questions to ask and following their thinking, even if it just leads to more questions. This is how we make sense of the world.

This book falls within the narrative non-fiction category. As Lauren Soloy notes at the end of the story, everything written is about two people who actually existed and their walks together, pondering on The Sandwalk. While we don’t know the exact content of their chats and discussions, we know that Etty likes to write fairy stories so can infer that they may have talked about them as well. As with all awesome non-fiction, there is a section at the end of the book in the author’s note to let readers know about the real people behind the story and how Etty Darwin was a huge help to her famous father and his work.

I'm a sucker for history and, after reading Deborah Heiligman's Charles and Emma: A Leap of Faith, I've been drawn to books that show Charles Darwin's human side. So I loved Etty Darwin and the Four Pebble Problem which imagined a sweet father/daughter interaction over some big questions. Added bonus: girl power story! #LaurenSoloy

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the digital advance reading copy of this book.

I love this book! I love the fictional conversation between Charles Darwin and his daughter Etty about the possibility of fairies. I also love that the author provides information about Charles Darwin, his wife Emma, and their family home.

I really enjoyed this book! It is a fantastic tale about wonder, asking questions, and relationships between adults and children. It is the perfect book to use to talk to kids about the importance of asking questions and discovering the wonder of the natural world.
I am looking forward to reading this book aloud to begin science investigations. It is the perfect starting point to get kids thinking about how we can explore scientific concepts!

A book about Charles Darwin's daughter and her walks with her father. They were full of questions and pondering and working on having an open mind. I thought this was a lovely book about being curious and a good father daughter relationship.

A sweet and thoughtful story! The artwork is charming and the story itself is equally sweet! A perfect read for a cozy day. This is a great read for kids, as it tells them that it’s okay to asks questions, and that being curious is great!

Etty Darwin, the famous Charles Darwin’s daughter, has a big imagination. Her father, on the other hand, always needs proof. On their walks they take around The Sandwalk, a track that Charles Darwin created for walking and thinking, the pair discuss and think about all kinds of questions, expanding both of their minds. This book resonates with me because walking has always provided a way for me to clear my head and figure things out, just like the Darwins.