This concept book is rooted in the notion that all species, with their biologically programmed time for living and dying, contribute to the richness of the planet. Two dozen elements of nature are highlighted and organized according to their longevity. The mayfly’s lifetime is a single day, while the universe ticks on after 15 or 20 billion years. The lifetime of a child serves to give the final page of the book a human dimension.

Each page conforms to a pattern. The lifetime of the plant or animal is announced clearly at the top of the page. A paragraph of text then explains the unusual features of the army ant, Venus flytrap, or other species featured. Below that, in bold italics, a moral lesson is formulated: “Corn reminds us to plan for the future.” A fourth band of print on white background provides questions for reflection and research. The notion that this bottom-of-the-page component is more than just literal subtext is enhanced by pictorial representations of chimpanzees, graphic reminders that humans and animals are closely linked.

The pictures are colourful, engaging, and mesh well with various levels of text on the page. Often, the species’ place in the food chain is suggested by the presence of other plants and animals.

The many layers of Lifetimes bring texture and meaning to the book, but they also tend to produce an excess of information, ideas, and ecological proverbs. The abstract concepts and the complexity of the overall pattern and structure place this work beyond the grasp of most younger children. Lifetimes is probably most useful at the middle school level, when time is more readily understood and new information is more easily assimilated into existing knowledge. Even then, the available teacher’s guide might be necessary to illuminate approaches to the book.