"Essential Biology" uses a different approach. The authors have packed a great deal into this amazingly small textbook. I recently reviewed a huge number of introductory biology texts for adoption in our school district. We use Campbell and Reece's Biology, 6th edition for our AP biology course but were looking for a textbook to use with our 9th grade honors biology students.
After a lengthy comparison of textbooks we picked "Essential Biology" based on several things. First we found the book to be accurate, readable, and concise. We felt that it would give the students a depth of understanding in the core biological principles so that they would be ready when they moved on to AP biology later in their high school career.
Instead of trying to "cover" everything under the biological sun, "Essential Biology" focuses on four core biological topics: cells, genetics, evolution, and ecology. It's 20 chapters are broken up into these 4 units and does a wonderful job of pulling it all together.
Other textbooks certainly cover more material but with less depth. What is the use of having a huge textbook that the students either never finish or rush through with no real understanding? This is a textbook that the students can dig into and throughly understand during one course.
It is supported by CD-ROM's and on-line material. The website provides activities, on-line labs, quizes, and other practice. Students can print out results or e-mail them to their teachers.
I would recommend this text as one for use in a non-majors biology course or as an advanced high school biology introductory course.
Hailed for its clear writing, scientific accuracy, and real-world examples, Essential Biology is a brief non-majors biology text that focuses on the core concepts readers need to make scientifically informed decisions throughout their lives. The book covers four major topics?cells, genetics, evolution/diversity, and ecology?and uses evolution as an overarching theme to tie all 20 chapters together. Human applications and the most up-to-date information on important issues show readers how biology relates to their own lives. New Process of Science sections within the text draw readers into the material and provide real-world examples of how the scientific method is applied. Biology Today. CELLS: Essential Chemistry for Biology, The Molecules of Life, A Tour of the Cell, The Working Cell, Cellular Respiration: Obtaining Energy from Food, Photosynthesis: Using Light to Make Food. GENETICS: Cellular Reproduction: Cells from Cells, Patterns of Inheritance, The Structure and Function of DNA, How Genes are Controlled, DNA Technology. EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY: How Populations Evolve, How Biological Diversity Evolves, The Evolution of Microbial Life, Plants, Fungi, and the Move onto Land, The Evolution of Animals. ECOLOGY: The Ecology of Organisms and Populations, Communities and Ecosystems, Human Impact on the Environment. For all readers interested in a biology text that focuses on the core concepts readers need to make scientifically informed decisions throughout their lives.