How to Have a Thought: A Walk with Charles Darwin

Take a walk with Charles Darwin in this electrifying new picture book from Sibert Medalist Nicholas Day.

How do you work through a complicated idea, solve a tricky problem, or make a big discovery? Charles Darwin had a lot of ways to do it. He paced in circles and hit rocks with a stick. He studied the bones of his dinner. He even rode around the world on a boat called The Beagle.

These methods may sound unorthodox, but they led him to some pretty great thoughts--and discoveries about the origins of life as we know it.

Sibert Medalist Nicholas Day's conversational text has all the charm of a true story told by your smartest, most interesting friend. With Hadley Hooper's engrossingly textured illustrations, How to Have a Thought is both an introduction to Darwin and an invitation to live with brilliant curiosity.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Published: 01/13/2026
ISBN: 9780823458509
Pages: 32
Weight: 1.25lbs

Review Citations: School Library Journal 10/01/2025 pg. 88
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2025
Publishers Weekly 10/27/2025
Booklist 11/01/2025
Kirkus Reviews 11/15/2025