Since we visited Patagonia and learned about the straights of Magellan – tracing the H.M.S. Beagle’s voyage on a map – Darwin has captured our girls’ imaginations. The imaginations of Darwin’s own children have recently come to vivid light, on the very pages of the original manuscript of “The Origin of the Species“. This is the only handwritten copy of a seminal work of science, being used as a sketchbook! Not only are the pictures themselves delightful, but the fact that Darwin himself was happy to blur the line between science and silliness at home says a lot about his attitudes to family life. A Pirouette parent before its day!