In 1961 Yves coppens, the great French paleoanthropologist, had already discovered a Homo Erectus in Chad; he was soon to become one of the directors of the extraordinary expedition in Ethiopia which found the Australopitechus young lady Lucy, the world star of pre-history. Coppens has got a child now for whom he has decided to write this story. Soyzik Moreau, cultural responsible for the most populated arrondissement in Paris, teaching by friendship Coppen’s son, asks him to tell the story of the origins of man to some children, taperecords the story, writes it down and then corrects it word by word with Coppens himself. Soizik makes Coppens meet an artist, Sacha Gépner, who illustrates it. In 1984 Coppens had entered Collège de France and founded the chair of paleoanthropology, left in 2007 for limits of age. Studies on the origins of man in Europe and worldwide own him an immensely lot and are inextricably tied to his name. This meeting with Soyzik and Sacha produced a wonderful outcome: the illustrations by Gepner are full of awe, fascinating for children and young adults, fabulous for the adults, flawless for scholars. The extrordinary modern tale of the origins of man has found its right tellers. Originally published in 3 languages (Hanser Verlag, München, Odile Jacob, Paris and Jaca Book, Milano) with various reprints – more than 30.000 copies sold – this work has been widely awarded, among the rest nominated as best children’s book for the German market in February 2009 and prized with the Andersen Award 2008 as best-non fiction children book.