A great crack opens in a volcano under the sea. There is an explosion of hot lave and burning ashes. The lava piles higher and higher. — Slowly, an island rises up in the sea. — There is no life on this island. Yet, years later it is green with growing plants and teeming with living creatures. — Here is the wonderful story of the birth of an island. It is also the story of how plant and animal life come to any island in the world.