500.92

This book looks at the different types of fossils that are around and then connecting that to the types of dinosaurs that walked the earth. This book would be good to book to use at the start of a unit that looks at the different types of fossils by doing an archeological dig. Students will have models as a reference for the possible kinds of dinosaurs and life forms that they discover. Students will assemble what they find into the closest representation of a whole being. ( )

Struck by lightning as an infant, Mary Anning was an unusual young girl from the very beginning, but it was her father's gift of a "snakestone," found in the clay cliffs near their home in Lyme Regis, that set her on the path that would truly make her stand out. Fascinated by the beautiful "treasure," she set out to find more, spending so much time on her new hobby that the local children made up a rhyme about her: "Stone girl, Bone girl. Out-on-your-own Girl." Despite the ridicule of her peers, and the eventual death of her father, Mary kept at it, encouraged by the Misses Philpot - two neighbor ladies who exposed her to some of the scientific thinking about the fossils she was finding - and eventually her persistence paid off, with her discovery of the very first complete ichthyosaur skeleton, in 1811.

One of a number of picture-book biographies of Anning - see also: Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon, Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries, The Fossil Girl, and Dragon in the Rocks - Stone Girl, Bone Girl was one of six dinosaur-themed selections chosen by The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, for our July discussion. I was impressed by the fact that Anholt included some of the darker elements of the story - the death of Mary's father, the subsequent financial difficulties experienced by her family - although I wondered why Mary's brother - who apparently found the head of the ichthyosaur skeleton, and who was also a fossil collector - was never mentioned. In any case, with its engaging narrative and appealing illustrations - Sheila Moxley's art is beautiful! - this is definitely one I would recommend to young would-be paleontologists. I know that I, having read it, want to know more about this fascinating figure! ( )

This is a great biography of Mary Anning tied wIth wonderful artwork that brings young dinosaur lovers to the facination of fossils.