Fossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life

by Cheryl Blackford

“This in-depth, beautifully illustrated biography of Mary Anning sings with the passion and perseverance of the woman herself, who from girlhood on scoured the shifting cliffs of her native Dorset to dig out prehistoric mysteries and make sense of them—altering forever our view of the past.” —Joyce Sidman, Newbery Honor winner and Sibert Medal winner

A fascinating, highly visual biography of Mary Anning, the Victorian fossil hunter who changed scientific thinking about prehistoric life and would become one of the most celebrated paleontologists of all time. Perfect for children learning about woman scientists like Ada Lovelace, Jane Goodall, and Katherine Johnson.

Mary Anning grew up on the south coast of England in a region rich in fossils. As teenagers, she and her brother Joseph discovered England’s first complete ichthyosaur. Poor and uneducated, Anning would become one of the most celebrated paleontologists ever, though in her time she supported herself selling by fossils and received little formal recognition. Her findings helped shape scientific thinking about extinction and prehistoric life long before Darwin published his famous work on evolution.

With engaging text, photographs, and stunning paleoart, Fossil Hunter introduces this self-taught scientist, now recognized as one of the greatest fossilists the world has ever known. 

• ISBN10: 0358396050
• ISBN13: 9780358396055
• Publish Date: 25 January 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 19 December 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Clarion Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 128
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.com.au/9780358396055

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Fossil Hunter is a beautifully illustrated and well written biography of Mary Anning for young readers written by Cheryl Blackford. Due out 25th Jan 2022 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on their Clarion Books imprint, it's 128 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

I love children's nonfiction. This is a well written, factually based biography aimed at younger readers (~7-10 years of age) which manages to provide a kid-friendly version of Anning's often frustrating and impoverished life. She was rejected by the scientific establishment at the same time they were acknowledging her as an expert in her field. The book gleefully provides the information that she correctly identified coprolites as fossilized feces as well as identifying many other fosselized remains including early cephalopods (squids).

The text is age appropriate and engaging. The art by Ellen Duda is beautifully rendered and supports the text very well. This is definitely a book which would grab the interest of most kids. I found it interesting and learned quite a lot of information of which I was previously unaware.

The book includes a glossary, abbreviated chapter notes, some resources for viewing some of Anning's fossils in collections, a solid bibliography for further reading, and a cross referenced index (not included in the ARC provided for review).

Five stars. This would make a great selection for a classroom or public library, as well as a child's home library or gift.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.