Dragon Bones: The Fantastic Fossil Discoveries of Mary Anning

by Sarah Glenn Marsh, Maris Wicks (Illustrator)

Overview

Dragon Bones is a picture book biography of fossil-hunter Mary Anning, who discovered a dinosaur skeleton that changed the landscape of paleontology.

At home in her seaside town in England, little Mary Anning stared out her window. Unlike other children, Mary couldn't wait for a rainy day. Because when it rained... the bones were revealed.

With her father and brother, Mary would go out searching the damp soil after a storm, with the hopes of finding something nobody had seen before: a dinosaur.

After her father dies, Mary must continue her search, picking up his tools and venturing out alone. In her life, she discovered several creatures, but was never given credit...until recently.

This eye-opening biography of the legendary Mary Anning, illustrated by Maris Wicks, shatters expectations and brings together two creators who are as passionate about their subject as they are about their art. Inspiring, this true adventure begs for re-reads.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250873699
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	49 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sarah Glenn Marsh writes young adult novels and children’s picture books, such as Alice Across America and The Bug Girl. An avid fantasy reader from the day her dad handed her a copy of The Hobbit and promised it would change her life, she’s been making up words and worlds ever since.

Maris Wicks is a writer and illustrator of science comics (Human Body Theater, Science Comics: Coral Reefs, and more), as well as a self-proclaimed gigantic nerd. She has written, drawn, and colored comics for First Second Books, New England Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, as well as Spongebob Comics, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics.

Sarah Glenn Marsh is the author of many books for young readers, including A Campfire Tail, Selfie Sebastian, and The Big Girl: Maria Merian’s Scientific Vision. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and their menagerie: four rescued sighthounds, a bird, and many fish.
Maris Wicks lives in sunny Somerville, Massachusetts. She is the author behind Human Body Theater, as well as the illustrator of New York Times bestselling Primates, with Jim Ottaviani. Wicks has also created comics for Spongebob Comics, DC and Marvel. When Maris is not drawing comics, she can be found prepping slides for her collection of vintage microscopes.

Editorial Reviews

10/18/2021

Glenn Marsh offers a conversational picture book biography of unsung English paleontologist Mary Anning (1799–1847), beginning with her childhood in a coastal English town whose stormy weather frequently “uncovered new, unusual things from deep within the rocky earth.” Though the white family sells the fossilized bones and shells to combat hunger amid food shortages, Anning is beguiled by the objects. And when her brother makes an interesting find, she keeps digging, eventually unearthing ichthyosaur and plesiosaur fossils—both subsequently bought and publicized by men who failed to credit the finder. Employing shifting angles, Wicks’s stylized pencil and digital art juxtaposes the subject’s modest seaside existence with her determination and metaphysical images of the fossils that compel her: “strange, nameless creatures curled in the cliffs.” Back matter includes a contextualizing short biography of the “mother of paleontology,” more information about her finds, and information about becoming a paleontologist. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

*Listed on 2022 Great Books for Kids List from Evanston Public Library!*

"A lively portrayal of an outstanding 19th-century woman and her contributions to the study of paleontology." - Kirkus

"Add this to any biography collection, especially those looking to highlight more female scientists." - School Library Journal

"Marsh’s mainly upbeat, child-centered text is complemented by Wicks’s comic illustration style. Bold pencil outlines and vibrant, digitally colored hues almost pop off the page." - Horn Book

"Particularly attuned to preschool and primary audiences...the interplay between the solidity of Mary and her discoveries and the wispy white outlines of her realistic and fantastical imaginings opens a window into a period when even renowned naturalists pontificated from speculation more often than settled knowledge." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB)

"Whether shown courageously clambering on cliffs near her home and imagining the marvels hidden in them or expertly dissecting a fish as part of her studies, Anning...offer[s] a compelling example of science at work." - Booklist

From the Publisher

12/01/2021

Gr 2–5—Nineteenth-century paleontologist Mary Anning gets her moment in this new picture book biography. From her early days searching for buried treasures to put food on the table to finding her first major fossil at 13 to starting her own Fossil Depot, Marsh and Wicks illuminate the life of Anning with simplified, almost parablelike reverence. Never too busy, each page delicately sets the scene and captures the environment in which Anning was making her discoveries, for which she was often overlooked. While not the first children's biography on Anning, this will captivate kids who are interested in dinosaurs but not necessarily ready for full-on science books about them. The back matter not only offers a concise biography of the scientist but also details on the fossils she discovered and tips for becoming a paleontologist. VERDICT Add this to any biography collection, especially those looking to highlight more female scientists.—Aryssa Damron, DC P. L., Washington, DC

School Library Journal

2021-10-13
This biography of paleontologist Mary Anning spends most of its time in her childhood.

Concise, energetic text and appealing cartoon-style illustrations tell the story of Mary Anning, amateur paleontologist and fossil hunter. At age 13, Mary found what she thought of as dragon bones and is now credited with unearthing the large, fossilized skeleton of an ichthyosaur(literally, “fish lizard”). Throughout her life on the cliffs surrounding Lyme Regis, England, Anning discovered many other fossils, including the bones of a plesiosaur. Though the pictures indicate that the book takes place in the past, the exact time period is not specified. Some explicit discussion of women’s roles and rights would likely have highlighted how unusual Mary and her discoveries were, though the story does note that wealthy men purchased and took credit for much of what she found. Despite the lack of context, this is an engaging, accessible portrayal. Young scientists, treasure hunters, and dinosaur lovers will be inspired by this dramatic tale of imagination, dedication, and resilience while learning about science and the thrill of fossil hunting. The informative endnotes include further details about Mary and the legend that surrounds her memory, a page on how to become a paleontologist, and facts about the creatures she found in the cliffs. Mary and her family were White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A lively portrayal of an outstanding 19th-century woman and her contributions to the study of paleontology. (selected bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews