From the Publisher
"[A] fine, simple introduction to an overlooked scientist."—School Library Journal
School Library Journal
02/10/2023
Gr 4–8—This translated graphic biography introduces paleontologist Mary Anning. Anning was born into a poor English family in 1799. She learned her father's hobby of collecting fossils, and upon his death, turned it into a source of income for her struggling family. Despite her lack of formal education, and the widespread sexism of the time, Anning gained renown, even discovering the first complete skeleton of a plesiosaurus. She was highly skilled, often discovering, drawing, classifying, and accurately theorizing about fossil remains. Bayarri takes pains to show both her intelligence and her naivete. Collectors and others took advantage of her, paying Anning less than her discoveries were worth, and sometimes even claiming her theories as their own. Despite the difficulties that her sex and social status presented, she earned a place among geologists and paleontologists and contributed much to the field. Anning's story unfolds through dialogue presented in word bubbles using a simple uppercase font. Occasional text boxes offer context. Panels are linear with white space between. Elongated noses and simple features adorn all characters. Anning is often depicted in a work-worn bonnet and simple cape, her head frequently inclined in thought. The palette is earthy, but bright. VERDICT Overall, this is a fine, simple introduction to an overlooked scientist. An index, further resources, glossary, and time line solidify its credentials as a worthy text for school assignments.—Lisa Taylor
Kirkus Reviews
2022-11-16
A determined young woman helped launch an age of discovery of dinosaurs.
Mary Anning’s (1799-1847) childhood was spent hunting fossils hidden in the cliffs at Lyme Regis, England, with her brother and father, cementing the direction her inquiring mind would take. Mary was persistent and successful at spotting the signs of prehistoric life preserved in rock and learned to understand what sort of creature belonged to the bones. The sale of the ichthyosaurus skeleton she discovered in 1811 to a London museum was just the beginning of Anning’s contributions to paleontological discovery. She supported herself through the sale of her finds as well as, intriguingly, Elizabeth Philpot’s drawings of prehistoric squid made with its own ink (preserved in a lady finger belemnite found by Mary). Bayarri’s bulbous-nosed cartoon figures and clear, detailed frames deliver a cheery, episodic account of Anning’s experiences and offer a sense of the coastal cliffs where she made her finds. The gatherings of men at museums and in lecture halls contrast with images of the young woman digging at the rock face of cliffs. Anning was known as a gifted and reliable fossil finder, here credited for inspiring Roderick Murchison, whose achievements as a geologist are hinted at in the text. While her finds were essential to discovery and theory, Mary was frustrated by the lack of recognition for her work—something Bayarri’s biography will correct. People throughout present White.
An appealing introduction to an important dinosaur hunter. (timeline, glossary, further resources, index) (Graphic nonfiction. 8-12)
