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Dinosaur
Mummies: Beyond Bare-Bone Fossils
by
Kelly Milner Halls
was a Junior
Literary Guild selection for Spring 2003, and it's no wonder why. The
book is an excellent addition to the genre of mummy books and will
thrill anyone who loves mummies and dinosaurs--an unbeatable
combination. And I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this book
inspired some kids to become paleontologists one day.
What
is particularly nice about the book is that it is so personally told.
Rather than a dry, third person approach to the mummies, Halls jumps
right in with her connection to the subject, growing up in Texas and
tracing her own interest in dinosaur mummies. Her enthusiasm for the
subject is contagious! After
the introduction, she defines the term "fossil" and explains
why fossilized bone and fossilized tissue are so different to
researchers. Although the term "mummy" is hardly accurate in
its application to fossilized tissue (from an archaeologist's point of
view), Halls makes a case for the use of the term: the dinosaurs under
discussion in this book are, she writes, "fossilized mummies--made
of stone. Scientists haven't solved the mystery of the fossilized
dinosaur yet. They think that in some special instances, dinosaur skin
turned to leather before the dead animal was buried or had
decomposed." From
there, Halls takes the reader on a chronological tour of various
dinosaur mummy discoveries, starting with the 1908 discovery of the
Sternberg mummies. She moves on to the fossilized discoveries in 1980 of
a baby dinosaur in Italy, in 1990 of a dinosaur "with heart"
in South Dakota, in 1994 of a feathered dinosaur in China, and in
1997 of titanosaur embryos in Argentina. She
leads the reader to the final major find: Leonardo, "the king of
dinosaur mummies." Discovered in Montana in 2000, Leonardo was
"the most complete mummified dinosaur that has ever been
found." Almost three-fourths of his skin had been preserved. Halls
not only describes the discovery in exciting detail but clearly explains
why the discovery is so important. A
final chapter summarizes other finds that have been made, mostly by
focusing on the researchers who uncovered the discoveries. The final
paleontologist is Dr. Karen Chin whose claim to fame is the study of
dinosaur coprolites (or, to put it bluntly, fossilized dinosaur poop).
Kids will probably be stunned to learn that she studied a 17-inch long
coprolite, once deposited by a T-Rex. Plus a photo is provided so they
can see it for themselves. Halls
is an exuberant writer, who uses puns and a lively style to enliven her
stories. Kids will truly enjoy this book. What will also appeal to
them--and to educators--is the supplemental material that Halls
provides: web site links (to museums and articles), annotated book and
video lists, digsite locations--this makes it a research guide and
activity book as well. Considering that many nonfiction kids' books
don't provide a bibliography or an index, the six pages Halls offers are
an abundant offering. With
over 65 photos and illustrations, most in color, 48 pages. Highly
recommended. More
books about dinosaurs and dinosaur mummies
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