Animal Masterminds: A Chapter Book (True Tales Series) Book

COOL! So very cool! That's what I kept thinking to myself as I read this book. It tells the true story of eight-year-olds Daniel and Mark, two friends who happened to discover some dinosaur footprints one summer day in the year 2000 as they were tubing along the river outside their hometown of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada--in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Their enthusiasm led them to discover more footprints, to excite leading paleontologists enough to get them to come out and explore, too--until, eventually, a visitor's center was built and the area is now protected and has yielded some remarkable dinosaur fossils. The story is told by Daniel's father and includes many photographs from the fossil sites, as well as some illustrations of dinosaurs and specific information on how to spot dinosaur footprints and the difference between theropod, ornithopod and Ankylosaur footprints. The storytelling is nothing remarkable, but it is certainly engaging and creates a good balance of facts and technical information with personal details.

I really can't imagine any kid not loving this book--at least, any kid who loves dinosaurs. I was always hoping to find dinosaur bones in my backyard! If I'd read this book when I was a kid, I would have been so jealous--and super inspired! I also love that this book shows that kids can accomplish their dreams, and that they can make important contributions to the world--they can even discover things adults haven't! And, really, how cool is that!? ;-)

(For another awesome story about a young person finding fossils, don't miss "Stone Girl, Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning" about a young girl in the early 1800s who finds some of the first and finest dinosaur skeletons in England!)