Barnum's Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in the World [Hardcover]

Tracey Fern (Author), Boris Kulikov (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: May 22, 2012 | Age Range: 5 - 9 years | Lexile Measure: 1010L (What's this?)

Barnum Brown's (1873-1963) parents named him after the circus icon P.T. Barnum, hoping that he would do something extraordinary--and he did! As a paleontologist for the American Museum of Natural History, he discovered the first documented skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, as well as most of the other dinosaurs on display there today.

 

An appealing and fun picture book biography, with zany and stunning illustrations by Boris Kulikov, BARNUM'S BONES captures the spirit of this remarkable man.

 

Barnum's Bones is one The Washington Post's Best Kids Books of 2012.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...playful and imaginative…”--BCCB

“T. rex lovers will gobble it up, and seekers of easy biographies will be hot on their heels.”--School Library Journal, starred

“Tracey Fern (“Buffalo Music,” “Pippo the Fool”) turns a slice of a scientist’s biography into an American adventure tale, describing how Brown and his rivals at other museums raced to find the best fossils and to discover new species.”--New York Times

“…truly breathtaking. This will captivate the masses of kids whose jaws drop in the presence of hulking fossils.”--Booklist, starred

 

  “In this engaging picture-book biography, Tracey Fern and illustrator Boris Kulikov supply many distinctive details about Brown, including the spiffy wardrobe he favored and the dancing talents he would occasionally unleash.”--The Washington Post

“…[an] informative, inspirational story of one man’s curious, undeniable passion.”--Horn Book

“Fern fills her text with all the salient facts but uses a breezy, humorous, awestruck voice that strikes just the right tone in telling the story of this fascinating, quirky scientist.”--Kirkus, starred 

About the Author

Tracey Fern is the author of two other picture books, Buffalo Music and Pippo the Fool, both Junior Library Guild selections. She lives with her family in West Newton, Massachusetts, where she’s always on the lookout for unusual rocks.

www.traceyfern.com

Boris Kulikov has illustrated many other books for children, including Max’s Words by Kate Banks. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York, where he has not yet discovered any dinosaur bones. 

www.boriskulikov.com.

Product Details

• Age Range: 5 - 9 years
  
• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (May 22, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374305161
• ISBN-13: 978-0374305161
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 10.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Fossils
  • #26 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Science & Technology
  • #44 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Dinosaurs

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Barnum's Bones September 23, 2012

By Joy Frerichs

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A very enlightening story about one man's quest for fossils and finding significant dinosaur bones. Children are fascinated with dinosaurs.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fact Filled Fun Read March 19, 2013

By Laura A. Jackson

Format:Hardcover

I have to admit I had never heard of Barnum when I picked up this book, but I enjoyed the tale of a man who had a gift for sniffing out dinosaur bones.
Although biographies can often be dry reads, this book moves quickly with Barnum's finds and puts a personal perspective on the fossils that fill our museums. The illustrations convey the excitement Barnum and his colleagues must have felt when they found the bones.
This book is on the Texas Bluebonnet List, a list voted on by 3rd-6th graders across the state, and I'm eager to see if they like this tale. Hopefully, it will prompt them to follow their dreams wherever they may take them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't read it enough. December 27, 2012

By Maggie Dick

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

"and six and seven and eight and nine and ten and eleven and twelve!" says my 3 1/2 year old son Lucas when I asked him how many stars we should give this book. He has a better attention span for books than most kids his age, it's probably better for 4-5 year olds but when buying books for people I usually go more advanced so as to not buy "baby" books.