From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anning, a veritable spate of picture-book biographies flooded the market. Laurence Anholt's Stone Girl, Bone Girl (Orchard, 1999), Catherine Brighton's The Fossil Girl (Millbrook, 1999), and Jeannine Atkins's Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon (Farrar, 1999), among others, presented highly pictorial material suited to younger audiences, but only Sheila Cole's novel The Dragon in the Cliff (Lothrop, 1991; o.p.) held appeal for older readers. Here, Goodhue offers a well-documented look at the life of a truly remarkable woman who won the respect of scientists and fossil collectors around the world, despite her gender and her lack of formal education. The slightly dry, informative text is sparsely illustrated with contemporary drawings and photos. The bicentennial hoopla has subsided, but this slender work fleshes out the skeletal data previously available, and should prove a valuable resource for students tracing the development of paleontology and the serious emergence of women into the previously male-dominated world of science.
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Although several picture books about Mary Anning have been published during the past few years, this book is a fine full-length biography for older children. Anning, who grew up in an impoverished family, led an unusual life from the start, beginning when she was struck by lightning as an infant. Her home, a coastal area of England, was ideal for fossil hunting, an interest she had from childhood. The ferocious storms that regularly battered the coast continually changed the terrain to reveal new specimens. Over the years, Anning excavated many important fossils, earning recognition and honor for her work during a time when women were not even allowed to attend universities. Along the way, Goodhue discusses changes in religious thought that came about through Anning's discoveries, emphasizing the role faith played in the woman's life. His accessible biography gives readers not only insight into Anning's life but also the time in which she lived. The documentation is excellent; a time line, a glossary, a bibliography, and a few Web sites are appended. Susan Dove Lempke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
