Digging for Bird Dinosaurs: An Expedition to Madagascar (Scientists in the Field Series) [Hardcover]

Nic Bishop (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Scientists in the Field Series

The extinction of dinosaurs some sixty-five million years ago is one of the greatest biological catastrophes in the history of our planet. Yet in recent years, paleontologists have turned up increasing evidence that ancestors of one group of dinosaurs still fly among us: birds. Join Cathy Forster, one of the few female paleontologists working today, on an expedition to Madagascar in search of clues to the mystery of bird evolution.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-This attractive photo-essay focuses on Cathy Forster, a specialist in bird fossils, and on a 1998 expedition to the island of Madagascar. Working a fossil "quarry" of animals apparently drowned and deposited during a long-ago deluge, the paleontologists discover an engrossing m lange of pieces of Late Cretaceous creatures, mostly new to science. Fragments of prehistoric snakes, crocodilians, fish, and turtles mix with sauropods, theropods, and birdlike remains. The conversational text follows the team efforts, recorded as well in the crisp full-color photos, showing the scientists at work in their brutally hot, waterless site. It also records the cooperative efforts of hospitable villagers, and includes an appeal to help them build a local school for their children. The book concludes with a surprising find in a chunk of sandstone shipped to the U.S. from a 1995 expedition-the partial skeleton of a bird equipped with a small sickle claw, similar to those previously found only on theropods like Velociraptor. Team this fine title with Miriam Schlein's excellent The Puzzle of the Dinosaur-Birds (Dial, 1996) and Lowell Dingus and Mark Norell's fascinating Searching for Velociraptor (HarperCollins, 1996) and A Nest of Dinosaurs (Doubleday, 1999) and you'll have young dinophiles packing up to join an expedition.
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Readers of this photographic essay join paleontologist Cathy Forster and a team of scientists hunting for bird-dinosaur fossils on the island of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa. The pictures and text show both the drudgery (chipping away at hard rock in 100-degree heat) and the thrill of discovery as the awl hits something hard that's buried underneath. Then the author, an outstanding photographer known for such titles as Red-Eyed Tree Frog (1999), describes how the scientist scrapes away the sandstone to reveal a tiny pink-brown fossil bone. Dinosaur lovers will not find the dramatic big bones of other field trips in this work, but middle school science enthusiasts will learn about “Scientists in the Field,” as the series title indicates. Photographs and text show the tools and painstaking processes by which scientists uncover, label, excavate, and prepare fossil finds for further study in laboratories and museums. Other sections provided detailed information about methods used to study and classify fossils in the university laboratory. Forster also gives biographical information, explaining her early love of dinosaurs and her current work as a paleontologist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. A good look at a contemporary scientist. (list of further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (April 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395960568
• ISBN-13: 978-0395960561
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,783,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, April 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Digging for Bird Dinosaurs: An Expedition to Madagascar (Scientists in the Field Series) (Hardcover)

A great book for any young person who is interested in dinosaurs and their fossils.The book tells the story of paleontologist Cathy Forster and her colleagues as they undertake a fossil hunting expedition to the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa.The "bird dinosaurs" they hope to find will help prove the relationship between modern day birds and dinosaurs.The book details all the steps involved in finding and recovering the fossils,but never gets too technical so young readers will have no trouble following the story.There is also some background info about Madagascar and its people.Many interesting photos illustrate the book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, August 26, 2003

By 

Paula Rogovin (Teaneck, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digging for Bird Dinosaurs: An Expedition to Madagascar (Scientists in the Field Series) (Hardcover)

This is a fabulous book for children doing research about the work of paleontology at Manhattan New School. We used the book in our first grade class to help answer the children's many questions. We actually replicated what Cathy and the other paleontologists did in Madagascar - we dug up bones (chicken, cow, pig), wrapped bones, and even pretended to return them to Madagascar when we finished our research. The team actually opened schools and clinics for the people of Madagascar - what an inspiration for our students.