From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-It is the summer of 1801. Puny, scientific-minded Will, 11, has lived on his uncle's farm in Ulster County, New York, since his mother died three years earlier in a fire. When his father, a carpenter, is hired to help Charles Willson Peale with his excavation of mammoth bones discovered in a marl pit nearby, he wants Will to be his assistant. Working together renews their bond, and by the book's end the boy goes back to live with his father. West plunges readers a bit abruptly into the story, incorporating background information as she goes. However, she does a good job of sustaining interest through the halts and starts that lead to the expedition's ultimate success. The focus shifts from character to plot as the color and excitement of the event come through, though Peale's energetic personality is well drawn. An afterword talks more about Peale and his family, the dig, and its aftermath. A topic sure to intrigue fans of prehistoric creatures, told in a length suitable for reluctant readers.
Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public LibraryCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.