The mystery of the mammoth bones: And how it was solved [Paperback]

James Giblin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2000

When giant bones are found on a farm in New York State in 1801, no one knows what sort of creature they came from. Are they the fossilized bones of an elephant or of a mammoth, the huge animal that has recently been unearthed in northern Russia? Or do they come from a different animal entirely? There's only one way to find out--dig up and assemble a complete skeleton of the creature. And Charles Willson Peale is just the man to take on the job.

At the age of sixty, Peale has already made his mark as a portrait painter and scientist, as well as the founder of the first natural history museum in the United States. If he can put on display a skeleton of the mysterious creature, people will flock in even greater numbers to his Philadelphia museum. The skeleton may also help to prove a controversial new theory: that some animals that once roamed the Earth have become extinct.

As he searches for more bones, Peale must dig at several different sites. He is confronted by flooding, threats of cave-ins, and oppressive heat but persists in his quest. What he eventually finds confirms the existence of a previously unknown animal -- the mastodon It also provides solid evidence not only that some animals have become extinct, but also that the Earth is far older than anyone ever imagined.

Based on Charles Willson Peale's own diaries and journals, The Mystery of the Mammoth Bones is a gripping scientific thriller.

Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2000, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With the pacing of an ace detective, Giblin (Charles Lindbergh) unveils the painstaking steps in artist and naturalist Charles Willson Peale's 1801 discovery of mammoth bones. Through a third-person narration of Peale's experience, Giblin establishes these fossils' revolutionary importance to science, technology and social history, beginning with Peale's exploratory digs, his assemblage of the first skeleton and its subsequent exhibition and controversy. Structuring the text in this way allows Giblin to deftly paint a turn-of-the-19th-century world and to demonstrate how this finding shook prevailing scientific and religious beliefs and contributed to current theories of evolution and extinction. Readers will devour the details that contrast Peale's time to today, such as the harrowing journey from Philadelphia to upstate New York (it took a day and a half just to get from Philadelphia to New York City, before sailing up the Hudson River in the days before steam power), a trip that today takes three hours, and President Thomas Jefferson's personal interest in and professional support of the excavation. Unfortunately, some details lack context, such as the original $200 pricetag of the bones without mention of what that sum could buy. After wrapping up this gripping mystery and its legacy, profusely illustrated with photographs of the mammoths and Peale's own sketches, Giblin concludes with a brief biography of the Renaissance man Peale and a summary of theories on mammoths and mastodons. Fans of all things dinosaur will find much to explore here, and readers may well be infected with Peale's pioneering spirit. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, Charles Willson Peale was a man of many talents. He was a skilled portrait artist, and he loved science. In 1786, he created the first American natural history museum, which displayed specimens of animals and birds along with some of his artwork. Whereas Janet Wilson's The Ingenious Mr. Peale (Atheneum, 1996) gives a well-rounded look at the man and his many accomplishments, Giblin concentrates on Peale's involvement in searching for and excavating mammoth bones. He takes readers back to a time before the discovery of dinosaurs, before Darwin's theory of evolution, before the modern conveniences of electricity and motors. At that time, Peale's ingenuity played a big part in his fossil hunting. For example, when mammoth bones were found in a swampy pit, he devised a giant wheel with buckets to drain the water away. Giblin's research is superb, and he turns to Peale's actual notes for details. He also includes recent information about the mammoth (and mastodon). The author makes clear how revolutionary it was for Peale to suggest that these animals had become extinct at a time when the Bible was still interpreted literally. Black-and-white photos of fossil remains and mastodon skeletons appear throughout along with numerous reproductions that include sketches and paintings done by Peale and his artist son. This refreshing title celebrates a great American for his investigative and artistic skills in solving one of natural science's great puzzles.
Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 97 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439176204
• ISBN-13: 978-0439176200
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,784,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MASTODON FIND 2000, March 12, 2000

By 

C. LOZIER (HYDE PARK, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mystery of the Mammoth Bones and How It Was Solved (Hardcover)

I FOUND THIS BOOK WHILE RESEARCHING OUR OWN MASTODON FIND NOT MORE THAN 75 MILES NORTH OF THE SITE OF THE FIND RECOUNTED IN THIS WONDERFULLY WRITTEN STORY. I HAVE PRESENTED MY RESEARCH TO VARIOUS SCHOOL GROUPS IN OUR AREA AND HAVE ALSO DONATED COPIES OF THIS BOOK TO THE VARIOUS SCHOOL LIBRARIES. WHILE THE BOOK IS WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN, I DID NOT FIND IT BORING. I ACTUALLY FOUND IT VERY INTERESTING AND LEARNED ALOT MORE FROM IT. I WAS AMAZED BY THE SIMILARITIES OF THE ORIGINAL FIND WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE EARLY 1900'S AND OUR RECENT FIND. ALTHOUGH OUR TECHNOLOGY IS MUCH MORE ADVANCED, THE SITE IN WHICH WE FOUND OUR MASTODON, IS STRIKINGLY SIMILAR. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN THIS SUBJECT.