 | She sells seashells : Mary Anning, an unlikely paleontologist Author: Stemple, Heidi E. Y. | |
| Price: $13.49 | ||
Summary:
In the early 1800s, Mary Anning was a young girl who collected fossils and shells on the seaside cliffs by her home; and even though she was a most unlikely scientist, Mary eventually made significant fossilized discoveries that paved the way for the development of the field of paleontology.
| Illustrator: | Paik, Emily |
Reviews:
Booklist (06/01/24)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 06/01/2024 Mary Anning spent her childhood helping her father chisel fossils from the seaside cliffs near their home on England’s Jurassic Coast. After his death, she continued his work in order to support her family. Her clients were vacationers looking for souvenirs, as well as scientists (all men) who saw fossils as a way of studying creatures living on Earth in the distant past. As she grew older, Anning took an interest in those creatures and formulated theories that others debated and adopted or rejected. Men studying paleontology received praise for their “discoveries,” while as a woman, Anning, who had found the fossils, was not allowed to join the scientific societies or attend the meetings where theories were discussed. She simply returned to the cliffs, chiseled fossils from the rocks, and sold them to put food on the table for her family. In the appealing text, Stemple transports readers to early 1800s England, when girls received little education, “and girls from poor families certainly didn’t become scientists.” Soft, colorful illustrations support the text. An informative biography with built-in social commentary. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
