Stone Girl Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning of Lyme Regis

This book is wonderful for boys and girls (ages 3/4 through grade school) - but since we have a 3.5 year old who LOVES dinosaurs, we were especially happy to see a real life story about a fossil-hunting GIRL. This is a true life story about Mary Anning (c. 1799), an English girl, who leads a life full of dramatic events including being struck by lightening as an infant, losing her father at a young age, being found by a magical dog who has a nose for fossils, falling into poverty and then being pulled out of poverty by the fossil discoveries she makes - including the discovery of a full skeleton of an Ichthyosaurus! The illustrations are beautiful and as magical and compelling as the story. Despite the heavy story line, my daughter was uplifted by the tale of a real life girl who loved dinosaurs and hunting for fossils - inspiring! There are other books about Mary Anning, but this is the most 'picture book' of the bunch - which made it more accessible to my preschooler.

They were captivated from the very opening when Mary was the only survivor of a lightening strike. The fact that Mary made her first major discovery when she was only twelve demonstrates to children that it is possible for them to achieve great/important things. My girls were so interested in paleontology after reading this book that it has spurred them on to learning more about Mary Anning, fossils and evolution. They have since gone fossil hunting and were thrilled to be just like Stone Girl, Bone Girl!

This book introduces children (and adults like me!) to an inpsirational scientist. The artwork is superb and the story of a 12 year old girl who makes an important scientific discovery is captivating. I recommend this book for any child who is interested in science, paleontology, history, or art (or who just likes a good story!)!

There are a few picture books out about Mary Anning! All of them are good, but this is THE ONE to read to younger kids! The illustrations are vibrant and colorful. The story is punchy and fun! Kids will be amazed by the story of a young girl who gets struck by lightning as an infant, survives, and as a child finds the fossil of one of the world's largest dinosaurs! It's all true! There's even a dog companion! Buy it and read it to your kids, they won't soon forget it!

I can't remember a more beautifully written children's book since my children were born. The way the story was told was so simple and yet so powerful, I have no hesitation in recommending this to anyone with children. I read it to my 3 and 5 year old girls and they ask for it every night. Simply beautiful.