Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries

by Don Brown

Stunning watercolors and elegant prose detail the story of remarkable scientist Mary Anning, who, as a young girl, discovered an extraordinary skeleton at Lyme Regis in England, which led to a lifelong passion for finding and collecting rare fossils.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Nonfiction, Science, Childrens, Historical, British Literature

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Don Brown is the award-winning author and illustrator of many picture book biographies. He has been widely praised for his resonant storytelling and his delicate watercolor paintings that evoke the excitement, humor, pain, and joy of lives lived with passion. School Library Journal has called him "a current pacesetter who has put the finishing touches on the standards for storyographies." He lives in New York with his family.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

So yes, while the textual information that Don Brown presents and features in Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and her Remarkable Discoveries (and in particular regarding Mary Anning's fossil discoveries and findings) certainly is factually detailed and also seemingly accurate with regard to its general content (albeit that the annoying lack of any and all bibliographic sources really does make verifying said accuracy considerably more difficult and frustrating), I for one (and after having read quite a bit on and about Mary Anning and her discoveries over the past ten years) have not at all appreciated how very cursory Don Brown's narrative has been with regard to Mary Anning's difficult and often tragic childhood (for example, that Richard Anning died at the relatively young age of 44 due to tuberculosis and that from the Annings' ten children, only Mary and her brother Joseph actually survived to adulthood). And furthermore, Mr. Brown, the ichthyosaur fossil that Mary Anning discovered in 1811 was not actually even called an ichthyosaur until 1840 (seven years before Mary Anning's death), but your text, but Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and her Remarkable Discoveries certainly does seem to insinuate that scientists almost immediately post Mary Anning's 1811 discovery called this type of fossil an ichthyosaur (and this is simply not true).

And yes, I have also not really found some of the accompanying artwork for Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and her Remarkable Discoveries either all that aesthetically pleasing or even all that realistically accurate. For while I do think that the seascapes and landscapes Don Brown has rendered (as well as his depictions of Mary Anning's fossils) are both realistic and imaginative (with especially the depicted images of Lyme Regis and its beaches really being totally and utterly magical with a by-the-sea atmosphere), I have absolutely NOT found how Don Brown has drawn ANY of his human figures in any manner visually pleasant (with most of them appearing both too small and generally lacking in facial features, not to mention that Don Brown also never once depicts Mary Anning wearing her trademark felt top hat, a sturdy hat for men, which Mary Anning's mother had insisted her daughter wear for safety during her fossil searches). So yes indeed, while Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and her Remarkable Discoveries does (I guess) present narrationally wise a decent enough (although at times also more than a trifle lacking and with major information gaps that really could and should have been avoided) introduction to Mary Anning, for me personally, the combination of Don Brown's text and his illustrations have sadly and frustratingly just been both totally lacking and also quite massively disappointing and therefore, only a one star ranking (almost a two star ranking to be sure, but no, not quite there yet).

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is the fourth or fifth children’s picture book I’ve read about Mary Anning. I have yet to read her biography or an adult novel about her, but I am interested in reading both.

This version is excellent. I liked the illustrations. The biography covers almost all the details all the other books did, and adds a couple details not covered in any of the other books.

This book concentrates quite a bit on the fact that Mary Anning left school at age eleven, but was self-educated. It covers many of her fossel discoveries and relationships with well known scientists of her day. I find her to be a fascinating person and I was interested to read yet another picture book chronicle of her life.

This biography is beautifully written and covers Anning’s life from birth to death, and one thing I actually appreciated was that there were enough details in the book proper that there is no author’s note and no additional note was really needed.

[Charles]

I read this because I am looking for a children's book about Mary Anning to read to kids as part of a day-camp I'm putting together for my job.

I feel like this book is kind of sloppy in its descriptions of the animals Anning found. This is something that the kids probably will struggle with. I wish it had more clear pictures and descriptions. I would say it's a fine book if you are interested in the story of Mary Anning's life but not particularly interested in what she contributed to paleontology, which I presume most of the kids will be, so I'm thinking this one won't work very well for what I'm doing.

[Judy Desetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a picture book which tells the story of her life. A simple biography although it is found in nonfiction rather than the biography section in the library. It is a remarkable story about how she overcame poverty and went on to study and be one of the best paleontologists with only a third grade education. She made the famous discovery of the first Ichthyosaur in near perfect condition in 1811 at only 12 years old.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in a series of picture book biographies of lesser known figures. This one I'd at least heard of. Mary Anning is definitely a part of the early history of paleontology. But its good to have something that makes her more visible. An afterword and bibliography would have been nice. But the art is good and the text clear and her impact on the field front and center. This book courtesy of an Interlibrary Loan from Wilsonville Public Library, Clackamas County, Oregon.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and nice watercolor illustrations. I do wish the book had addressed the sexism during this time period and how Mary Anning was not included in the scientific community. Women were not allowed to be members of the Geological Society of London and could not even attend meetings. Her discoveries were published by men and her name was barely mentioned.

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story of the life of Mary Anning, but the illustrations seem washed out and unfocused, which works great for the fossil pictures but makes the people look vaguely creepy (white circles for eyes) and the scenery drab and dreary (yes, it is a beach with storms, but even beaches have nice days and storms a beauty of their own). In short, harder to get the kids to pick it up and read it. Sigh...

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring story of fossil discovery in the early 19th century.

[Ariana Pineda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I Hate this, Worst book ever. Except for the thought that she was poor, But I hate this

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple children's book about Mary Anning, who from girlhood in the early 1800s was unearthing rare dinosaur fossils. Lovely illustrations by the author.

[Maughn Gregory · Rating 2 out of 5]

See the review here by "Manybooks".

[Ember Moto]

I had never heard of this woman before but she was one of the first Paleontologist starting her work before the term Dinosaur was even coined!

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful non-fiction about Mary Anning.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Anning, like so many famous and influential people, had a difficult childhood. Impoverished from birth, she and her brother looked for fossils to help support the family. And when she was grown, she continued to do so.

The field of paleontology was very, very young when Anning entered it, and she was influential in many of the important discoveries that were made then - and now, even. However, because of her sex she's never received much recognition from the rest of the world.

This book is clear and concise, covering her life from early childhood to adulthood. The artwork is simple enough, and the language should be easy for children to grasp. I got this book from my Secret Santa over at LibraryThing, and I intend to buy more books by this author.

[Marni · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In 1799, Mary Anning was born in Lyme Regis, a small English port tucked tightly between cliffs and coast.

"Mary was poor and her life was hard--as hard as a stone. But she was also curious and smart and her spirit shone--it shone like a gem."

We read this along with a few other picture book biographies. When we finished, Carolyn looked at me with eyes shining and told me that when she's 13 she wants to write a book about herself. Apparently there are great things in store for her too.

I love reading things like this that help my children see that they can follow their talents and dreams.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good picture book biography of Mary Anning, the woman who devoted her life to unearthing fossils along the English shoreline. She was a truly incredible woman and this book does a great job of describing her accomplishments. I liked the book. It does what many Don Brown biographies do, makes the lives of important yet overlooked or forgotten historical figures clear, understandable, and interesting again.

[Abby Kenski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a very interesting book, I enjoyed it. Not many stories are about a young girl who grows up teaching herself about fossils, which is why I thought it was a very different book. The illustrations were very soft and smooth. They weren't very bright and colorful, everything just kind of blended in together. Which I think might be a downfall to this book, because this may not be appealing to children since the pictures are a little boring.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about Mary Anning, the first person and woman to discover dinosaur fossils. Even though she only had a seventh grade education, she spent her entire life studying fossils and natural history and was revered by scientists and other important men of the day. Good way to introduce girls to dinosaurs.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/15/11 ** Picture book biography ** Describes the span of Mary Anning's life and how she became known throughout Europe as an early fossil hunter and expert. Helps the reader understand Anning's development as a scientist. Illustrations are rather bland and many details are left out, but the book is appropriate for the younger reader.

[Christine Rebbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay; so this is a children's book, but I got it out of the library because I'd just read Tracy Chevalier's "Remarkable Creatures" about Mary Anning and wanted to know more, and also my 7-year-old grandson is a big fan of dinosaurs, so I read it to him. The illustrations are lush and evocative; the prose very fine as well. A good introduction to Anning and paleontology in general...

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don Brown did a nice job with this children’s picture book biography on Mary Anning, a self-taught woman who made fossil hunting a passion and a career beginning at a very early age. This story is filled with numerous facts yet also told in an entertaining way; perfect for any elementary biography report.

[Science For The People]

Featured on Skeptically Speaking show #193 on December 21, 2012, on our special Book Review episode. This book was reviewed by Josh Witten and the review can be heard starting at timestamp 00:47:33. http://skepticallyspeaking.ca/episode...

[Ashley Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Anning was only 12 when she and her brother uncovered the nearly perfect fossil of an Ichthysaur. She spent her life learning about and collecting fossils. Her discoveries contributed immensely to the scientific field.

[louisa]

Giverny Award winner. Plus! Mary Anning

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter thoroughly enjoyed this story and learning about Mary Anning

[Amara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Anning Fossil Hunter
by Sally M Walker is much better.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine book for teaching students about Mary Anning and her work finding fossils in the early 1800's.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories about Mary Anning! They are perfect girl-power books for my house full of girls. (Of course I think boys should read them too!) This one is especially well-written.