Dinomummy: The Life, Death and Discovery of Dakota, a Dinosaur from Hell Creek

by Philip Manning

In 2000, teenage dino-hunter Tyler Lyson stumbled across the fossil remains of a hadrosaur in the remote hills of the Hell Creek Formation in North Dakota. More than a collection of fossilized bones, Tyler discovered a three dimensional mummified dinosaur―a dinomummy. He and a paleontologist from the University of Manchester in England, Dr. Phil Manning, led an excavation that would change the way we think about dinosaurs. Named for its place of discovery, "Dakota" was gradually uncovered and moved to a lab for further excavation and analysis. Tyler and Phil's enthusiasm, expertise, and years of work blend as this paleontological detective story unfolds. Stunning computer-generated artwork, based on fieldwork and laboratory studies of the hadrosaur specimen, brings Dakota and its environment back to life on the pages of this amazing book. Travel back in time to explore Hell Creek 65 million years ago, when herds of hadrosaurs migrated across vast floodplains. Dakota died during the Late Cretaceous Period on the floodplains of North America and its body was locked in a rocky tomb. But Dakota's story was far from over. From the rugged badlands of Hell Creek to high-tech scientific labs, photographs document the incredible story of two men and a very special dinosaur.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dinosaurs, Childrens, Prehistory, Science, Nature

64 pages, Hardcover

First published December 4, 2007

Reviews

[GNRLibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Manning, author of this book and a British paleontologist, grippingly brings to life 2 stories at once: the story of South Dakota as it was 65 million years ago, and the story of Tyler Lyson, the scientist who discovered a mummified hadrosaur in those same badlands of South Dakota in 2006. Manning imagines life among the dinosaurs as he describes what might have happened to the young adult hadrosaur, later to be named Dakota. Years of painstaking and exciting scientific work then lead to much more of the story, as well as groundbreaking discoveries about dinosaurs. Did Lyson find bones and fossils? Yes. But more exciting were the discoveries of soft tissue and skin, and how whole this dinosaur was. A must read for any budding scientist or anyone interested in learning more about dinosaurs.

[Kyisha Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was well loved at my local library and has one of the most interesting covers I have ever seen. Beyond that, the story of Dakota paired with other dinosaur facts and timeline jumps makes for quite an intriguing read. Good mix of written material and a memorable historical account.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent story for a dino-loving kid. Fun to see the whole process from imagined-life to fossil unfold.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

At the age of sixteen, Tyler Lyson made one of perhaps the most amazing discoveries when it comes to dinosaurs: a highly intact and detailed dinomummy. Not just a fossil as many discoveries of dinosaurs are, this one came complete with actual dinosaur skin and possible organs! Although he had always been fascinated with dinosaurs, Tyler hardly knew at the age of six, when he discovered the fossilized jaw of a duck-billed hadrosaur along with his brother, that one day his persistence and dedication would lead to such an amazing find.

Tyler Lyson grew up in Marmarth, South Dakota, and spent a large amount of his time exploring the grounds of Hell Creek, a remote, huge area of badlands not far from where he lived. At sixteen, he discovered the dinomummy, who was eventually named "Dakota" for the state where it was found. He contacted Dr. Phillip Lars Manning, a paleontologist at the University of Manchester in the U.K., and the real fun -- and work -- began.

Together with a large group of scientists from numerous fields and eager volunteers, Tyler and Dr. Manning set about uncovering this enormous and amazing dinomummy. We can follow their journey from head to tail through stunning full-color photographs included within the pages of DINOMUMMY. Dr. Manning also describes the techniques and equipment used to unearth, protect, and transport Dakota back to his lab for further study.

For anyone who loves dinosaurs, DINOMUMMY is a must-read! This is a fascinating look into a truly important discovery, and its easy-to-read language and helpful illustrations and captions make it perfect for even the youngest reader.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected to like this book more than I did. The premise is interesting. A 16-year-old kid finds a mummified hadrosaur in South Dakota. Not only is the full skeleton intact, but since it was mummified, there are bits of skin and such also. Very cool. The book starts with a fictionalized account of what the hadrosaur might have been doing that day and how it might have died. Then it goes into information about the process of digging up the dinosaur and how they can get information from it and what that information might mean.

It was interesting, but there were questions that went unanswered for me (and maybe a kid wouldn't care about these things, I dunno...). For instance, the author of the book is Dr. Phillip Lars Manning, a British paleontologist. The kid who found the dinosaur apparently called him when he found it and Dr. Manning came over to help dig it up. Their relationship is never explained and I have no idea why he would have a British guy come all the way over instead of just calling an American paleontologist.

The visuals are plentiful and pretty amazing. Dinosaur fanatics will enjoy the story of Dakota's life and discovery. For me, I prefer the story of A Dinosaur Named Sue.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relates how a young paleontologist discovered the first fossilized dinosaur skin. Beautiful illustrations recreating how this hadrosaurus would have looked and captioned pictures of the dig that unearthed the fossil enhance the text narrated by the paleontologist. You get a clear sense of how a dig progresses and the patience it takes to unearth something this big. In addition, you can also see how even the smallest fragment can reveal a great deal of knowledge. Recommended for dinosaur lovers and budding paleontologists!

[Steph Heringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about a dinosaur mummy found in Hell Creek South Dakota by a teenager, who has had a passion for dinosaurs since before his first fossil find at age 6. I'm reading it with my own 6 year old who shares that passion. The story is compelling because it is real and the drawings and photographs are exciting to this grownup too.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a cool story! I wish they had more photos of the mummy though, and I was a little confused by the narrative in the beginning with the T-Rex, even though the T-Rex had nothing to do with the dinos death. Still, a very fascinating discovery.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUPER cool and packed with information. I'm a student in Early Childhood education, and I've used this again and again to create mock lesson plans. The possibilities for what you can do with this book are endless!

[Armando · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book tells the story of Dakota a dinosaur that was discovered in Hell Creek. The authors go back 65 million years to try to figure out how the dinosaur died and then they come to present time to put together the dinosaur.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, lots of info for my budding paleontologist, but not very kid friendly & somewhat lacking in the complete story & the timetable is non-existent.

[Candi]

Ages 9 to 12

[Terry]

Kids who love dinosaurs will enjoy this illustrated, non-fiction history of dinosaurs in the United States. This is not your average dinosaur book. Finish reading the review on the Reading Tub.