Dinosaur Mummies: Beyond Bare-Bone Fossils

by Kelly Milner Halls

A discussion of dinosaur mummies includes the discovery of "Leonardo," a juvenile duckbill Brachylophosaurus fossil found in Montana in 2000 who was so well preserved that the patterns on his skin could still be seen after seventy-seven million years.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Animals, Childrens, Dinosaurs

48 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

Kelly Milner Halls specializes in high interest, well researched nonfiction for young readers. Her books include TALES OF THE CRYPTIDS, SAVING THE BAGHDAD ZOO, IN SEARCH OF SASQUATCH and ALIEN INVESTIGATION. But she is also an avid YA fan and loves realistic fiction including GIRL MEETS BOY, the anthology she edited for Chronicle (January 2012). Her first short story is in that anthology. She hopes it won't be her last. When she's not writing or doing school visits, she works for her friend and mentor Chris Crutcher in Spokane.

Reviews

[Andrea Lorenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a total sucker for dinosaur books and when I saw this while I was weeding easy nonfiction, I had to check it out. Dinosaur Mummies tells the story of six partially mummified dinosaurs found with internal organs, skin, or feathers intact. Dinosaurs aren't mummified in the way that Egyptian mummies are mummified. Instead, dinosaurs that are in just the right place at just the right time are buried or submerged and their soft tissue becomes replaced with minerals and becomes a fossil. In short, all of the dinosaur becomes fossilized, not just their bones, like a petrified tree.

This book is a stellar juvenile nonfiction book. The main text of the book is easy to follow and well written. Combined with the pictures, featuring fossils, scientists, and renderings of dinosaurs, the book easily holds one's attention. The side notes add considerable information to the story of each dinosaur and help to teach about different methods that are being used to study the dino mummies as well as other reading opportunities. The bibliography is extensive, giving good examples of companion books, movies, websites, and even contact information for dig site destinations. The whole book is similar in style and length to a Scientists in the Field book and would be a great read for ANY dinosaur lover.

[Sps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several things stuck out: the author's deep knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject; the portrayal of science as a fascinating, dynamic pursuit; the exciting language that supplied knowledge at several levels, from cool trivia tidbits to vocabulary words to higher-level discussion of how we know what we know and why classifying and grouping matters.

This was such a refreshing departure from the many dull children's nonfiction titles I see, which seem to have been written by bored and boring scriveners. Even the personal introduction gave an excellent sense of why this particular book by this particular author.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some dinosaurs were both mummified and fossilized, saving soft tissue and organs for us to ponder. This book talks about mummified discoveries and the scientists who made them. Written for children who can read well.

[Rani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating array of dinosaur fossils primarily from North and South America.