Looking for a great gift for the dinosaur-loving girl in your life?  Give her a pink dinosaur t-shirt paired with a children’s book about Mary Anning.  Called “the greatest fossilist who ever lived,” Mary Anning is a woman who made significant contributions to history and science by discovering important fossils in the cliffs of Lyme Regis, England, where she spent her entire life, from 1799 to 1847. An early self-taught paleontologist, Mary Anning is often credited with finding the fossils of the ichthyosaur, the plesiosaur, and many other fossils.

Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon and Stone Girl Bone Girl are two children’s books which are based on Mary Anning’s life and work. Both of these stories are largely mythical interpretations which give sole credit to Mary for finding the ichthyosaur fossil, which was her first big discovery. However, in many historical accounts, Mary’s brother is credited with first finding part of the ichthyosaur, although Mary did most of the work of excavating it, and she did go on to find and excavate other important fossils, including the plesiosaur.

Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon is written by Jeannine Atkins and illustrated by Michael Dooling. This story is Atkins’ interpretation of Mary’s childhood. This story begins when Anning is 11 years old, which is after her father has passed away. Her father had collected fossils, or “curiosities,” as a hobby and had passed along his knowledge and skill to his children, including Mary.

In this story, Mary is encouraged to pursue her passion for fossil-searching by both her mother and her memories of her father. Even though others discourage Mary from doing this unfeminine and strange work, her mother “seemed to know that Mary couldn’t leave this etched stone any more than a nurse could turn from a patient, or an artist abandon a half-finished painting.”

Mary also continues to find inspiration from the words her father spoke to her when he was alive: “Don’t ever stop looking, Mary.” Mary is portrayed as a hard-working young girl who works carefully for many months out in the cold, slowly uncovering the entire skeleton of the great sea dragon.

The illustrations are soft, dark, and realistic, reflecting the cold, windy, rainy, gray landscape of Mary’s homeland. Most of the illustrations are of people and landscapes and not of Mary’s work excavating the bones. The story is captivating and highlights the courage, passion, and intelligence of young Mary, a girl who followed her heart and own path.

Stone Girl Bone Girl is written by Laurence Anholt and illustrated by Sheila Moxley. This story begins when Mary is just a baby who survives a lightning strike and because of this, her father realizes that she is “no ordinary girl.” Anholt depicts Mary having a close relationship with her father throughout her childhood, which helps sustain her when the other children in the town tease Mary for her strange interest in fossil – or “curiosity” – collecting.

In Anholt’s rendition of Mary’s story, there are three rich and educated women in town who take an interest in Mary and inspire her interest in finding “the great sea monster” (the ichythyosaur) when they show Mary a tooth that they own and which they believe came from it.

This story includes the death of Mary’s father and also a mysterious dog that appears to Mary after her father’s death. This dog has a “coat like speckled pepper” just like her father’s hair which had lead her to nickname her dad “Pepper.” It is the dog who leads Mary to the buried bones of the great monster and then mysteriously disappears. This story also has Mary uncovering all the bones in one day.

This is definitely a more mystical version of Mary’s life and discovery. It does include some scarier details, such as baby Mary getting hit by lightning and her father telling her about houses and animals that had fallen from the crumbling cliffs into the sea, which might be too much for sensitive children. It also brings more attention to her father’s death, but in the end it is a warm-hearted story that has Mary becoming not only accepted by the people who had shunned her but also much celebrated, financially well-off, and sought after by scientists after her first discovery.

The illustrations in this story are bright, colorful, and folksy and include what would be commonly recognized as dinosaurs. Overall Mary comes across as a clever, dreamy, determined, and independent young girl.

Both stories include a one-page afterward with additional biographical information about Mary.

If you know a young girl who loves dinosaurs, exploring, and discovering things for herself, either of these books would make a fine addition to her personal library. Pair one or both of these books with a pink dinosaur t-shirt for an exciting gift for your dinosaur-lover!

There are many dinosaur toys that are easy to find, too, that you could also add, but if she already loves dinosaurs, she may have a bunch of toys already! But girly dinosaur t-shirts are hard to find, so this one is sure to bring a smile!

(Originally published by me on Feb. 28, 2010)

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