Amazing Wonders Collection — Tyrannosaur!
Posted on Oct 25, 2008 under Better World |
Amazing Wonders Collection: Tyrannosaur!
Monty Fitzgibbon, Clint Twist
Illustr. Diz Wallis
Ages 6-10
Hardcover, 16 pages
11.7 x 11.6 x 1 inches
Candlewick Press
ISBN-13: 978-0763635503
$19.99
Edited and augmented, this extraordinary “book and toy” product chronicles the amateur fossil-hunting adventures of Monty Fitzgibbon, a native of Scotland who studied veterinary medicine in England and then joined the army, serving in Newfoundland from 1902 to 1908 when he was declared missing.
This book is Mr. Fitzgibbon’s record of his travels to the American Rockies where he made a successful bid to become an assistant to Barnum Brown, a celebrated paleontologist who — by the time our hero caught up with the expedition — was knee-deep in dinosaur bones of spectacular importance: the fossilized skeletal remains of Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Fortunately for us readers of this recently located (in 2005), never-before-published manuscript, “Monty” was not only especially adept at describing his adventures during his unauathorized absence from the British military, but was also an especially gifted artist. His drawings, together with Diz Wallis’ exquisitely made color plates of Tyrannosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, and Coelophysis, paint a full and vibrant picture not only of the early 1900s during which these exciting fossil discoveries took place, but also the ancient worlds of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous.
Although this great-looking, well-packaged set is recommended for ages 6-10, I’m hard-pressed to imagine the 6- or 7-year-old whose attention would be held by the book’s documentary nature or the archaic diction and syntax wielded by its original writer. That said, dinosaur enthusiasts well beyond 10 years are likely to enjoy putting together their very own substantial model of the Tyrannosaur, made of sturdy paperboard wrapped in Mr. Wallis’ detailed color artwork. Younger children will need assistance. The finished T. Rex model, which stands 16″ tall and 26″ from nose to tail, is destined to become a prized artifact for many a young person, and easily passes the “impress your friends” test.
Tyrannosaurus Rex coloring pages
Ceci Miller owns CeciBooks, an editorial and book publishing consultancy that empowers authors to write, publish, and market irresistible books that uplift and inspire. Ceci has written, co-authored, and edited books with bestselling authors and experts since 1988. See new and popular book projects. Also . . . Find expert information on writing, publishing, and marketing a book in CeciBooks Chats (Getting Started series is FREE).A graduate of the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Ceci Miller is also the author of two published children’s picture books, and former contributing editor for Darshan, an international magazine. A student of yoga and meditation since 1976, Ceci leads seminars that explore language as a vehicle for personal transformation. Based on her book Sacred Visitations, and the popular book she co-authored with John Lee, Writing from the Body, Ceci’s work (both with CeciBooks authors and in public programs) blends writing, intuitive guidance, and contemplative practices that connect right brain creativity with your true intention.