Mary Anning's Curiosity by Monica Kulling

4 stars
JF
historical fiction

First let's talk about what this is not.

This is not an in-depth biography.

Really, it's not a biography at all.

It is not a deep work of nonfiction.

It would not be a good resource for a school project.

Okay, with that out of the way, here's what it IS--

A really cute, if brief, story...

about a fascinating figure....

a woman I'd never heard of.

Mary Anning helped her father find curiosities as a child.

And eventually found an ichthyosaur.

I got this for MeiMei (age 7) and I think she was just a titch on the young side of the perfect age.  It's a great introduction to a strong woman who was a paleontologist before the word existed.

And certainly before anyone would really give credit to a woman in such a field.

If you've got a youngish budding scientist, you really should give this a try.

(If you've got a kid looking for a subject for a biographical report, I would definitely suggest Mary Anning!)