You Might Be Part Dinosaur!

Last spring was a tough time for new book releases, what with libraries, schools, and book stores unable to host public events. So this spring I’ll be celebrating some book birthday anniversaries for a few books I didn’t get the chance to review last year.

 

And since today is the start of the Great Backyard Bird Count  I thought I'd start by looking at a book about something distantly related to birds: dinosaurs! I spent part of my young life exploring dinosaur country, so I really enjoyed this one. I love the idea that, like our feathery friends, we might have a bit of dino in us.

A Little Bit of Dinosaur 

by Elleen Hutcheson and Darcy Pattison; illus. by John Joven 

32 pages; ages 5-9

Mims House, 2021

theme: dinosaurs, nature, informational

 You have a little bit of Tyrannosaurus rex in your jawbone!

Sounds crazy, right? But Darcy and Elleen trace how a calcium atom could have dissolved from a dinosaur bone and been carried far away. And become part of a plant that was eaten by a cow that made the milk that …. eventually got into you. 

What I like about this book: It’s fun to read. And I like the way Darcy and Elleen show a probable path to explain how a bit of dinosaur could be in you. In addition to the tyrannosaurus in your jawbone, there might be a bit of a different dino in your toe. The real thing we see, though, is how everything is connected. Stuff in one place – whether calcium from a dino bone or water from a spring – travels to other places and gets incorporated into soil, plants, animals, and eventually people. And I like how, at the end, the authors contemplate where the calcium in our bones will end up ages from now.

This is the place where I’d normally ask Darcy a question – but guess what! She’s going to be here on the blog on Monday – so come back and say “hi.”

Beyond the Books:

Do an experiment to show how calcium dissolves from a bone. You’ll need some vinegar, a few chicken bones (bones from a rotisserie chicken are perfect), and a couple jars. Here’s how to do it. 

Learn more about dinosaurs with these three videos from the National Park Service.    

Want to look for dinosaurs? Check out this list of places where you can find fossils (including dinosaurs)

Find some dinosaurs in your neighborhood. Did you know that birds are the long-lost relatives of dinosaurs? This weekend (today through Monday) is the perfect time for dinosaur watching – and for sharing your observations with others by participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count. 

Darcy is a member of #STEAMTeam2022. You can find out more about her at her website.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy from the publisher.