American Dinosaur Hunters

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-This informative and entertaining collective biography promises to lure not only students already fascinated with the search for buried clues to the existence of prehistoric creatures, but also those who scarcely know what paleontology is. It provides concise portraits of 10 Americans who, for a variety of reasons, devoted their lives to uncovering prehistoric artifacts. Paleontologists included range from Edward Hitchcock in the 1830s, who was the first American to study and describe the remains of dinosaurs in the U.S., through Jack Horner, consultant for Jurassic Park. The book's appeal lies in the simplicity of the scientific explication, in the analyses of its human subjects, and in the clarity of the accompanying black-and-white photos. Among the intriguing subjects covered are the ongoing positive influence of the American Museum of Natural History; the drama of the Bone Wars, a feud between two men who jealously vied to accumulate the larger cache of fossils; and the public's fascination with fossil hunter Roy Chapman Andrews, "the original Indiana Jones." This source of scientific research will be a valuable addition to library collections.-Susan F. Marcus, Pollard Middle School, Needham, MA