The Horn Book Guide

SCIENCE

Rounds, Erin

Charlotte's Bones: The Beluga Whale in a Farmer's Field

40 pp. | Tilbury | August, 2018 | Trade ISBN 978-0-88448-485-1 $17.95

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Alison Carver. Poetic text describes an Ice Age beluga whale's life with her pod and her (somewhat jarring) death; Charlotte's fossilized bones are discovered 11,500 years later in 1849 Vermont. How the fossils helped scientists understand ways the land had changed makes for interesting reading, but concluding messages from the bones ("'Time goes by fast,' they say") is a melodramatic touch. Extensive notes provide additional information. Reading list. Glos.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson