BIOGRAPHIES
Lyon, Julia

A Dinosaur Named Ruth: How Ruth Mason Discovered Fossils in Her Own Backyard

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Bye. Growing up in South Dakota in the early twentieth century, Ruth Mason was curious about the "bones" she collected in her backyard. Decades of inquiries to museums and universities yielded no results until finally, in 1979, a fossil hunter arrived and the incredible fossil beds (at what became Ruth Mason Quarry) were uncovered. Ninety-nine different kinds of dinosaur fossils and ten complete skeletons went to museums all around the world. Cartoon-like digital images of Mason at different ages in her prairie home will sustain reader interest in this (partly fictionalized) biography, and although the text occasionally conflates fossils and bones, its message of persistence will play well. An author's note and bibliography round out this light fare.

RELATED 

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?