About the Holiday
Welcome to the 17 th annual National Fossil Day! Today’s holiday puts a spotlight on paleontology and raises awareness of the importance of preserving fossils for future generations. To celebrate today, visit the National Park Service Website to learn more about today’s holiday and find many, many resources for classrooms, homeschooling, and family fun. On the page For Kids, you’ll find a Junior Paleontology Activity Book to download. You’ll also find 20 ideas for digging into paleontology with links to museums and national parks, a site where you can view fossils in 3D, a Prehistoric Life Coloring Book and dinosaur coloring pages to download for free, and you can even learn your state’s fossil.
Thanks to Charlesbridge and Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for sending me this book!
Brontosaurus Is Back!: A Dinosaur’s Name and Return to Fame
Written by Sarah Albee | Illustrated by Chris Hsu
Who knew that naming a dinosaur (or two) could be so fraught with confusion and animosity?! The dino (or dinos) in question? Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus. Sure, these two guys’ (and gals’) fossils look remarkably similar, but were they, in fact, the same dinosaur? When in the 1870s, “a paleontologist named Othniel C. Marsh learned about some large, fossilized bones from a Sioux chief named Red Cloud,” he was determined to find them. He wasn’t the only one hunting for fossils, though. Paleontologist Edward D. Cope, also wanted to be the first to discover—and name—dinosaurs. Soon, Marsh was presented with a few scant, yet huge, bones by his digging crew and claimed to have found a new genus. He named it Apatosaurus.
Not long after, Marsh received more bones and decided he’d discovered another type of dinosaur, which he named Brontosaurus. At the same time, Cope was finding and naming many of his own dinosaurs. In fact, the two were such rivals that they rushed to publish their multitude of discoveries, creating many mistakes and erroneous claims that “perplexed many later generations of paleontologists.”
The plethora of discoveries created a fervor with the public, and museums clambered to acquire fossils to exhibit, especially sauropods. But even as these exhibits were built, research continued. After Marsh and Cope died, scientist Elmer S. Riggs, concluded that Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus were the same genus. Because Marsh had named Apatosaurus first, that became the dinosaur’s official name, even though museums and the public took no notice, preferring the more intriguing “Brontosaurus” or “Thunder Lizard.”
For scientists, the name game may have been over, but there was still the question of what the Apatosaurus’s head looked like. This was finally solved in the 1970s, prompting museums to replace earlier versions. Fast forward to 2015, after decades of further discoveries and study, the scientific world was rocked once more with a new conclusion that Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus were, indeed, distinct dinosaurs. This, it seems, is this the final word, but the research into these two famous dinosaurs continues as there’s still so much to learn.
Each page spread includes an interesting sidebar that enlightens readers on a dinosaur or culturally related fact. Back matter includes a timeline, a list of shifting ideas about sauropods over time, how scientists study fossils, and a note on continued study, an illustrator’s note, and a bibliography.
With her signature humor and a large dose of wonder, Sarah Albee brings children a story of mammoth proportions, incorporating rival egos, sometimes messy science, the dangers of rushing to conclusions, and the often long trajectory of scientific research. Dinosaur lovers will be fascinated by this true-life glimpse into the prehistoric past as well as into the history of paleontology, the personalities involved, and the ever-evolving nature of science.
Readers will be awestruck by Chris Hsu’s realistic illustrations that reveal the influence discovered dinosaur bones have had on from ancient times to today. Hsu takes children to ancient China, to Sioux land, to a railroad stop in the 1870s, and to an archeological dig, where Brontosaurus bones were discovered. Kids may chuckle over the contentious duel between Marsh and Cope, and they’re sure to meet Hsu’s faithful renderings of museum exhibits and a representation of the era of dinosaurs with excitement.
A unique look at the history of dinosaur discovery, and a fascinating study into human nature, Brontosaurus Is Back! A Dinosaur’s Name and a Return to Fame is a brisk and vivid portrait of a subject that endlessly captures our imagination. The book would thrill dinosaur fans as well as history buffs, and would be a popular addition to any library collection.
While people in various parts of the world had been uncovering enormous bones for centuries and creating myths about them, “the first scientifically recorded finding of a sauropod” occurred in the 1830s, and the word dinosaur wasn’t invented until 1842.
Ages 5 – 9
Charlesbridge, 2026 | ISBN 978-1623546366
Sarah Albee is the New York Times best-selling author of more than 100 books for kids, including Bounce: A Scientific History of Rubber, Troublemakers in Trousers, and Zero! The Number That Almost Wasn’t. She lives in New York City with her husband, a high-school principal. They have three grown children. Sarah loves writing books where science and history overlap. Visit her at sarahalbeebooks.com.
Chris Hsu is a picture book illustrator and animation background artist whose credits include FX’s Archer and Marvel’s Hit-Monkey. His illustration work is influenced by world history, art history and music, and current favorite non-art activity is watching his daughters and nieces play soccer on Saturdays. Visit him at chrishsu.net.
National Fossil Day Activity
Hatch Your Own Dinosaur Eggs
Think there are no more dinosaur eggs to be found? Think again! You can make your own with this easy craft that will have you hatching some T.-rex-size fun! All you need are a few simple ingredients!
Supplies
- Old clothes or apron
- Large box of baking soda (makes between 6 and 8 eggs)
- Food coloring
- Water
- Plastic dinosaur toys
- Bowl
- Fork
- Spoon
- Wax paper
- Baking sheet
- Foil
- Vinegar
- Spray bottle (optional)
- Plastic or metal spoon, stick, popsicle stick, or other implement to chisel with
Spray the egg with vinegar to hatch your dinosaur
Directions
- Wear old clothes or an apron
- Cover work surface with wax paper, parchment paper, newspaper, or other protection. Food coloring can stain some surfaces
- Pour baking soda into the bowl
- Add drops of food coloring in whatever color you’d like your eggs to be. The eggs will darken when baked.
- Mix in the food coloring with the fork. You may want to use your hands, too
- When the baking soda is the color you want it, begin adding water a little at a time
- Add water until the baking soda holds together when you squeeze it in your hand
- When the baking soda is the right consistency, spoon some out into your hand or onto wax paper
- Push one plastic dinosaur into the middle
- Cover the dinosaur with more of the baking soda mixture
- Carefully form it into an egg shape
- Repeat with other dinosaurs
Chisel the egg open to hatch your dinosaur
To Bake the Eggs
- Set the oven or toaster oven to 200 to 225 degrees
- Set the eggs on a baking sheet lined with foil
- Bake the eggs for 15 minutes, check
- Turn the eggs over and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes
- Remove from oven and let cool
To Hatch the Eggs
- Eggs can be hatched by chiseling them with a spoon, stick, or other implement
- Eggs can also be hatched by spraying or sprinkling them with vinegar
You can purchase Brontosaurus Is Back!: A Dinoaur’s Name and Return to Fame from these booksellers
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
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