Mary Anning was only twelve years old when she excavated the skeleton of an animal never known to man.
The discovery of the ichthyosaur was the dawn of a new age of science called paleontology, and Anning became one of the leading experts in the study of dinosaurs. Her discoveries helped lay the groundwork for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and changed the way scientists understood the past.
Unfortunately, as a woman of the 1800s, her contributions were overlooked and instead credited to male naturalists who had purchased specimens from Anning.
Author Stephanie Bearce brings her remarkable work to life for young readers with research and projects that allow children to experience hands-on science as Anning did.
With the help of modern historians, Anning’s groundbreaking work and ideas have been brought to light and she now takes her place as one of the pioneering scientists in the discovery of dinosaurs.
Stephanie Bearce is an avid fossil collector and the award-winning author of twenty-nine nonfiction books for children. An educator with over twenty years’ experience in the classroom, Stephanie is a frequent presenter at regional and national education conferences, literature festivals, nerd camps, and school districts around the country. She was awarded the SCBWI Crystal Kite award for her Top Secret Files of History series World War II title. Her series Twisted True Tales from Science was selected for the NSTA Recommended Reading List. She lives in the St. Louis, Missouri area.
