Book Review: Fossils Tell Stories

Years ago, I served on the Great Picture Books Committee for the State of Maryland.  We looked at every picture book that had been published in the previous year, and we made a decision as to which books we thought were the most exemplary.   Consider it kind of like a Caldecott book award, but without the big distinction of winning a Caldecott Award.   Just recognition from the children's librarians in the State of Maryland that these books were among the best published that year.

Since that time, I have always kept an eye on the picture books in my library.  There are some that are so-so, but then, there are the amazing ones that basically leap off the shelves at you.  The art work is so extraordinary that it leaves you breathless.

I found one of those books at my local library last week.  Fossils Tell Stories, written by Yu-ri Kim and Illustrated by Hyeon-joo Lee.

The story of fossils - how they are formed, and why they are important is told in simple words and bright multi-media collage illustrations.

The art work is dynamic and will draw you in to look at the details.

Photographs of real fossils are super-imposed over top of the collage to illustrate types of fossils and how to identify them.

The book ends with a short time line about the formation of fossils as well as a hands on experiment.