Book Talk Tuesday: Barnum's Bones

This week's book talk is a great non-fiction picture book about a man who loved bones!

Barnum's Bones, by Tracey Fern, tells the story of Barnum Brown--a young man whose parents gave him an unusual name because they hoped he would grow up to do great things.  They never dreamed that their son would grow up to be one of the greatest dinosaur hunters who ever lived!

Barnum uncovered more dinosaur skeletons than anyone had before him, and he was responsible for the discovery of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Read more about the book at author Tracey Fern's website.



Here's a picture of Barnum uncovering the T. Rex skeleton:

And here's what the skeleton looked like once it was put together and displayed in the museum:

Do you notice anything wrong with the skeleton in the picture above?  (Hint: Take a look at this NPR video about how T. Rex moved.)

And here's a great video about Barnum and his discoveries, including many pictures of Barnum on his archaeological digs, as well as pictures of the dinosaur skeletons he discovered:





And, if you enjoyed Barnum's Bones, you might also like Buffalo Music, also by Tracey Fern, which tells the story of Mary Ann Goodnight, the woman who was responsible for forming one of the first herds of buffaloes to live in captivity.  Check it out at our library!