I Can Be a Dinosaur Detective

By Anna Claybourne and Katie Kear

Do you have what it takes to be a dinosaur dectective? Yes, of course you do - and this action-packed book will prove it! Learn how dinosaur bones became fossils, how to recognise coprolites, and all the other real-life skills you'll need to become a paleontologist. While you're drawing, making, and playing, you'll be learning all kinds of exciting facts and ideas about the world of S.T. E.M - science, technology, engineering, and maths. An awesome book for both boys and girls, aged seven and up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
• Release date: Aug 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781398800700

Anna Claybourne

Anne was born in Portland, Oregon, and received her BFA from Oregon State University. In addition to her collaboration with Trina Robbins on the Lulu Award-winning GoGirl!, Anne's work includes the Eisner-nominated Dignifying Science and Pigling: A Cinderella Story for Lerner's Graphic Myths and Legends series. She has illustrated and painted covers for children's books and provided interior and cover art for regional and national magazines, including Wired, Portland Review, and Comic Book Artist. Anne's art also appears in the anthology 9-11: Artists Respond and is now in the Library of Congress.

Book preview

Fossil Formation

Fossils are strange things. They show the shape of an old bone, tooth, leaf, or shell, but most fossils are actually made of stone. How can that happen? Follow the steps to find out!

Millions of years ago, a dinosaur, such as this Triceratops, died.

Most of its body was rotted away or eaten, leaving a skeleton.

Over time, layers of sediment (mud, soil, or sand) collected on top.

As more layers pressed down, the sediment hardened into rock.

The bones slowly dissolved, leaving spaces that were filled in with minerals which hardened into stone.

Shifts in the Earth mean that paleontologists can find fossils near the Earth’s surface.

Project: Make Your Own Fossil

You can make model fossils using plaster of Paris, which you can get cheaply from anywhere that sells craft or hobby materials.

You will need:

• Plaster of Paris powder

• Old, cleaned-out disposable tubs or pots, such as ice cream tubs

• A disposable stick or spoon

• Clay or putty

• Seashells, model dinosaur skeletons, or toy insects

1. Press some clay into the bottom of a tub.

2. Press a shape, such as a seashell or animal toy, into the clay.

3. Then carefully pull it out.

4. In another tub, following the instructions on the packet. Mix the plaster of Paris powder with water using the stick to make a runny mixture.

5. Pour the mixture into your tub, on top of the clay.

6. Leave it to set for at least an hour.

7. Pull off the tub and peel the clay away to reveal your fossil.

Dinosaur Bones

If you find a fossil, how do you know if it’s a dinosaur—or what kind of dinosaur it is? Dinosaur detectives learn to spot the bones that belong to different types of dinosaurs, even if they don’t have a whole skeleton, but only