Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon by Jeannine Atkins

Mary is a girl, but her gender does not really play that important a role in the story first and foremost, she is described as a curious and talented human being (a budding scientist).Īnother absolute plus for Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon is the informative author's note. And this is a message directed at all children, and not just girls. However, I believe that the most important, the most essential message portrayed in and by this story is an invitation to follow one's curiosity, to follow one's dreams. I believe that many of today's children take education and the pursuit of education very much for granted, so detailing how Mary Anning had to quit school after the death of her father (in order to help earn money for the family) is an excellent and thought-provoking message, made even more powerful by the fact that the author does not belabour this point. In my opinion, Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon also manages to demonstrate to present-day youngsters (at least those living in North America and Western Europe) just how fortunate many of them are. Lord Henley, who is, after all, a member of the English aristocracy, is also never depicted as talking downto Mary, he approaches her as an equal, actually, he approaches her as a fellow scientist, a fellow discoverer. Equally encouraging is the fact that Lord Henley does not simply take over Mary's discovery, that he is shown as being supportive, without being interfering. It is also both encouraging and wonderfully modern that Mary's mother is more concerned with her daughter's physical safety than proper ladies' fashion, that she insists on Mary donning a gentleman's top hat on her expeditions, it being sturdier than a straw bonnet. Faced with the critical attitudes of some members of her family (like Mary's Aunt Ruth), Mary's mother nevertheless encourages her daughter's ambitions, her curiosity (Mary must help around the house, but her mother never frowns upon or discourages her searches for curiosities).

I appreciate how the author conveys both Mary Anning's curiosity and ingenuity, but also how supportive certain members of both her immediate family and the public seem to have been. This wonderful picture book by Jeannine Atkins (illustrated by Michael Dooling) describes Mary's momentous discovery in both an informative and emotionally satisfying style. Show More made a palaeontological discovery, but it is generally accepted that she was the first individual to have discovered a complete skeleton of an ichthyosaur.

Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon by Jeannine Atkins