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Barnum's Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in the World
Barnum Brown's (1873-1963) parents named him after the circus icon P.T. Barnum,hoping that he would do something extraordinary--and he did! As a paleonotologist for the American Museum of Natural History, he discovered the first documentedskeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, as well as most of the other dinosaurs on display there today.
An appealing andfun picture book biogra...more
An appealing andfun picture book biogra...more
36 pages
Published
May 22nd 2012
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
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Grade/interest level: 3-7th grade
Lexile level: 1010L
Genre: Biography, nonfiction
Main Characters: Barnum Brown
Setting: various places in the world where Barnum dug for bones
POV: 3rd person
This biographical book is about the paleontologist Barnum Brown. Barnum was born in 1873. He was strange from the start, collecting fossils and filling up his bedroom from the time he was a toddler. When he was old enough, he studied paleontology at university. He went on many expeditions, uncovering dinosaur bo...more
Lexile level: 1010L
Genre: Biography, nonfiction
Main Characters: Barnum Brown
Setting: various places in the world where Barnum dug for bones
POV: 3rd person
This biographical book is about the paleontologist Barnum Brown. Barnum was born in 1873. He was strange from the start, collecting fossils and filling up his bedroom from the time he was a toddler. When he was old enough, he studied paleontology at university. He went on many expeditions, uncovering dinosaur bo...more
Barnum Brown was named after the famous circus owner P.T. Barnum, and his favorite objects to collect were fossils. Apparently, he found more fossils and dinosaur bones than anyone else in the late 19th century, and he was hired by Henry Fairfield Osborn to find them for the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Most of the book deals with the plentiful and unique finds he made throughout his life, some of which you can still see today if you go to the museum. A note at the end of...more
Barnum Brown, an somewhat eccentric fossil hunter, led many fossil expeditions in the early 1900's. He sent his collections to the American Museum of Natural History, though he become more and more focused on finding a new species. Finally, he discovered the first Tyrannosaurus Rex, which he followed with a discovery of a nearly complete specimen.
I didn't love the style of this book. The language and narrative were fairly simple but the text itself was pretty long. It would make a great read alo...more
I didn't love the style of this book. The language and narrative were fairly simple but the text itself was pretty long. It would make a great read alo...more
Kulikov's illustrations show a cinematic talent for laying out the scenes using techniques like the odd camera angle and the montage. Visually this book is very interesting because of the variety of work he does with these techniques page to page.
Fern's story is engaging. She tells in her end notes which elements she had to fictionalize, and which came from sources. Between Fern, her editors, and the designer, they decided to put the outside sources on the very end sheet, pasted to the cover bo...more
Fern's story is engaging. She tells in her end notes which elements she had to fictionalize, and which came from sources. Between Fern, her editors, and the designer, they decided to put the outside sources on the very end sheet, pasted to the cover bo...more
Such a cool story!
It's amazing to think that these skeletons were only discovered 100 or so years ago...since I just remember seeing them at museums when I was a kid.
I LOVED this story.
Even though it concentrated more on Barnum Brown's life as an adult, the scenes where he was a child were very telling and easy to relate to. I could just picture his room full of shells and objects he would find.
The illustrations are great, the pacing is awesome, and I loved learning more in the author note.
A rea...more
It's amazing to think that these skeletons were only discovered 100 or so years ago...since I just remember seeing them at museums when I was a kid.
I LOVED this story.
Even though it concentrated more on Barnum Brown's life as an adult, the scenes where he was a child were very telling and easy to relate to. I could just picture his room full of shells and objects he would find.
The illustrations are great, the pacing is awesome, and I loved learning more in the author note.
A rea...more
A fascinating picture book biography about Barnum Brown, the man who unearthed the first Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Brown was a quirky boy and grew into a quirky man and the illustrations do a great job of showcasing this incredible man and adding interest and excitement to this topic. The use of white space in the artwork is amazing. I especially loved the two page spread in which the text is framed in a white space shaped like a Triceratops.
An author’s note that provides some additional inte...more
An author’s note that provides some additional inte...more
Barnum Brown collected fossils as a young boy on his family farm in Kansas, but he dreamed of finding dinosaurs! Barnum worked for the American Museum of Natural History and discovered the first dinosaur skeleton for the museum. In 1902, Barnum was hunting dinosaurs in the badlands of Montana when he came upon the bones of Tyrannosaurus Rex! Barnum went on to collect more dinosaur bones than anyone of earth, and T. rex became the most famous dinosaur in the world. The illustrations complete the...more
I did not know of this story or this person before. In fact, I've never really thought about the beginnings of dinosaur bone discovery. It must have been much more challenging then and it was interesting to see a bit of that reflected in the book. I think my favorite part were the illustrations, especially how the dinosaur bones were "fit" to the different modes of transportation. Kids should enjoy this in a read-alone, or a lap-read. School-age will be interested, as well as dino-lovers. A bit...more
This book is classified as a dinosaur book, but it really is a biography of Barnum Brown, and archeologist specializing in dinosaur bones. The pictures were clever, humorous, and entertaining. However, the most interesting information is in the author's note. In the notes it mentions several wonderful adventures including how he encountered a giant spider while hunting dinosaur bones. I would like to have seen this information in the body of the book. Yet the text focuses on the dinosaur he disc...more
I have to admit I had never heard of Barnum when I picked up this book, but I enjoyed the tale of a man who had a gift for sniffing out dinosaur bones.
Although biographies can often be dry reads, this book moves quickly with Barnum's finds and puts a personal perspective on the fossils that fill our museums. The illustrations convey the excitement Barnum and his colleagues must have felt when they found the bones.
This book is on the Texas Bluebonnet List, a list voted on by 3rd-6th graders acr...more
Although biographies can often be dry reads, this book moves quickly with Barnum's finds and puts a personal perspective on the fossils that fill our museums. The illustrations convey the excitement Barnum and his colleagues must have felt when they found the bones.
This book is on the Texas Bluebonnet List, a list voted on by 3rd-6th graders acr...more
I realize that picture book biographies are constrained by a certain number of pages, but I feel like this one was very uneven in terms of summarizing swathes of time (journey and shipwreck) v. including little details (picking up some leaves). As I read, I had questions that I wish had been answered in an author's note:
- When did people start studying fossils?
- Where were the first dinosaur bones discovered?
- Why was natural history such a big deal at this time in history?
- Why did it take seve...more
- When did people start studying fossils?
- Where were the first dinosaur bones discovered?
- Why was natural history such a big deal at this time in history?
- Why did it take seve...more
Barnum Brown loved his job traveling to the American West and to South America searching for dinosaur bones and fossils. His boss, who worked for the American Museum of Natural History, believed that Barnum could "smell fossils." Still - Barnum wanted to find a new dinosaur. Read about how he finally did uncover the most famous dinosaur of all - T-Rex. This book is a nice step up for kids who have enjoyed Byron Barton's books "Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs" and "Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones." There's a g...more
Apr 09, 2013
Charlyn Trussell
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Grades 2 and up
Recommended to Charlyn by:
Texas Bluebonnet Reading List 2013-14
Barnum Brown was a unique individual: he began to collect fossils he found at an early age; sometimes he wore a hat, suit and fur coat on his digs; he collected more dinosaur bones than anyone in the world; and he was named for P. T. Barnum. Brown’s accomplishments are wonderfully displayed in this book with illustrations by Boris Kulikov. His life is interesting alone, but Kulikov’s illustrations add both whimsy and a bit of fantasy to the narrative. Perhaps together they will lead some child t...more
I loved this book. Maybe it's my new found love of rocks and fossils, and the thrill of Petoskey Stone hunting, but I really enjoyed learning about Barnum Brown. (Really, his family loved the circus and that's how he got his name??!!) I really never stopped to think about how dinosaurs were first discovered, and really how difficult it must have been to "dig up" their bones. And also--who and how dinosaurs were named. Very interesting book and information. Good illustrations. Appreciated the bac...more
Barnum Brown was named after P.T. Barnum. Brown never became a circus star, but he did perform amazing feats that amaze and surprise us to this day. He helped to create the largest collection of fossils in the world.
Themes: paleontology, dinosaurs, discovery, travel, history, museums,
Characters: Barnum Brown
Artwork: unknown, full color illustrations
Author's Note: a bit more in-depth information about the unknowns of Barnum Brown and more interesting facts that could interest the reader
Reviewed f...more
Themes: paleontology, dinosaurs, discovery, travel, history, museums,
Characters: Barnum Brown
Artwork: unknown, full color illustrations
Author's Note: a bit more in-depth information about the unknowns of Barnum Brown and more interesting facts that could interest the reader
Reviewed f...more
A picture book nonfiction look at Barnum Brown, who discovered the first full T Rex skeleton (in Wyoming). This is the type of interesting narrative nonfiction for primary graders that fits the Common Core requirement for reading nonfiction. A great choice to read before a field trip to a history museum, explaining how museums obtain these artifacts. The full color illustrations have a cartoon-like quality that adds interest and humor. Author's note and list of books used for research make this...more
When I first picked this book up I thought it was going to be about P.T. Barnum (I didn't read the subtitle) but it turns out it’s about Barnum Brown who discovered T. Rex and many more dinosaur bones. I had never heard of him before and found this fascinating. The story is brought to life by the illustrations of Boris Kulikov, who is one of my favorite children's book illustrators. Well done!
1 like · like · see review
Barnum Brown had a knack for finding bones, DINOSAUR BONES!
This biography offers a detailed account of how and why Barnum Brown discovered some of the most famous dinosaurs we know of today.
Barnum hunted for bones all over the world, but some of his most famous finds were discovered right here in the U.S.A. The text is quickly moving and paired with double spread illustrations. This biography is not too long and will be digestible for students.
Includes and authors note and a selected bibliograph...more
This biography offers a detailed account of how and why Barnum Brown discovered some of the most famous dinosaurs we know of today.
Barnum hunted for bones all over the world, but some of his most famous finds were discovered right here in the U.S.A. The text is quickly moving and paired with double spread illustrations. This biography is not too long and will be digestible for students.
Includes and authors note and a selected bibliograph...more
4.1 stars
Kids will probably really like reading this short, easy book about dinosaur bones. I got the title from a list of best nonfiction for kids. Born in 1873, Barnum Brown was named after the famous circus person. As a boy in Kansas, he loved to search through plowed fields looking for small fossils. He grew up to be the most prolific fossil hunter in history. He discovered, dug up, and re-assembled the first Tyrannosaurus rex.
Kids will probably really like reading this short, easy book about dinosaur bones. I got the title from a list of best nonfiction for kids. Born in 1873, Barnum Brown was named after the famous circus person. As a boy in Kansas, he loved to search through plowed fields looking for small fossils. He grew up to be the most prolific fossil hunter in history. He discovered, dug up, and re-assembled the first Tyrannosaurus rex.
Barnum Brown was fascinated with fossils from the time he was a toddler following behind his father’s plow. His collection got so large, it outgrew his bedroom and he was forced to move out to the laundry house with his finds. In college, Barnum got to go on digs in the summers of 1894 and 1895 in South Dakota and Wyoming. Barnum got a reputation for being a great bone hunter, collecting more than 1400 pounds of bones! The American Museum of Natural History in New York City didn’t have a dinosau...more
Barnum Brown's family loved the circus and so named him Barnum in honor of PT Barnum. With this important sounding name, they hoped he would go on to do important things, which he did with his discoveries of fossils and dinosaur bones. His most important discovery was the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Presented as a picture book, Barnum's story will be an interesting read for young dinosaur enthusiasts!
This was a fascinating tale of Barnum Brown (note not the famous entertainer, P.T. Barnum) a fossil hunter for the American Museum of Natural History. Barnum's efforts helped the museum go from having no dinosaur fossils to accumulating the largest dinosaur fossil collection in the world. The author also includes an outstanding note full of extra background information at the end of the story.
As a child, Barnum followed his father as he plowed the soil of the family's farm. He collected and saved each ancient piece of coral and scallop. As an adult, he discovered the most famous dinosaur in the world. Beautiful art matched with an exciting text keep the reader involved in the competition between dinosaur hunters of the early 20th century. The story reminds me of the "Race to the Moon!"
This biography will engage even those who don't know the difference between a diplodocus and a brontosaurus. Well-written information that reads with the excitement of a picture storybook, this would work perfectly into dinosaur units. How cool would it be to make your own dinosaur dig site with plaster of Paris and plastic dinosaurs for kids to excavate after reading this book!
A well-crafted and meticulously illustrated biography of the paleonotologist who discovered the first T-Rex skeleton. Barnum Brown’s exuberance for his dinosaur bones practically leaps off the page - what a great example of someone who followed his passion! As a read-aloud this one has almost ageless appeal and it will be a hit with middle grade readers as well.
Beautifully illustrated story of Barnum Brown and his discovery/acquisition of a tremendous inventory of dinosaur bones. The writing was superb, and the pictures were better - very expressive.
The book gave kids just enough information about Brown without boring them to death, but also enough to spark the curiosity of any future paleontologists.
The book gave kids just enough information about Brown without boring them to death, but also enough to spark the curiosity of any future paleontologists.
I like the slightly fanciful illustrations--they match the sense that Barnum Brown was a larger-than-life character in real life.
Back matter: Author's note, explaining where some of the biographical facts are less certain; bibliography; citations for the letters in the endpapers and quotes in the book; expert consulted.
Back matter: Author's note, explaining where some of the biographical facts are less certain; bibliography; citations for the letters in the endpapers and quotes in the book; expert consulted.
Barnum Brown's interest in dinosaurs began when he was quite young. His parents' indulged is love and as an adult Brown's dream was to find the bones of a dinosaur never known before. He is successful in discovering the first known bones of Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Nice illustrations and an interesting background to paleontology.
Nice illustrations and an interesting background to paleontology.
If you are interested in dinosaurs and fossil hunters this is a good book. Barnum Brown was named after P.T. Barnum because the circus was in town the day he was born. Little did his parents know that he would become the premier fossil collector for the American Museum of Natural History.
Barnum Brown discovered the first T-Rex in 1902. He worked for the Museum of NAtural History in NYC and helped to build the collection of dinosaur bones there. This is a good book for second and third grades and would pair nicely with How the Dinosaur Got To the Museum by Jessie Hartland.
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Jul 24, 2012 10:13am