Mary Anning was only 12 years old when she excavated the skeleton of an unknown animal.

The discovery of the ichthyosaur was the dawn of a new age of science called paleontology, and Anning became one of the leading experts in the study of dinosaurs. Her discoveries helped lay the groundwork for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and changed the way scientists understood the past.

Unfortunately, as a woman of the 1800s, Anning received almost no recognition for her contributions, which were instead credited to the male naturalists who had purchased her specimens.

Author Stephanie Bearce brings Anning’s remarkable work to life for young readers with research and projects that allow children to experience hands‑on science as Anning did.

Kids will create fossil models in plaster and use tools to extract them, build a Mesozoic diorama of a dinosaur habitat, grow crystals in an eggshell to observe how geodes are formed, and much more!