Hannah Bonner is an illustrator who is creating an empire of informative, entertaining kids' books about paleontology. They remind me of The Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole: real science conveyed with a wacky sense of humor. Take, for example, Bonner's "Are You A Mammal?" standardized test. It opens with the following instructions:
Instructions: If alive, complete whole test. If you are extinct, skip Part I since soft-tissue evidence doesn't fossilize well.
Did you laugh?! I did! Here's the test in context:
Bonner has three kids' books out for ages 8-12, all published by National Geographic:
When Dinos Dawned, Mammals Got Munched, & Pterosaurs Took Flight;
When Fish Got Feet, Sharks Got Teeth, and Bugs Began to Swarm; and
When Bugs Were Big, Plants Were Strange, and Tetrapods Stalked the Earth.
She also has a board game called Evolve or Perish! that you can download for free from the Smithsonian's webpage.
___________________
Every day in the month of September, we are serving up a different science artist for your viewing pleasure. Can’t get enough? Check out what was featured on this day last year: Blood of a Hero by Paolo Rivera.
