Journal
Remarkable Creatures on Third Street
September 7, 2009
I just finished an advanced reading copy of the novel REMARKABLE CREATURES by Tracy Chevalier a fictionalized account of fossil hunters Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. Mary and Elizabeth defied early nineteenth century convention when they brazenly searched the beaches of England for what were termed 'monsters.' These monsters eventually were identified as the fossils of ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs.
REMARKABLE CREATURES reminded me of another wonderful book, a children's book called THE ENORMOUS EGG by Oliver Butterworth. It's the story of a hen that lay a huge egg and the family who waits patiently to see what hatches...a triceratops. This story inspired a short-lived desire to become a paleontologist. I would spend hours digging in the backyard of our home on 3rd street with a spoon from our silverware drawer looking for fossils. Most days I'd come into the house, with slumped shoulders with filthy, empty hands. But one day I found an unusual rock that I was sure was the fossilized head of a triceratops. The 'fossil' was about six inches wide and had what I believed was a perfectly horned profile of a triceratops. I carefully cleaned the specimen, wrapped it in an old hand towel, and climbed on to the school bus with the intention of sharing this remarkable find with my classmates. As I eagerly descended the steps of the bus my carefully wrapped treasure rolled out of the towel and crashed to the cement below along with my hopes to become a famous paleontologist. Thank goodness there were women like Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot who came before and more like them that came after.
Posted by: Heather
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