Grave
Secrets of Dinosaurs is the story of 'Dakota', the mummified remains
of a Hadrosaur or Duck-billed dinosaur. Phillip Manning, the author,
was a mere museum curator in England when he received a phone call
from America. A set of dinosaur remains had been uncovered and Dr.
Manning was asked to join the excavation. When he arrived at the dig
site, he was introduced to Dakota.
At
first the dinosaur appeared to be an ordinary fossilized skeleton,
but after many days of rising before dawn to dig, Manning discovered
that Dakota was covered with fossilized flesh. The dinosaur was
quickly covered by a protective layer of plaster and sent to a
university laboratory, where work continued in a controlled
environment. One part of the excavation included placing Dakota into
the world's biggest CT scanner in an attempt to reveal where the
delicate flesh was. The results are still arriving.
Dakota
has taught us much about the life of dinosaurs. Thanks to Phillip
Manning's wonderfully written novel, anyone can discover the
incredible story of Dakota, the most complete 'mummified dinosaur'
found to date.
Although
Grave Secrets is a difficult read, the author uses simple words and
defines them in a way anyone can understand. The book helps readers
figure out things by using photos of everything from Dakota's CT scan
and the cliffs where he was found, to the plaster covering and
excavation techniques. The book showed how the dig team had fun by
decorating Dakota's plaster cast with illustrations of dinosaur
parts.
Grave
Secrets would be a good book for budding paleontologists to read and
discuss because it teaches a lot about what being a paleontologist
is like. For example setting up and planning museum exhibits, leading
fossil hunting field trips, and attending dino digs!
Manning
weaves fabulous facts into the heavier record of Dakota's remarkable
tale. From his humble beginnings to the dawn of his fame, Phillip
Manning depicts every detail of his and Dakota's story. Grave Secrets
of Dinosaurs is an excellent story for anyone interested in a fun
challenge.
