South Orange resident pens an inspiring book about a 12-year-old fossil hunter
A lot of kids like to search for treasures such as shells or glass when they’re on the beach. For 12-yearold Mary Anning, those treasures were marine fossils. Her discoveries would change history.
Anning grew up in the early 1800s in Lyme Regis, a resort town along England’s southern coast bordering the English Channel. Known now as the Jurassic Coast, the area is famous for marine fossils that wash up on the beach and are embedded in cliffs high above the sea.
As a young girl, Anning had a natural curiosity and loved to collect fossils with her father and brother and then sell them at the store her family ran out of their home.
Jurassic Girl is a wonderful new book by South Orange resident Michele C. Hollow, a freelance journalist and author who writes about health, animals and the environment. The book is geared to kids ages 8 to 12, but adults will enjoy it, too. It tells of Anning’s adventures searching for fossils with her trusty dog, Tray, by her side.
Her first big discovery was the skeleton of an ichthyosaur, a fish-like creature that lived during the Jurassic period, more than 100 million years ago. The skeleton was more than 17 feet long and took months to extract from the cliff. It was a dazzling find that set the town – and the Geological Society of London – abuzz.
There was just one problem: The “experts” in the field (the men from the Geological Society) didn’t believe her. They called her a fraud. Why? This was the 1800s and Anning was female, 12 years old, poor and lacked a formal education. Women (and girls) weren’t allowed in the Geological Society. The members simply couldn’t fathom that she was capable of such a find. So, what did they do? They initially credited someone else!
Hollow weaves together a wonderful tale of Anning’s pursuit, discovery, setback and eventual triumph that will have you turning page after page to f ind out what happens next.
Hollow, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, AARP, The Guardian, Next Avenue, Today.com, Parents, New Jersey Monthly and more, tells how she came across the story of Mary Anning. “I was looking at news articles online about unknown famous people. Mary Anning was mentioned.
I wanted to learn more,” Hollow said. “I love Mary’s story!” “She’s a 12-year-old girl. Dirt poor. Self-educated,” Hollow says. “I just thought this would be ideal for a kid to know about.”
Jurassic Girl is a riveting story of perseverance that is sure to inspire kids to follow their own curiosity and determination, even in the face of doubt. It’s also an illuminating tale from another time, long before the internet and social media.
You learn that Anning had to scour the beach and climb the cliffs wearing an ankle-length dress and boots because girls weren’t allowed to wear pants, that she and her brother Joseph were the only two of their parents’ 10 children to survive, and that Anning made drawings of her discoveries using squid ink. She would send those drawings to the Geological Society as proof of her finds.
The book is technically considered historical fiction. It is based on the true story but Hollow had to imagine the dialogue among characters and fill in the blanks on some of the unknown, such as the name of the boss of Anning’s brother Joseph, who helped them extract the ichthyosaur skeleton from the cliffside. She described the process “like putting a puzzle together.”
So, how did Mary Anning change history? She was the first known female fossil hunter. Until Anning’s discovery, no one knew that animals actually became extinct! Some scientists believe her discoveries contributed to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Anning was never admitted to the Geological Society of London. Women weren’t allowed to join until many years after Anning’s death. She did ultimately get credit for her discoveries and today is known as the “Mother of Paleontology.”
The ichthyosaur skeleton she found now resides at the Natural History Museum in London. In Anning’s home town, the Lyme Regis Museum was established on the site of her childhood home. It contains the Mary Anning Wing which tells her story and houses a number of her finds. There are still fossils being discovered in Lyme Regis today. You can visit and search for yourself. (There’s an idea for your 2025 family vacation!)
Hollow said she hopes young readers come away from the book inspired to put down their phones and go out and explore! She hopes that parents are inspired by Richard and Molly Anning’s support of their daughter’s pursuits.
“Kids can do things,” Hollow says. “And they just might surprise you!”
She also hopes that kids are inspired by Anning’s perseverance to overcome obstacles they face in their own lives. “The fact that these learned men said ‘no’ to her and she said, ‘I’m going to do this. I’m going to show you!’ ” is amazing, Hollow says. “Especially girls who are told ‘no.’ I want them to say, ‘Yes I can!’ ”
Jurassic Girl (Ulysses Books for Young Readers) came out in September and is available at Words Bookstore in Maplewood and Sparkhouse Toys in South Orange, as well as at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other national booksellers.
Cindy Perman is a freelance writer and editor who has lived in Maplewood for 14 years. She is author of the book “New York Curiosities,” and loved collecting rocks, shells and fossils as a little girl growing up in Rochester, NY.
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