Review of The 50 State Fossils: A Guidebook for Aspiring Paleontologists

The 50 State Fossils: A Guidebook for Aspiring Paleontologists, is a book that many upper elementary through high schoolers might find useful and fun to explore.  The book, while short (72 pages), is data dense.  I’d suspect the most likely reader would be looking for specific information on fossils in the particular states(s) of interest, including the District of Columbia. But the introductory material would bear some time exploring.  Not only is there a general introduction but specifics provided on how fossils get formed – from “cast and mold” to “original material” and everything in between. There are data supplied on how various states processed getting their particular fossil or in some few cases have only a state rock, state dinosaur, or have none recognized. As a generalized book, the volume provides a general description of geologic time and animal/plant taxonomy (classification). These could be useful to a budding paleontologist or fossil hunter.

After the general introductory sections, each state is presented in alphabetical order with their fossil, or rock, etc. Since the book is a type of reference, many readers will probably go first to the state of their birth, states where they’ve lived, states where they’ve gone to school, or so on.  In my case, this could be the fossilized tooth of the Carcharodon megalodon (a great white shark ancestor that would reach over 59 feet long!)  Only teeth have been found thus far but lots of them have been discovered in coastal areas of North Carolina. In this case, like all the others, a map of the state showing where the fossil is found is shown.  Additionally for each state’s fossil, there is a geologic time scale; when the fossil was designated; a line drawing of the fossil or original animal if the fossil is only a part; and a photograph of a specimen. Since most of the terms are scientific names, a pronunciation guide is provided.
This would be a good book for any student looking for more information on fossils found in particular states, in other words it is a focused reference.  Many readers will get pulled in by the their first reading of a state’s fossil and end up reading about other states’ fossils, perhaps where their parents were born or worked. The book is short enough to be easily read in a short time and could be a springboard to deeper reading on fossils. If the parent is also reading the book it could lead to some interesting family conversations.

Keeping in mind the general reference nature of the book, the ending material provides ample additional assistance.  This includes a glossary, list of sites in each of the states to go and see fossils, suggestions for further reading including URLs, a listing of photo credits, and finally a comprehensive index of the book’s described fossil information.  All in all this would be a really good book for a classroom or school library.  If a parent has a child with a strong interest in paleontology it could make a good gift for a special occasion. It would be a useful science interest item.