2002: Secrets From the Rocks: Dinosaur Hunting with Roy Chapman Andrews Dutton.
From "School Library Journal"
Grade 4-8-This excellent biography tells what little is known of Andrews's childhood and youth, then focuses on the adventure and science of his explorations and dinosaur discoveries in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. The fossils unearthed on his trips had an impact on our understanding of prehistoric life and cemented the stature of the Museum of Natural History in New York City. Marrin does an admirable job of recognizing the esteem due to such a robust and successful explorer without ignoring our contemporary views on excluding women, shooting rare animals, and plundering the national treasures of other countries. He includes compelling details of danger and triumph and offers scientific and political background. Many full-page, black-and-white photographs illustrate this oversized volume. Many of the archival photographs are identical to those in Ann Bausum's Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs (National Geographic, 2000), which also includes some of the same details from the expeditions but does not offer the depth of explanation of important topics such as how fossils are formed or the role of women in scientific exploration at that time. Brian Floca's Dinosaurs at the Ends of the Earth (DK Ink, 2000) is a fictionalized picture-book version of the Gobi explorations illustrated with watercolors. Secrets will inspire and enlighten students who love dinosaurs or biographies or both.
Ellen Heath, Orchard School, Ridgewood, NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From "Booklist"
Gr. 4-8. Andrews is best known for his famous 1920s Mongolian expeditions, during which he and his team unearthed rare dinosaur fossils, including the first dinosaur eggs known to Western science. In this photo-biography cum adventure story, Marrin gives brief mention of Andrews' early years, but focuses mostly on the Mongolian work, providing plenty of stories about the rigors of organizing such an ambitious expedition and of the scientific work itself, and folding in definitions of basic terms (for example, Mesozoic and warm-blooded). Marrin often sensationalizes his anecdotes, particularly when describing Mongolian life (there's a graphic story about Andrews being offered sheep eyeballs at a local feast). But the treatment of Andrews himself is more evenhanded, discussing both accomplishments and flaws (chauvinistic treatment of women; shirking of family responsibilities). The result is a colorful portrait that offers thought-provoking insight into the constantly shifting nature of scientific discovery. A spotty resource section concludes.
Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.
Book Description
"I was born to be an explorer. I couldn't do anything else and be happy." Starting in 1922, Roy Chapman Andrews, working for the American Museum of Natural History, conceived a whole new "team" way of searching for fossils and led five car-and-camel expeditions to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. His team's discoveries-of dinosaur eggs, new dinosaur species, and the earliest mammals-changed the way we think about the great Age of Dinosaurs. In deft, vivid strokes, master storyteller and historian Albert Marrin captures the excitement and the science of the expedition's encounters not only with fossils but with suffocating sandstorms, snakes, bandits, a strange culture, political turmoil, and more.
2005: Oh Rats!: The Story of Rats and People Illustrated by C. B. Mordan. Dutton.
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 4-6. Rats and humans have had a very long love/hate relationship as readers discover in this lively and informative overview of the history and behavior of the widely encountered rodent. Emphasizing the animal's capabilities for survival, Marrin offers both anecdotal accounts of human/rat encounters and impressive statistics. Rats have occupied the Earth far longer than humans, and they compete prodigiously for the world's food supply, earning their reputation as major pests to humankind. On the other hand, they provide an important source of protein for the many humans who eat them worldwide. (Not a pleasing bit of information for readers who have loved them as pets.) The nine short chapters are set in a handsome slim book with striking black-and-white scratchboard illustrations and muted red framing on many pages. Marrin touches briefly on physical characteristics as he explains the veneration of rats in some cultures, attempts to eradicate them in others, and rats as both carriers of disease and valued subjects of medical research. It's a different sort of discussion and format for this well-known historian and biographer and one that he has clearly enjoyed, as will a wide variety of nonfiction readers and animal fans. There's a bibliography of adult sources and children's nonfiction as well as a listing of literary works featuring rats.
Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. Children fond of nonfiction that is laced with discomfiting--or downright revolting--information will happily fall upon this anecdotal look at the shared history of the animal kingdom's greatest survivors. Along with portraying rats in many roles, from pests to pets, Marrin (best known for his histories for older readers) introduces rodent relatives and provides glimpses of rats' habits and innate intelligence, as well as their history as disease carriers, lab animals, predators, and ("Grilled Rat, Bordeaux Style," anyone?) even entrees. Red highlights (including red eyes on the rats and red borders on some of the pages) add an ominous tone to Mordan's many naturalistic, deeply shadowed illustrations, which have the look of wood engravings. Although there are no source notes, Marrin closes with short lists of relevant fiction and nonfiction. Richard Conniff's Rats! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (2002) offers sometimes-arresting photographs and more specific information, but this book makes a pleasantly icky additional purchase.
John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.
Book Description
Able to claw straight up a brick wall, squeeze through a pipe the width of a quarter, and gnaw through iron and concrete, rats are also revealed in this fascinating book to be incredibly intelligent and capable of great compassion. Weaving science, history, culture, and folklore, awardwinning writer Albert Marrin offers a look at rats that goes from curious to repulsive, horrifying to comic, fearsome to inspiring. Arresting blackand- white scratchboard illustrations with bold red accents add visual punch to this study of a creature that has annoyed, disgusted, nourished, and intrigued its human neighbors throughout the centuries.
