The Fossil Whisperer

Non fiction books are having a moment at present. There are so many incredible non fiction books for young readers to explore, so many more than when I was a child. Helaine Becker is a champion non fiction writer. Her books are always so engaging no matter what the subject matter. In her new book, The Fossil Whisperer: How Wendy Sloboda Discovered a Dinosaur illustrated by Sandra Dumais, we learn all about the scientist that discovered the Wendiceratops. For those in Toronto like us, with an affinity for the Royal Ontario Museum, you may be quite familiar with this dinosaur featured in the Dinosaur gallery.

In this narrative non fiction title, Helaine Becker takes us right back to Wendy’s childhood and how her zest for discovery fueled her passion for paleontology as an adult. Often times there is a moment when the future is seemingly sealed. As a child, Wendy visited the Alberta Badlands and discovered her first fossil and a dream was born. We found it so interesting that Wendy just has an eye for fossils and seems to discover them wherever her work takes her.

Helaine Becker has crafted an incredibly engaging story, you just want to learn more and more about Wendy’s path and her many discoveries. I also love the big gate fold in the middle of the book that opens up to give readers a look at the Western Interior Seaway and its prehistoric inhabitants. The more information authors can pack into a non fiction story the better in my opinion.

The best part of Helaine’s writing is that you can feel the admiration lift right off the pages. No matter what the subject matter, readers will ultimately connect with the subject because of the time, care and zest Helaine adds to each and every one of her narrative non fiction titles. 

Back matter is also important in any great non fiction title and more so in a narrative title as readers are hungry for more information after the story is finished. Helaine Becker includes information about the real Wendy Sloboda, a fantastic timeline of Wendy’s discoveries as well as a guide for budding fossil hunters. Something my readers always want to do after reading is to emulate the person so having a guide is very helpful to encourage their connections and extensions of the story.

Sandra Dumais' illustrations are detailed and delightful. Rendered digitally, they have a coloured pencil quality full of highlights from the natural world. Readers will have a great time going through the story and seeing what other animals they can identify in the illustrations. Lots of spreads and vignettes as well as the big gatefold illustrations invite the readers into Wendy’s life and allow them to spend some time as fossil hunters themselves.