Sticks 'n Stones 'n Dinosaur Bones

Sticks 'n Stones 'n Dinosaur Bones

INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD & USA BOOK NEWS 2014 FINALIST - CHILDREN'S NON-FICTION

New book for Juvenile Readers (and Dinosaur Fans of all ages) celebrates and embellishes the best-known public spat in all Paleontology: the cutthroat rivalry between Edward Cope and Charles Marsh that became known as "The Bone Wars."

Sticks 'n Stones 'n Dinosaur Bones is the first book in popular illustrator Ted Enik's (and artist G.F. Newland's) "Unhinged History"series of quirky-but-true science / history books. "Sticks `n Stones" is a ripping yarn, full of adventure and deceit, in which dinosaurs and Dr. Seuss come together to create a new, delirious American Tall Tale.

The following excerpt reveals Enik's playful "take" on how one bone hunter hyped his discovery:

'With a day's-worth of fangs, and a week's-worth of frills,
And a month's-worth of monstrously segmented gills,

With detachable legs and reversible paws,
And invisible wings and uncountable claws;

My beast is a creature of legend and lore,
An animal never on earth seen before!

Behold!' bellowed Cope like a one-person chorus,
'My NeverTopThisOne-Ginormous-asaurus!"'

As Sticks 'n Stones 'n Dinosaur Bones reveals, gradually these two less-than-ethical gents resorted to lying, stealing, blackmail, and even destroying fossils in order to advance their own reputations and careers.
Nonetheless, as the book acknowledges:

Before they went crazy and everything soured
Because of them Paleontology flowered!

"The writing is excellent... Adults will find the saga just as fascinating as children... The book is a fun read for kids, adults, teachers and their students. It also contains a good moral to discuss."
Elizabeth Franklin, Portland Book Review