The Bone Wars: The true story of an epic battle to find dinosaur fossils by Jane Kurtz, illustrated by Alexander Vidal

 I have a soft spot for 18th century science and I've read quite a few engaging books on the early research into dinosaurs. There are some amazing narrative nonfiction titles for middle grade and teens on this subject, especially the rivalry between Marsh and Cope. I was interested to see how this complex story translated into picture book format and I think Kurtz did a great job of simplifying it but still keeping it intriguing.

Earth-colored, blocky art illustrates the scene of the early fossil-hunters, with Marsh and Cope, dapper men in suits and with mustaches and beards, meeting in a natural history museum. Vidal illustrates Kurtz's bold, simple sentences, and longer chunks of text as she follows the two men, and their workers, into the American west. There the crews dig up amazing fossils, spying on each other and battling it out for the best bones. The story grows darker as the men's rivalry increases and both are eventually ruined by their competition, ending up alone and sad. However, the ending is upbeat, showing a Victorian era museum and then a modern one, with dinosaur skeletons for all to enjoy.

Author and illustrator notes go into depth about the history of discovering fossils and the lives of Marsh and Cope as well as the research into how early scientists portrayed dinosaurs. There is a list of selected sources as well as an acknowledgement from a senior curator of paleontology for reviewing the book for accuracy.

Verdict: This isn't as flashy as a typical dinosaur book, and my science-loving heart wants to fill in ALL THE DETAILS of this fascinating story, but it's a great introduction to the history of paleontology for young listeners and readers and will hopefully inspire many kids to dig deeper into this time period.

ISBN: 9781534493643; Published November 2023 by Beach Lane books; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library