Thomas the T. Rex.

Thomas the T. Rex. Thomas the T. Rex Michael Smith, author Gayle Garner Roski, illustrator East West Discovery Press P.O. Box 3585, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 9780982167533 $19.95 www.eastwestdiscovery.com "Thomas the T. Rex: The Journey of a Young Dinosaur to LosAngeles" is the true story of the discovery and unearthing one ofthe five most complete T. Rex fossil skeletons in Montana, near theSouth Dakota Badlands. Told from the viewpoint of nine-year old Thomasand his cousin Rita, "Thomas the T. Rex" tells the story ofthe excavation and preparation of the find, the three years of furtherexcavation work required from 2003-2005, and the ultimate journey of thefossil to be prepared for its public debut in the Natural History Museumof Los Angeles County in July of 2011. Thomas and Rita are part of astudy expedition of the Junior Scientist Club of the Natural HistoryMuseum of Los Angeles. The trip and summer work of the Junior Scientistclub is long and requires serious planning, for the junior scientistsand friends must pack in all their own camping gear plus enough food andwater for all washing, cleaning, and drinking for all their campingstay, because the Badlands where the dig is situated have no water orother easily available facilities. Thomas and Rita settle in and learnto look for fossils, then to treat them very gently at all times."Thomas the T. Rex" is filled with colorful, expressive watercolor paintings that perfectly illustrate the kids' activities atthe dig. There are also actual photographs of the 2003-2005 dig in theTeam Discovery section. There is a fascinating fact sheet about Thomasthat tells many cool facts that can be deduced from the fossil skeletonof the 66 million year old T. Rex. Although the actual credit of thediscovery of the fossil of Thomas the T. Rex belongs to a high schoolteacher named Robert Curry, the rest of the essential facts presented inThomas the T. Rex" are true. This is a fascinating and inspiringbook for junior scientists age 7 and up.