Fossils

Fossils are the remains of animals and plants that lived thousands or millions of years ago—so they're the best way for us to understand how we, and other species, have evolved over time. This book introduces young readers to the importance of paleontology and shows the beliefs and myths that have advanced—and inhibited—our understanding of evolution. It's full of facts and photos of real-life excavations from all over the world. It gives advice on where to find fossils and how to treat ancient remains with care. There are brilliant, fun snippets, like the fact that people thought the coelacanth fish had been extinct for 66 million years—then, in 1938, living coelacanths were discovered off the coast of Africa! For thousands of years, people found dinosaur fossils but did not know what they were. The ancient Chinese thought they were dragon bones.