How the Meteorite Got to the Museum, by Jessie Hartland

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Source: Edelweiss



How the Meteorite Got to the Museum
Author: Jessie Hartland
Publisher: Blue Apple Books
Publication Date: October 8, 2013

Huzzah!! When I read Jessie Hartland's previous book, How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum (Blue Apple Books, October 2011), I was so excited about it that I said I wished she would write a dozen more like it, explaining how other things got to where they were. I believe I suggested, "How the Hamburger Got to Your Plate" or "How the Book Got to the Library" but I figured she'd be able to come up with much better ideas than that. And she did! Yay!

Like her previous book, this is a cumulative rhyme similar to "The House That Jack Built" that explains first what a meteor is and then all of the people along the way involved in getting it from the spot where it fell to the American Museum of Natural History. "This is the dog who barked at the meteorite," "This is the teenager whose car was hit by the flaming rock," "This is the geologist who validated the find," "This is the exhibits team who prepared the display," etc.

At the end of the book there is also more information about the real life geologist (and real life teenager's car) depicted in the book, with photos. That was my daughter Magda's favourite part since she was very concerned about the poor teenager's car being ruined when a meteorite fell on it. But Jessie Hartland assures us that the teenager (who would be in her late 30's by now) was able to get more than enough money from the sale of the meteorite and the car to buy herself a new set of wheels.

If you'd like to learn more about Jessie Hartland and her books, I highly recommend checking out this interview on Pen and Oink in which she takes us inside her studio to look at her projects, her inspiration and her projects. Hopefully one of those projects is the next "How the ___ Got to the Museum" book!

Jessie Hartland in her studio, via penandoink.com

How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum, by Jessie Hartland

How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum:

The story of a 145-million-year journey from the Jurassic Plains of Utah to the halls of the Smithsonian Institution

Author: Jessie Hartland

Publisher: Blue Apple Books

Publication Date: October 11, 2011

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I wish I could go back in time and have Jessie Hartland write an entire series of "How the..." books that I could enjoy throughout my childhood. I would have absolutely loved this book as a child! It's like a cumulative poem (think "The House That Jack Built") about dinosaur bones. It starts with how the dinosaur lived, how it probably died, who discovered the bones, who excavated, cleaned, shipped, assembled and displayed the bones in a museum, etc. It includes all the steps along the way, which is not only interesting and entertaining, it's very informative as well! It's also great to see all of the different jobs there are for people interested in paleontology or museums, beyond just the museum curator or the paleontologist. Plus, there's a bonus page at the end that explains a bit more about the actual dinosaur hunter and paleontologist featured in the book.

I hope Jessie Hartland writes a dozen more of these, like "How the Hamburger Got to Your Plate" (okay, that one might be a bit gruesome) or "How the Diamond Got on the Ring" (hmm...gruesome as well?) or maybe "How the Book Got to the Library." Hmm...maybe those aren't the best ideas, but I'll still be eagerly looking out for any more books that Jessie Hartland might do!

Hit the jump for Magda's Take and more...