Michele C. Hollow is the author of the new middle grade biography Jurassic Girl: The Adventures of Mary Anning. Her other books include The Everything Guide to Working with Animals. She is also a journalist.
Q: What inspired you to write a biography for kids about paleontologist Mary Anning (1799-1847)?
A: I work as a journalist often covering people in the fields of health and animal rescue. I love writing about people who help others. A few of my readers told me about Mary Anning. I did some research and found out at 12 years old in 1811, Anning made a remarkable discovery. She unearthed a rare 17-foot fossil.
Extinction was a new concept. The men in the scientific community didn’t believe a girl could make such a find. I thought children would find her story as fascinating as I did.
Q: How did you research Anning’s life, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: I read two books about her life: The Fossil Hunter by Shelley Emling and Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. Remarkable Creatures follows the friendship between Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, an amateur fossil hunter. Emling’s book talks about the Lyme Regis Museum.
Anning lived in Lyme Regis, which is part of the Jurassic Coast in the U.K. Last year, the Lyme Regis Museum opened a Mary Anning wing. The research team at the museum answered many emails that I sent to them.
I work as a journalist and wanted to find out as much as possible about Anning, her family, her friends, and about paleontology. I also watched many YouTube videos on paleontology.
What stood out was that when she was challenged by men two and three times her age, she didn’t back down.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: I want readers to know when they are up against something that seems impossible, if they look at the situation, they can come up with a solution. Young readers should know they can triumph when life becomes difficult.
Q: How would you describe Anning’s legacy today?
A: Mary Anning found many significant fossils at a time when no one had ever seen such creatures. With extinction being a new concept, many people didn’t believe entire species died out. Her work taught people in the scientific community new ideas about prehistoric life.
Plus, she paved the way for girls and women to take an
interest in paleontology. Today, she’s known as the “Mother of Paleontology.”
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m finishing up a middle grade book about one of the first WWI service dogs and the soldiers he saved.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I’m available to talk about Mary Anning, dinosaurs, paleontology, and my book at elementary and middle schools and libraries.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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