Charlotte's Bones

Written by Erin Rounds
Illustrated by Alison Carver
Published August 21, 2018

Why we chose this book:
I came across the cover of this book on Facebook, and was intrigued. The synopsis prompted me to request a review copy from Tilbury House Publishers, which provided one.

Mom's Review

An illustrated explanation of why a fossilized beluga whale was found in a Vermont field.

Of course there are fossils from animals other than dinosaurs. But when I hear "fossil," I immediately think of dinosaurs. And I know I'm guilty of passing that on to T. Charlotte's Bones is a beautiful way to expand that understanding of fossils. The narrative follows a beluga whale who becomes trapped in shallow water  in an inland sea in what is now Vermont. The process by which her body decayed and fossilized is explained in terms easily understood, as is the change in the landscape over the centuries. Fast forward to 1849: the bones were discovered during railroad construction, removed, and studied. Today, you can actually visit "Charlotte" in a museum in Vermont. Back matter provides more extensive information about the Ice Age, beluga whales, and Charlotte's discovery.

This is a wonderful book. Science, art, natural history, regional history, animals, bones, ...my list of reasons why this should appeal goes on. Unfortunately, T was not as keen on this book as I was. He is upset that Charlotte is dead. The fact of her death has overshadowed my entire list of amazing attributes. I am sad that he is sad, but I still highly recommend this book. Charlotte's Bones is a beautiful story of natural history.  And now I totally want to go see the fossil! Not only did I enjoy reading the story (I like it when I can learn from picture books, and I learned a lot from this one), but I am also prompted by this book to read more with T about prehistoric times and animals. This is certainly a broad topic, but the details in this book will provide us with a starting point. Perhaps I seek out books on glaciers or caribou, preferably something where no one dies in the story. So, I liked the book, and it makes me want to read more with T, but I also feel inspired to explore the woods and the outskirts of our yard more. I mentioned digging the drainage trench in my Franklin and Luna Go to the Moon post, and I had hoped to find something interesting while digging, but I didn't. Now I'd like to explore the yard a bit more (it's overgrown to say the least); I do not expect to find fossils, but who knows what we might see?

Son's Review
(Age: 3 and 1/2 years)
While reading:
Son: Why couldn't they [the whales on her pod] help her?

Mom: Let's read again..."she swam too close to the marsh...and was trapped." Can they swim in there? What might happen to her?

Son: No. She might die.
______________________________________________
Son, looking at illustration of decay: Is that Charlotte?

Mom: It is. What does it look like is happening to her body?

Son: It's getting cracked. Why is her body breaking?

Mom: It's decomposing. What is left after it decomposes?
(We read a book all about decomposing, so this is not a new concept or term.)

Son: Bones. I can tell you what happens with dead whales. So if they die, then they will become a new kind of the animal that has the same name. Isn't that weird?

Mom: Yes.

After reading:
Mom: What would you do if you found some strange bones?

Son: I would be curious.

Mom: What did you think of this story?

Son: I thought it was a sad story since the animal died.

Mom: What's the most important thing to know about this book?

Son: That it's about a dead animal.

Mom: What did you think about the ending?

Son: I want all the animals that live in the water to swim.

Mom: We could go see Charlotte's fossil. Would you want to?

Son: I would want to see it where it could swim.