• Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
Patricia NewmanPatricia Newman
Sibert Honor Children's Book Author & Environmentalist
  • Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
DInosaur eye
DInosaur eye

LitLinks: What does a dinosaur know about story setting? Plenty!

November 25, 2020 LitLinks, LitLinks-Grade 3-5, LitLinks-Grade K-2 No Comments
LitLinks Logo-1 (2)

GUEST BLOGGER DARCY PATTISON


Hi! I’m Darcy Pattison and I live in Arkansas, a fact that will become important in a minute. Along with my sister, Elleen Hutcheson, we wrote A Little Bit of Dinosaur (illustrated by John Joven, Mims House, February 2021), a lyrical and funny story about a calcium atom that travels from the toe-bone of a dinosaur to the jawbone of a kid in Arkansas.

★ “…entertaining tale… A science-centric winner, especially for young dinosaur lovers.”

Kirkus

Dinosaurs are a popular topic for kids, but this story was inspired by A Sand County Almanac, by U.S. environmentalist Aldo Leopoldo. He talks about how man and nature are interconnected.

Dinosaurs and story setting

Ask kids to think about the setting of this story. For instance, why would the author start the story in Colorado and end in Arkansas? Discuss your ideas.

After discussion, read these facts to help you understand the story setting.

FACT: Where in the US have dinosaur fossils been found?

Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas are the best sources of dinosaur fossils in the world. The very first T. Rex fossils (a few scattered teeth) were discovered near Golden, Colorado in 1874.

FACT: Where are the headwaters of the Arkansas River?

The Arkansas River runs from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado through Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and empties into the Mississippi River.

Discuss why the setting for the story works.

T. Rex’s once lived in Colorado, and the Arkansas River could plausibly carry a calcium atom from a T. Rex down river.

Virtual tour of dinosaur sites

Did you know that the US has many sites where dinosaur or other fossils have been found? Do a virtual tour of each site and then plan a trip to visit sites that have fossils of your favorite dinosaurs. Would you like to visit more than one site? How long would your trip take?

  • Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry – Elmo, Utah – Large collection of allosaurus skeletons.
  • Dinosaur Valley State Park – Glen Rose, Texas – Huge dinosaur tracks in the bed of the Paluxy River.
  • La Brea Tar Pits and Museum – Los Angeles, California – Saber tooth cats and wolves, among other fossils
  • Nash Dinosaur Track Site and Rock Shop – South Hadley, Massachusetts – The first dinosaur tracks found in the US.
  • Fossil Butte National Monument – Kemmerer, Wyoming – The national park service calls this site “America’s Aquarium in Stone,” because it has many fossilized fish, plants, and insects.
  • Petrified Forest National Park – Arizona – Fossilized forests and the animals that lived in the forests.
  • Mammoth Site at Hot Springs – South Dakota – Caught in a sinkhole, this site has the largest collection of mammoth fossils.
  • Dinosaur Ridge – Morrison, Colorado – Hundreds of dinosaur prints on a ridge just outside Denver, CO.
  • Two Medicine Dinosaur Center – Bynum, Montana – Join a dig! Previous digs have found duck-billed dinosaurs, tyrannosaurus and albertosaurus.
  • Dinosaur State Park – Rocky Hill, Connecticut – See dinosaur footprints preserved under a geodesic dome.

Design your own dinosaur

In A Little Bit of Dinosaur, the boy acquires different dinosaur parts:

  • Tyrannosaurus Rex – Jawbone
  • Brachiosaurus – keen scented nose
  • Stegasaurus – strong spine
  • Velociraptor – grasping hands
  • Apatosaurus – big toe

Next, research your favorite dinosaurs and decide which parts you’d like. Draw a picture with the parts added to your body.


Children’s book author and indie publisher Darcy Pattison writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Her works have received starred PW, Kirkus, and BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book, two Junior Library Guild selections, and two NCTE Notable Children’s Book in Language Arts. She’s the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children’s literature.

Elizabeth Elleen Hutcheson was a Biology and Anatomy/Physiology instructor for thirty years. She has her National Board Certification in Science. Hutcheson has taught elementary science students for museum programs and Audubon camps. She has received many grants and was awarded the Christa McAuliffe Fellowship for Arkansas, and a Fulbright Memorial Fund Fellowship for a three-week program in Japan. She has traveled extensively to study science and nature, including Costa Rica, the Amazon rainforest, the Galapagos islands and across the U.S.

John Joven of Bogotá, Columbia studied graphic design at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He has illustrated over twenty children’s books, including Digging for Dinosaurs, A Smithsonian Kids book. Among other publishers, he’s worked with Usborne, Running Press, Penguin Workshop, Grossett & Dunlap and Macmillan. Follow his recent work on Instagram: @jjovenart

SOCIAL MEDIA

WEBSITE: https://mimshousebooks.com/products/dinosaur

Twitter: @FictionNotes

Instagram: @jjovenart, @mimshousebooks

Pinterest: Pinterest.com/mimshousebooks

Facebook: facebook.com/mimshousebooks

Featured image: “A dinosaur model at the Zoology museum” by Liz Castro is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0


Click for more LITLINKS STEM + Literacy activities

Tags: STEM+LiteracySTEM+Literacy Natural Science
No Comments
Share
0

You also might be interested in

leaflets three cover

LitLinks: Adjectives and Verbs Give Science Writing Power

May 22, 2019

GUEST BLOGGER: ANITA SANCHEZ Choosing words In writing, words are[...]

"gray wolf"-by-USFWS-Headquarters-is-marked-with-Public-Domain-Mark-1.0.

LitLinks: How keystone species can unlock students’ writing skills

Oct 23, 2024

GUEST BLOGGER LAURA PERDEW A vital role What do a[...]

Teen Fashion - 7707456936_1ab91cf81e_b

LitLinks: Surprise! Fast fashion is a top 2 polluter

Oct 19, 2022

GUEST BLOGGER JULIE DANNEBERG The Science of Fashion dispels the[...]

Leave a Reply

Your email is safe with me.
Cancel Reply

Click the logo to have LitLinks delivered to your inbox

LitLinks Logo-2022

Author Visits

https://youtu.be/zj6n-RFOcPA?si=8WCTnyXbTiwYumYo
https://youtu.be/ziN0UrqaDYI

Earth Day Every Day Newsletter Archive

Earth-Day-Every-Day-newsletter-banner

Post Categories:

Blog Archive

Top Posts

LitLinks: How to share our ocean connections with kids and teens

LitLinks: Let’s learn to decode photos in STEM nonfiction

LitLinks: How Elephants Can Make Your Sound Unit ROAR!

LitLinks: Easy ways to build students’ science communication skills

Proof that science connects kids to the larger world

Recent Comments

  • Danna Smith on LitLinks: Did you know goats can teach children about homonyms? I love this series of books!
  • Raven Howell on LitLinks: Did you know goats can teach children about homonyms? Absolutely love this piece you wrote! Thanks for sharing your…
  • Annie Lynn on LitLinks: 3 easy ways to use animals to introduce onomatopoeia Wonderful idea to link sounds and musical instruments to nature…
Empowering young readers to act

Latest Blog Posts

  • LitLinks: How to use conservation to invigorate student writing
    LitLinks: How to use conservation to invigorate student writing
  • LitLinks: How playing with existing ideas might lead to new ones
    LitLinks: How playing with existing ideas might lead to new ones
  • LitLinks: How to create a sniffing map to explore our sense of smell
    LitLinks: How to create a sniffing map to explore our sense of smell

Connect with me on social media

Action Shots

Check out the STEM Tuesday Blog

© 2025 — Patricia Newman

  • Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
Prev Next