In 1974, half a world away in the Hadar Valley of East Africa, anthropologists made an exciting discovery. They found Lucy, an almost complete skeleton which gave the scientists clues as to what life was like over 3 million years ago.
To learn more about Lucy, try the kid-friendly biography about anthropologist Donald C. Johanson or for adults, try titles written by Johanson himself. For 'surf's up' fans, visit ASU's Institute of Human Origins.
Fictional Stories Set in Africa
I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite (Set in Mali)
Kai by Leona Welch (Set in Nigeria)
Planting the Trees of Kenya by Claire Nivola
A South African Night by Rachel Isadora
One Hen : How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway (Set in Ghana)
The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John (Set in Southern Africa)
Anthropology & Archaeology!
Anthropologists study people and primates over time; archaeologists study the remains a society leaves behind. Kids interested in these related scientific disciplines might enjoy:
DinoMummy by Phillip Manning
The Bone Detectives by John Townsend
Bodies from the Ice : Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past by James M. Deem
Mummies and Pyramids : a Nonfiction Companion to Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne
Stones, Bones, and Petroglyphs by Susan Goodman
Written in Bone : Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker
The Big Book of Bones : an Introduction to Skeletons by Claire Llewellyn
For dinosaur fans, check out a previous post on the subject.
Surf's Up : Places to Go, Things to Do
Learn more by taking a trip to many special places, among them :
Dinosaur Park in Rocky Hill, CT *
Yale Peabody Mueum in New Haven, CT*
Mashantucket Pequot Museum in Mashantucket, CT*
Go to archaeology field school at UCONN
Visit the Connecticut Archaeology Center
*The library has a circulating pass that will save you some money; the pass program is funded by the Friends of the East Hampton Public Library.
