Summary
Summary
Award-winning author and School Library Journal blogger Marc Aronson joins National Book Award finalist Adrienne Mayor on a fascinating quest to connect the ancient Greek's mythological griffin-part lion, part eagle-with their discovery of dinosaur bones.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-In this true story, historian Mayor travels across the world, searching ancient writings and learning ancient languages as she pursues clues to support her hypothesis that stories of griffins and other mythical creatures were inspired by dinosaur fossils. Along the way other tidbits come to light, such as the Scythians as the origin of the Amazons, a possible link between mammoth skulls and the Cyclops, and the discovery of Megalopolis. Graham Rowar narrates a riveting historical mystery with the right blend of suspense and passion. -VERDICT This well-rounded tale combines mythology and dinosaurs and will be of interest to fans of both.-Denise A. Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
What started as a hunch-that the legend of the griffin began with people who had seen fossils of extinct animals-led self-taught scientist Mayor to trace the origins of a myth to a basis in fact. With the suspense of a detective story, the narrative details Mayor's research process as she consults with experts, conducts fieldwork, and seeks out ancient documents, artifacts, and stories. Beyond the intriguing content of the book itself, Aronson and Mayor deliver an empowering message: that the world contains many yet-to-be-solved enigmas, and there's more than one way to crack a (dinosaur) egg. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
With Adrienne Mayor. Mayor is a scholar whose fascination with mythical creatures led her to uncover a scientific basis for the existence of the legendary griffin. Hard work, dedication, and perseverance are central themes in this intriguing story of her search for the nuggets of truth behind the myths. Photographs, drawings, and maps illustrate crucial visual evidence supporting her theories. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
In another forcefully written tribute to the thrill of archaeological discovery, Aronson, author of If Stones Could Speak (2010), retraces coauthor Mayor's search for evidence to support the idea that griffins and other monsters in ancient Greek mythology were inspired by dinosaur fossils. That search begins in a library (what better place?) and leads through clues carefully gathered from art and folklore of the Greek islands, the remote gold fields of the ancient Scythians, and all the way to the justly renowned fossil beds of Mongolia's Flaming Cliffs. Plenty of on-site sketches, photos of artifacts, and artist's conceptions from Muller add dramatic visual elements to the tale, and the maps and resource lists at the end (not seen) will provide intrigued readers with avenues for further study of the tantalizing links between, as the subtitle puts it, myth and science. As a largely self-taught researcher, rather than a pure product of academe, Mayor also provides a model for Aronson's liberating, if arguable, contention that anyone can become an expert, it just takes being patient, observant, and curious. --Peters, John Copyright 2014 Booklist