The Fossil Whisperer: How Wendy Sloboda Discovered a Dinosaur

From a young age, Wendy Sloboda loved exploring outside and finding treasures in nature like bird feathers and funky rocks. When Wendy found a fossilized coral on her field trip to the Badlands, she became entranced by what else could be hiding in the hoodoos, and, from then on, she devoted herself to studying and hunting for fossils. She had such a knack for finding fossils that she became known as the “fossil whisperer”. Eventually, Wendy discovered a brand new species of dinosaur which “was so extraordinary, it needed an equally extraordinary name. The scientists agreed. It had to be named after Wendy…” and hence we now have the Wendiceratops.

This factual picture book is filled with bright and colourful illustrations that really highlight the beauty of nature. Rich, green trees are surrounded by insects and wildlife and mushrooms, and even the browns of the hoodoos are layered with various colours. The illustrations complement the text nicely by depicting the action on the page which is a great strength of this book as the text is a little heavier than most picture books. Lots of adjectives are used, and there are some words that may be unfamiliar, like “teeming” and “coulees”, but the illustrations help in deciphering the text. Some pages have longer sections of text, and there’s lots of paleontological words that veer this book to a slightly older reader or a passionate dinosaur devotee. A couple of pages open up into bigger spreads, one of which is a beautiful underwater scene of ancient creatures and their characteristics while the other spread reveals what was inside an egg fossil! These spreads lend a fun, interactive quality to this picture book that will keep kids engaged. The back matter is full of useful information, including a glossary, information about the real Wendy Sloboda, how to become a fossil hunter, and, of course, information on fossils and Alberta’s bone beds.

Any dinosaur lover will have a hoot with this book and promptly set off outside to hunt for their own discoveries and hopefully get a dinosaur named after them. Imagination-inspiring, text for older readers and pictures for all ages, The Fossil Whisperer is a great addition to collections, especially with its Alberta focus.