This is an incredible book regarding the man who found a huge collection of dinosaur bones, which were then moved and located at the Natural History Museum in New York City. Named after Barnum, renowned circus man, Barnum Brown was believed to smell the bones in the ground. Truly, he couldn't do this, but he did have a unique ability to find large collections of intact dinosaurs.

He was an unusual child, with an unusual name, and had very unusual habits. He wore a suit while digging bones in the hot sun. From a young age, he collected fossils and rocks. His bedroom contained piles of these in every nook and cranny. As an adult, he became an employee of the NHM and it was om 1902 that Barnum found a large bone sticking out of the ground in the badlands of Montana. Digging more and more, carrying the bones on the back of horses for miles and miles, he found the very first Tyrannosaurus Rex. This was, of course, a major find for the Natural History Museum.

If you live near NYC, as I do, it is a mere hour and 1/2 away and the bus station is right up the road with trips to and from every day, visiting this museum is a must. And, even if you have to travel from far and wide, you will never be disappointed. And now that I know the background facts of many of their treasures, I will forever think of Barnum Brown when I revisit.

This book is a must read for all little children who are enthralled by dinosaurs -- and a must read for adults who covet their history as well! ( )

Born in Kansas in 1873, and named for P.T. Barnum by his circus-loving parents, Barnum Brown grew up loving old bones and fossils. Studying paleontology at the University of Kansas as a young man, he became an experienced and skilled fossil hunter. Eventually, in the employ of the American Museum of Natural History, he became the most prolific dinosaur hunter on the planet, helping to build the AMNH's world-renowned collection. Chief among his finds was the first Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, discovered in Montana in 1902...

I initially sought out Barnum's Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in the World because I had read and enjoyed other picture-book biographies by Tracey Fern, including her Pippo the Fool and Howard and the Mummy: Howard Carter and the Search for King Tut's Tomb. I am glad that I did, as I ended up finding it both entertaining and educational, learning about a figure who was previously unknown to me, despite his status as one of the most successful dinosaur hunters in history. I particularly liked how Fern highlighted some of Brown's idiosyncrasies and personality quirks, and I appreciated the accompanying illustrations from Boris Kulikov, who also worked with Fern on her biography of Howard Carter. Recommended to young dinosaur lovers, and to picture-book readers looking for stories about that late 19th/early 20th-century period of dinosaur mania, when fossil-hunters were considered celebrities. ( )

A young boy with a love of fossil hunting grows up to become a paleontologist who finds the world's first Tyrannosaurus Rex bones. Author’s Note, Selected Bibliography.

This a story about a paleontologist named Barnum Brown. This story describes his life and his passion for finding bones. Barnum is on an adventure to find a new dinosaur to compete with a different museum that is being set up. This book would great for a science class when discussing sedimentary and dinosaurs. ( )

Brown is a talented paleontologist who loves to dig up bones, especially dinosaur bones. This book tells about Barnum Brown's discovery of the T-rex in a Wyoming expedition. The illustrations are detailed which students will be captured to read. Also, who would not want to know of the famous paleontologists who discovered the favorite dinosaur of all time!
This book is appropriate for grades second and higher. Also, I could use this book creating lessons over history, written biographies, different biography texts, inferences, and dinosaur discovery timelines. ( )