I recently had a great surprise in the mail! A package to me! Just me!
I won a raffle from Kid Lit Reviews way back during Children’s Book Week! That lovely Ms Sue Morris sent me this book and I see that it was personally stamped by her cat!
I was particularly excited about winning this book because I kind of have a connection to it. The book is Wisteria’s Show and Tell Spectacular: Older than the Dinosaurs by Susan Grigsby with pictures by Alexandra Miller. It was published by Shenanigan Books in 2012. Ms Grigsby has a great website with teacher guides for this book. Just click her name.
It’s show and tell day at school and the theme is Something Really Old. Wisteria has a history of creating disasters with her show and tells so she is especially intent on a good showing this time. But what can she find that’s really old? Well, she is very lucky to have a neighbor who is a geologist. And she is also lucky to have a backyard full of fossils and cool rocks. She ends up with a great show and tell history lesson and gets an A, but it is not exactly smooth sailing — I won’t tell you what happens, but it involves an old dog!
Now my special connection to this book is that I am also lucky to have a yard full of fossils and cool rocks!
You see Glen Rose, Texas (where I live) used to be covered by a big ocean millions of years ago. And when that ocean dried up it left behind millions of marine fossils and petrified wood and limestone cliffs.
And — way back when, we had dinosaurs roaming around. In the early 1900s dinosaur tracks were discovered in the bed of the Paluxy River. The river that I play in all the time! Since then scientists have made a big todo about these tracks. Some were dug up and sent to the Smithsonian Institue, several Texas colleges and quite a few museums. We have a great book that has a lot of information about our dinosaurs.
Discover Texas Dinosaurs was written by Charles E. Finsley and illustrated by Doris Tischler. It was published by Gulf Publishing Co. in 1999.
Luckily some of the tracks were left where they were found and you can visit Dinosaur Valley State Park and see them for yourself!
We happen to live just down the road from this park. It’s a great place to camp and hike and play in the river. It’s a popular place for folks who like that kind of thing. And there seem to be a lot of people who do!!
So, you see why I was excited to win this book about Wisteria and her old rocks?! You should check it out and come visit us in Glen Rose. Dinosaur Capital of Texas!
And here is a fascinating video of Mr R. T. Bird taking away our dinosaur tracks in 1937.
I love your dinosaur park!!
If you’re into dinosaurs it is the place to visit!! And even if you’re not, there’s plenty of other good stuff to keep a dog happy!
That sounds like a cool prize, R. Fossils are awesome. It sounds like you’re surrounded with them. Fun! I never saw a fossil, but once I found some popcorn on the ground….
Love and licks,
Cupcake
Fossils are cool, but I think I’d rather be finding popcorn!
WOW!!! Lucky you! We live on a mountain. No fossils here. 😦 You and Walker are like the Japanese Yin-Yang/Yin & Yang! 😀
HaHa! You’re pretty funny Erik! I guess we are at that! In looks and personality. The Mom Person says we’re both wonders. we have lots of limestone cliffs and hills and mesas here, but I’ve never seen a mountain. Isn’t it amazing how different the world is all over? And how different everybody’s experiences are in this world? If I knew how to do those little face things I’d send you a smiley face!
🙂 = : )
😀 = : D
😦 = : (
😉 = ; )
So if I do those typey things I’ll get a cute face? Like 🙂 ? I don’t see a face 😦
Ahhhhh! There it is! Magic! Thanks Eric!!!
You’re ALREADY cute!

🙂
Love the personalised cat bites on your envelope. I might try that! This book looks awesome but so do you and Walker.
Thanks Ms Marple! Those cat bites were pretty funny! I don’t know the story behind that — it’s probably a good one. I don’t know if the cat was helping to seal the envelope? Or wanted my prize? Or just wanted to eat the envelope? You just never know with cats. But I’m glad she didn’t get my book! This book is pretty cool!
The cat simply loves to bite up paper and then spit it on the floor. He used to eat the paper but we got past that. The story behind the bites is rather normal. The envelop was on the dining room table, all ready for the post office trip. I looked toward the noise I heard, and there was Theo, biting the edges of the envelop.
He could have been trying to open it. He loves to lick the paste that seals those things. He was told to stop but found his way back one more time. I was going to re-package the book but then remembered who was receiving it. I thought maybe Rhythm would enjoy the cat bites, especially since he could see them without having to feel them at the same time. Cat bites can be very nasty and they always hurt. Trust me, I know. 😦
I am so glad you enjoyed the book, and the cat bites. It is fun to be silly when the silly-recipient get the silly, too! 😀
Thanks for the cat story!! We all got a good laugh about that envelope. Our cat, Mr Alphabet, used to eat photos. Cats are so strange.
I love dinosaurs! I used to live in Utah (also covered by water) – lots of fossils there too. Now in upstate NY where we find really old fossils – older than dinosaurs – in our garden.
Well, that’s pretty awesome! Do you get a lot of people that want to come dig up your fossils? Fossil hunters seem to gravitate to our little town. Just kind of recently some folks discovered some bones from some new kind of dinosaur!
More GREAT books on my summer reading list! Ms. Grigsby is amazing!
Cats really like to sign things, let you know they’ve been there! I have 5 cats and you can imagine all their marks on things!
Looks like Walker is a pretty good friend, Rhythm. And you do have some good fossils and rocks around there.
This book is a pretty special book. I liked it a lot. It was funny and informative all at the same time! Cats are strange beings. I don’t understand them at all. But Walker IS a good buddy and makes an excellent pillow!
The dinosaur fossils are unbelievable. I am in awe looking at them. I guess dinosaurs really did roam the Earth. WOW! Great post.
Pretty incredible to think about, huh? I can sit in my yard and imagine a dinosaur right there with me. Being chased by another, BIGGER dinosaur!! Yikes! I’m glad they aren’t around any more!