“The Story of Big Bone Lick” Book by Nancy Jordan Blackmore
“The Story of Big Bone Lick” is a book written by Kentucky author Nancy Jordan Blackmore. It’s an educational story told by a talking horse named Tokey that travels back in time to make friends with the ice age animals at the world famous site in Boone County, Kentucky, where many mega-beasts were first discovered in the 1700′s.
Readers journey with Tokey and her friends Willie the Woolly Mammoth, Helen the Ice Age Horse, and Bison Bob to learn all the latest information about the last great Ice Age.
In all, readers are exposed to 13 extinct Ice Age Giants to include the Short face Bear, Giant Beaver, Stag Moose, Flat headed Peccary, Columbian Mammoth, Mastodon, Ground Sloth, and the Saber Tooth Cat.
Here’s a review by Andy Current, Curator of Ice Age Mammals, The Natural History Museum, London, England: “Nancy Jordan Blackmorehas put flesh back on the fossil bones and brings us The Story of Big Bone Lick through a narrative delivered as if by the animals themselves. She has traveled the world to track down the fossils and to gather the scattered threads from which her story is woven. Her writing is accessible to all, well researched, and above all great fun.”
Here’s a review by Dr. Frank C. Whitmore Jr., National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian, Washington DC: “Nancy Jordan Blackmore’s book is a charming fantasy based on good scientific fact. The narrator journeys into the past to meet Mammoths, Mastodons and other extinct mammals. Through this device the young reader is introduced to the extinct fauna of the Pleistocene Epoch.”
Unfortunately, the reader reviews at Amazon.com are not so good. The book rated only 1.5 stars out of 5, and reviews include “Wiggling and Giggling — A Comedy of Errors” and “Not worth the paper it is written on.” I haven’t read the book, but based on the reader reviews, it appears that people are disappointed that the book is more of a child’s fairy tale and less of a historical reference. It appears that those readers who approached the book as a fun fantasy about Big Bone Lick enjoyed it more than those looking for an educational reference. There are more positive reviews and an author expose at Jane’s Saddlebag.
Related posts: