The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins: Summary, Impression, Peer Review, & Library Use
Title: The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
Author: Barbara Kerley
Illustrator: Brian Selznick
Book Summary: The year in 1853 and Waterhouse Hawkins is a young boy growing up in London, England. He loved to sketch everything he saw, but he particularly loved sketching, sculpting, and painting models of animals. As a grown man his love turned into a career. He would be building dinosaurs for the new art and science museum in London, the Crystal Palace. He began by constructing life size models of clay followed by taking cement impressions which would cover the dinosaur supported by an iron skeleton. Scientist Richard Owen assisted by using his knowledge of bones to imagine the shape and size of the animal based on his knowledge of animals alive today. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert along with leading Paleontologist in England were amazed by the creations that Waterhouse brought to life with his artist skills. For the next 14 years, Waterhouse shared his knowledge through such things as teaching and illustrating books, but the news of his creations reached America in 1868. He traveled to New York City where he was invited by the head of Central Park to use his skills to create sculptures of American dinosaurs for the Paleozoic Museum modeled after the Crystal Palace. Only two years into construction, the plans ended abruptly when a corrupt politician, William “Boss” Tweed, halted work on the museum. News spread and Boss received negative publicity. On May 3, vandals broke in, destroyed Waterhouse’s work, and buried the pieces so they could not be reconstructed. Though he knew the vandals were probably sent by Boss there was no one willing to go against the Boss. Defeated but not broken, Waterhouse could continue to do what he loved at Princeton University and the Smithsonian. At 71 years old, Waterhouse decided it was time to return home. New discoveries made over time were allowing scientist to learn more about the dinosaurs and though there were some differences from what was original thought, Waterhouse was the first to bring these amazing creatures to life for the public. Today, you can still visit the Crystal Palace in London to see his creations, yet if you’re ever sitting on a park bench in Central Park think what could be hidden below your feet.
APA Reference:
Kerley, B. (2001). The dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
Impression: What many may see as just another picture book will be surprised to find a historical biography crafted in such a way that it can span from kindergarten to fifth grade. The wonderful illustrations, provided by Brian Selznick, fill the page and accent the events with the color conveying the tone. Also, inside the back flap of the book, students will find the menu Waterhouse served the Paleontologist viewing his creation for the first time in England. In addition, the Author and Illustrator’s Notes in the back of the book vouch for the authenticity of the story while also providing further elaboration for the older students in need of more. In all, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins will bring delight to the faces of young children who love dinosaurs while also offering an intriguing story of a man who followed his passion and fulfilled his dreams despite an obstacle named “Boss” Tweed. This book can be used to introduce lessons or build a lesson around. In fact, there are probably some science or history teachers in middle school and high-school who could use this book to introduce a lesson on fossils and geological time periods.
Professional Review: Barbara Kerley's biography covers three periods in the life of Waterhouse Hawkins in England and America to chronicle his lifetime pursuit of scientific information and the artistic representation of dinosaurs. In the mid-1800s, with only a few dinosaur bones and tremendous creativity, Hawkins became the first person to extrapolate what dinosaurs might have looked like and to cast molds of them for the world to see. Aided by Richard Owen, the leading comparative anatomist of his time, Hawkins sculpted and gave "life" to dinosaurs housed, even today, in England's Crystal Palace. By contrast, his attempt to create similar models in New York City was thwarted by Boss Tweed's revengeful destruction of his work. Kerley baits readers by suggesting that the remains of Hawkins's dinosaur models may still be unearthed in Central Park. Kerley portrays the eternally inquisitive Hawkins as an entertainer as well as an artist and a scientist. Using a circus like design, from the Iguanodon dinner invitation used as the front bookplate to the menu on the back endpaper, Selznick reveals Hawkins's eccentricity. Dinner inside an Iguanodon is too good to miss.
The extensively researched endnotes by the author and the illustrator demonstrate use of primary documents such asl9th-century newspapers and Hawkins's own scrapbook, a 50-cent garage sale find. This scrapbook inspired the simulated leather cover and many of Selznick's artistic interpretations. Hawkins and Kerley model the inquiry process and may inspire readers to pursue biographical or scientific knowledge.
Duthie, C., Hadaway, N. L., Jensen, J. M., Kerper, R. M., & al, e. (2002, September). [Review of the book The dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, by B. Kerley]. Language Arts, 80(1), 71. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/journals/la
Library Uses: Begin by sharing pictures of Central Park today and tell them they are going to learn about events that happened long ago in this very same place. After sharing the story, provide each student with their own clump of clay or aluminum foil to craft their own dinosaur. Let students look at images on computers or hand held devices to guide their design. If you are able to use clay, give it time to harden by exploring the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs at http://cpdinosaurs.org/ . Then when the sculptures have hardened paint can be added to bring their creations to life just as Waterhouse Hawkins once did. Older students can research and add sticky notes with their new found information to dinosaur chart.