The 50 State Fossils: A Guidebook for Aspiring Paleontologists

An engaging and award-winning kids' guide to the official US state fossils.

Winner of the Silver Medal in the Juvenile–Young Adult Nonfiction category from the Independent Publisher Book Awards

Did you know that Illinois's state fossil is the weird-looking Tully Monster, which had eyes on a pair of stalks and an elephant-like trunk that ended in a toothed claw? Or that Idaho's state fossil is the stocky Hagerman horse, named for the town where its bones were found? Fossils can be found in every state, and this engaging guidebook brings these ancient organisms to life. 

• Each state entry contains details about the state fossil; an illustration of what the vertebrate, invertebrate, or plant looked like; a photograph or drawing of the fossil; and a state map showing where it can be found. 
• Potential fossil candidates are proposed for states that do not yet have official state fossils, along with instructions on how to get state fossils designated. 
• An appendix lists museums and parks where these fossils can be studied first-hand.

This book is a fun resource for fossil enthusiasts and future paleontologists of all ages.

Check out all the books in the 50 States Geoscience for Kids Series:
The 50 State Fossils: A Guidebook for Aspiring Paleontologists (9780764355578)
The 50 State Gems and Minerals: A Guidebook for Aspiring Geologists (9780764359958)
The 50 State Unofficial Meteorites: A Guidebook for Aspiring Meteoriticists (9780764365089)

Yinan Wang started collecting minerals and fossils as a kid, and he still does. His love of rocks brought him to Princeton University, where he graduated with a degree in geosciences. He later became interested in meteorites and now keeps an eye out for them everywhere he goes. He is a coauthor of numerous paleontological research papers and is the author of The 50 State Gems and Minerals, The 50 State Unofficial Meteorites, and The 50 State Fossils, which received the IPPY Award 2019 Silver Medal in the Juvenile–Young Adult Nonfiction category from the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Yinan lives in Arlington, Virginia.


Jane Levy has a passion for art and education and an MFA from the Ohio State University.