Just So Stories

CSIRO Publishing

 August 2024 | $ 24.99
ISBN: 9781486316793 

Local Brisbane author Yvonne Mes has created a fascinating narrative non-fiction which kiddos will love, particularly that ever-present cohort of dino-philes.

Turning the extraordinary discovery of opalised fossils in Lightning Ridge, by miner, Bob Foster, in 2019 into a drama-filled tale that outlines the fate of one small dinosaur and how her death did not mean the end of her story, Yvonne provides a plausible scenario for how Opal met her demise, and the subsequent chain of events over millenia that eventuated in her being found and becoming a media sensation.

She is the first of her kind to be discovered and that, in itself, is remarkable. Lightning Ridge is NSW’s only significant site of dinosaur discovery and has become a drawcard for many visitors, not just keen on the area or in fossicking for opal, but to become part of the now annual fossil dig.

Sylvia Morris’ illustrations are a perfect foil for this narrative non-fiction with many hues of opaline colour as well as capturing the ochres and browns of the Lightning Ridge landscape of contemporary times – so very different to that of millions of years ago.

The text includes specialised vocabulary which is explained via a glossary in the backmatter, along with a double spread of valuable information, and the endpapers are fantastic! with their long-range view of the location alongside a time-line from the arrival of our First Nations peoples to the discovery of little Opal, Fostoria dhimbangunmal.

This is going to send your little would-be paleontologists into raptures and would easily parlay into some useful learning activities as well as some purely for fun. My Jen and The Kid, when younger, would have loved this one and your readers will too, I predict. I’m giving this one a big 5 🦕🦕🦕🦕🦕 for kiddos from around 5 years upwards to Year 4ish.

Australian Opal Centre – Fossils

Opalised dinosaur fossil found at Lightning Ridge a new species

Inside the search mission for unique dinosaur fossils in Lightning Ridge (2024 dig underway right now!)