Sunrise at Bone Valley

"Pursuing the wonder of discovery" is an apt tagline for Frank A. Garcia. Despite having no formal education, Mr. Garcia has become one of America’s foremost paleontologists, discovering more than 30 previously unknown species (including two which were named after him). He slid down into phosphate pits with a broken leg, dug up massive prehistoric turtle bones with his dog Webster, and even went digging while recovering from back surgery. This short, self-published book is part autobiography and part field notes. It chronicles his very first fossil find (age 8), his discovery of a hexameryx horn core that was later named after him (age 23), and his discovery of a 15 million old sperm whale skull (age 30) among many other finds. The straightforward, exuberant language delights readers young and old, as do the dozens of drawings of fossils and animals at the back. It is inscribed by the author to Dr. Clayton E. Ray, the Smithsonian’s Curator Emeritus in the Department of Paleobiology.