So You Want to Be a Fossil?

Real science meets quirky humor as prehistoric creatures, from mighty Tyrannosaurus rex to extra-lucky jellyfish, audition to be the star of the museum—a famous fossil!

Prehistoric animals flock to the natural history museum hoping to be the next rare fossil. Dinosaurs, insects, and even saber-toothed cats think they’ve got what it takes. The trilobite thinks they’re a shoe-in—they have fossil relatives, after all! But then the casting director, a triceratops, reveals the truth about the long, LONG fossilization process (first, you have to die). So many things have to go right, like getting buried quickly, and so many things can go wrong, like getting stretched, melted by magma, or even just never being found. By the end of the try-outs, the audience has dwindled to a few brave souls with fossil stars in their eyes. Back matter includes selected sources and a clever Q&A between the casting director and the auditioners.