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Jack Horner, Dinosaur Hunter! Kindle Edition

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 66 ratings

When Jack Horner was a child, nothing fascinated him more than fossils. Dinosaur fossils to be exact. He hunted for them at every chance he got and dreamed of being a great paleontologist. But school was hard, reading was even harder, and he struggled to succeed like the other kids in his classes. Jack persevered, finding his own way to success, until he became one of the world's most famous paleontologist, immortalized in Hollywood movies and known as Jack Horner: Dinosaur Hunter! Written with accessible type and format and includes backmatter and Dino Lab activity

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 1–3—A fossil collector from childhood, Jack Horner overcame profound dyslexia to become a renowned paleontologist, serve as consultant on Jurassic Park (and even inspire the character Alan Grant), and discover the first clutch of fossilized dinosaur eggs in North America. With a recurrent "CRUNCH. SWOOSH" to evoke the sounds of digging in dirt and loose rocks, Shephard portrays Horner in an accurately representational style, in a mix of large panels and full-page scenes—going from labs to rugged landscapes to a movie set and finishing up by lounging comfortably against a friendly looking T. rex. "Jack understands dinosaurs aren't alive anymore, but he wishes they were." Readers may feel the same. Gholz tells Horner's story and explains his contributions to paleontology in brief, simple language, concluding with more details about Horner's struggles and career along with an invitation to budding fossil hunters to draw and name a dino of their own. VERDICT An inspiring example of how disabilities don't have to close doors to scientific careers or other dreams.—John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, NY

Review

"Meet Jack Horner, a world-famous paleontologist and expert dinosaur hunter whose story is as interesting as it is inspiring...A fascinating true story of a boy that followed his dream, Jack Horner, Dinosaur Hunter! may very well provide readers with the encouragement they need to pursue what they most desire."—The Reading Eagle

"...the perfect book for a reluctant reader."—Children's Book Watch

"A fascinating true story of a boy that followed his dream, Jack Horner, Dinosaur Hunter! may very well provide readers with the encouragement they need to pursue what they most desire."—The Canton Repository News

"Have you heard of Jack Horner? What if I told you that if you have seen Jurassic Park then you might be familiar with him without even knowing it? Picture book biography meets graphic novel in this dino-riffic adventure!...Gholz did an amazing job of bringing Jack's story to life and showing that hard work and dedication pay off in the end!"—Homeschool By The Beach

"Jack Horner, Dinosaur Hunter! By Sophia Gholz reaches ages 6-10 with the story of a boy's discovery of a fossil which leads him into a passion for paleontology. Despite his dyslexia, Jack becomes a dinosaur expert. Young readers interested in science, dinosaurs, Horner's life, or the specifics of paleontology will find this not only covers his biography and vivid world but employs dyslexia-friendly fonts to appeal to those who may be reading-challenged. —Midwest Book Review

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08SKVB34R
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sleeping Bear Press (September 15, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 15, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 8664 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 66 ratings

About the author

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Sophia Gholz
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Sophia Gholz is an award-winning children's book author, magic seeker and avid reader. Sophia enjoys writing fiction with humor and heart. When writing nonfiction, she pulls on her love of science and her strong family background in ecology. When she’s not writing, you can find Sophia reading a book, visiting schools or exploring the great outdoors with her family.

Sophia’s debut book, The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng, was a NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book, a Florida State Book Award Gold Medalist, Eureka! Nonfiction Honor Book and a 2020 Green Earth Honor Book. For more about Sophia and her books, visit her online at: www.SophiaGholz.com

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
66 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2022
    Very inspiring book about a popular, but little known, modern day scientist. It’s even more inspiring in that the title character was self-taught and overcame learning disabilities. Great book.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2021
    The book starts off with Jack as a child and explains how he use to hunt for dinosaurs and ended up studying them in his adult life. My children love this book and they have even started playing with their dinosaur toys again! The illustrations were beautiful as well!
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2021
    Wonderful story about the resilience of a scientist who finds a way around his personal roadblock to become something bigger than himself. We all loved this book.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2021
    A delightful book for my kiddo. A fun read and educational at the same time.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2021
    Sophia Gholz’s text and Dave Shephard’s illustrations bring the vibrations and roars of dinosaurs to life in, Jack Horner: Dinosaur Hunter! As a young kid, Jack Horner was obsessed. He heard the crunch, swoosh of his father’s truck, a sound that could easily be mistaken for dinosaurs. This crunch swoosh sent Jack Horner on a mission, to dig! He imagined the dinosaurs that one lived on the land he called home. As Jack grew, so did his love for searching for these tall, mysterious and ferocious creatures. He always found fossilized shells, each one getting him a little closer to finding the remains for the illustrious dinosaur. One day, he does find dinosaur bones, but his happiness is short lived as school and life keep him away from his dream of being a paleontologist. But as life goes on, Jack is offered a job at a museum, his goal to discovering more about dinosaurs is that much closer. Soon, he’s sent on excavations, and one day finds the most prized dinosaurs find of all, a fossilized embryo. One kids childhood dream helps the world classify dinosaurs and inspire a much-loved movie we all know. Roar!
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2021
    An inspiring account of perseverance and following your passion. Jack Horner was born to the sound of digging machinery and grew up wanting to dig, too - for dinosaur bones. Even as a child, he had a special talent for finding fossils. Unfortunately, in the classroom he struggled to read, which caused him to fail classes and made his dream of being a paleontologist seem impossible. However, he found ways around the limitations by getting a job as a tech at a museum, working hard, and displaying his skills. He was soon digging for fossils in the field as he'd always dreamed and making amazing discoveries about the lives of dinosaurs. The lovely simplicity of Sophia Gholz's words tell Jack's story in way that's easy for kids to identify with and aspire to his creativity and persistence. And David Shephard's graphic novel style illustrations were a treat that had me searching for fun dinosaurs in each of the panels.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2021
    I can't wait to get this picture book biography about Jack Horner into my students' hands! Here's why:

    *Awesome, comic-book-like art that will hook kids
    *Jack loves dinosaurs (and so do many of my students)
    *Jack loves being outside (and so do many of my students)
    *Jack struggles with reading and with school (and so do many of my students)

    I adore the fact that this biography shows someone who paved his own way. Jack didn't find success in the classroom, but he persevered and found success in the field. In Gholz's own words: "...although he had a hard time reading words, Jack was an expert at reading fossils." I'm so excited to share this story with my nature-loving, dino-loving students. Jack's experiences show how valuable all types of learners are.

    This book is highly recommended for classrooms, libraries, and homes!
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2021
    Loved this story of a young boy’s determination to dig for dinosaurs and the resilience that kept him going despite the challenges he faced. One of my favorite parts of this story is the refrain author Sophia Gholz skillfully uses to weave the story together: “Jack understood that dinosaurs were’t alive anymore, but he wished they were.” Dave Shepard’s illustrations are bright, inviting and imaginative, and creatively depict dinosaurs in the background of many important scenes in Jack’s life, representing just what a towering role these creatures played in his development. I especially loved learning how Jack’s path to his dream was a non-traditional one. This story of a child achieving his life-long dream will be meaningful for all children, but especially those who struggle in school since Jack overcame difficulties with reading and repeated failures in school to reach his goal. The back-matter is fun too. My own kids enjoyed making up new dinosaur names!

Top reviews from other countries

  • curlymop2
    4.0 out of 5 stars Jack​horner, dinosaur hunter
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 25, 2023
    It was great. I also want to become a paleontologist when I grow up. I have a whole collection of fossils.

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