In 1811, while exploring the cliffs near Lyme Regis, England, 12-year-old Mary Anning made the find of a lifetime. There in the rocks was the skeleton of a strange creature. Mary's find was later named Ichthyosaurus, a reptile that lived more than 250 million years ago. Anning went on to have a long career finding and identifying dinosaur fossils. However, her work often went unrecognized by male scientists of the time, and she received little credit until long after her death. Learn about Mary Anning's perseverance and her important discoveries in paleontology. Folks who think that graphic novels don't hold as much content as traditional texts have another thing coming with the Courageous Kids series. These new entries examine the lives of brave young people in history while providing ample context for the events and social conditions each had to confront. Though the books have different illustrators, the artwork in each is realistic and incorporates significant historic details. In Anne Frank Writes Words of Hope, readers spend time with Frank in Amsterdam before and after she goes into hiding, absorbing information about the Nazi party's antisemitic agenda and Frank's lasting legacy along the way. Jim Crow laws and white supremacy are addressed through the lens of desegregating schools in the American South in both The Little Rock Nine Challenge Segregation and Ruby Bridges Takes Her Seat. The former follows the first Black students chosen to attend Arkansas' Central High School as they bravely faced hateful crowds and the court system for their right to education. Similarly, Ruby Bridges describes how young Bridges broke New Orleans' color barrier as a first grader, despite massive resistance to integration by the public and elected officials. Mary Anning Breaks New Ground offers many fascinating insights into the life of this renowned fossil hunter in addition to highlighting the challenges she faced as a self-taught woman pursuing a scientific career.--Julia Smith "Booklist" These four graphic novels tell the stories of outstanding young people of the past. In Mary Anning Breaks New Ground, readers learn of Anning's discoveries of prehistoric fossils along the English coast, her research, and her struggles to be recognized by the male-dominated Geologic Society. Ruby Bridges Takes Her Seat details the struggles of the six-year-old girl who broke school racial barriers in 1960 New Orleans. The Little Rock Nine Challenge Segregation provides a suspenseful account of the events surrounding the integration of Little Rock, Arkansas's Central High School. Anne Frank Writes Words of Hope provides readers with a look at her life inside the annex while hiding from the Nazis. Colorful drawings tell the story as much as the text and will attract visual learners. The information provided is good and the detailed narratives in Ruby Bridges and The Little Rock Nine are engrossing; readers will anxiously turn the pages to see how events unfold. Dinosaur fans will appreciate Anning's opportunity to find and research so many fossils. Those unfamiliar with Frank's story will find her an inspiration as someone who managed living in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. VERDICT Given the graphic form of these books along with perennial classroom topics, these books should do well in libraries and attract those who like the pictures to inform as well as the text.--Margaret Nunes, former Librarian, Gwinnett County Public Library, GA "School Library Journal" Carol Kim believes books and words have a magical ability to change the world, and she writes for children with the hope of spreading some of that magic. She is the author of the picture book biography, King Sejong Invents an Alphabet as well as more than a dozen fiction and nonfiction books for the educational market. Carol loves unearthing real-life stories and little-known facts to share with young readers. She lives in Austin, Texas with her family. Learn more at her website: CarolKimBooks.com.