In an exciting story of search and discovery, two of the country’s top paleontologists describe their recent expedition to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Readers travel along with the scientists as they make a spectacular find, then travel back to the museum to learn how a dinosaur skeleton is preserved and studied. The scientific process and the elusive Velociraptor come to life in this bold photo essay. 1996 ‘Pick of the Lists’ (ABA) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children 1997 (NSTA/CBC) Grade 4-6. Two eminent paleontologists pool their memories of a remarkable venture?an exploration to the remote sands of the Gobi Desert in search of Velociraptor. First discovered in the 1920s by Roy Chapman Andrews (who was probably the swashbuckling prototype for the more flamboyant Indiana Jones), Velociraptor recently came to general notice in the film Jurassic Park. In a lucid, brief text, Dingus and Norell describe the efforts in mounting an international trek to a barren, faraway site and recount the trials of dawn-to-dusk prospecting for fossils exposed by eons-long weathering of rock and the scouring of windblown sand. They include methods of search and recovery, cautions against premature claims about appearance and behaviors, the importance of possible relationships to other extinct creatures and to possible present-day "descendants," and the ultimate preparation of fossils for further research or public display. Appended is a listing of locations (mostly in the U.S.) of large dinosaur exhibits. This slender, attractive work is profusely illustrated with full-color photos (often at dramatic angles), a clear diagram, and a map. A tempting hors d'oeuvre that will have dinophiles clamoring for an entree.?Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. In an exciting story of search and discovery, two of the country’s top paleontologists describe their recent expedition to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Readers travel along with the scientists as they make a spectacular find, then travel back to the museum to learn how a dinosaur skeleton is preserved and studied. The scientific process and the elusive Velociraptor come to life in this bold photo essay. 1996 ‘Pick of the Lists’ (ABA) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children 1997 (NSTA/CBC) Both Lowell Dingus , Ph.D. and Mark Norell, Ph.D. are dinosaur paleontologists affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, which houses the largest collection of dinosaur and other fossil vertebrates in the world. They have each spent many years traveling the world in search of fossils. Dr. Norell has been the leader or co-leader on international expeditions in Chilean Patagonia, Central Chilean Andes, West African Sahel, Mongolia and Cuba. Dr. Dingus recently served as the Director of the Museum's stunning Fossil Hall Renovation.