A Cool Collection

Bestselling author Simon Winchester has a new book, and I am going to tell you about it. So, it starts with a story about a man named Alan Dudley. He started an amazing collection. Now, you might be asking, “What is the thing he’s collecting?”

Well, he is collecting skulls. That’s right, skulls.

So, I am going to tell you about some of these skulls in his collection. First, from the amphibians, there is the smooth newt. It has an amazing array of teeth, from its picture. Did you know that this is the smallest of the skulls in Dudley’s collection? It is only the size of a fingernail! Now, from the birds, comes the rhinoceros hornbill. It has a bright red curve on its head, when it’s alive. The skull Dudley has still shows its bright red coloring on its curve! Next, from the fish, the armored catfish comes into view. It is a fish with an impressive array of armor all over its body. Did you know this fish has whiskers called barbells? Second to last, for the mammals, we have the Southern brown bandicoot. I noticed that it has a short nose. Did you know this animal is threatened because things like foxes are coming to their native land, Australia? Last but not least, the reptiles have the Nile moniter. The Nile moniter loves water. Did you know that they can actually be aged by their teeth? (You can tell their age by examining their teeth!)

Learn more by reading the book Skulls by Simon Winchester or by downloading the app for iPads.

The best part of this experience, however, is that I met the author of this book at my local Nature and Science Museum, and Mr. Winchester even signed the book for me!

Me with my Skulls book and its author, Mr. Simon Winchester!