ALA Booklist (Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Inanimate objects again turn real in this second wordless episode from the author of Chalk (2010). The objects here aren't drawings, however, but fossils. Breaking apart rocks that he finds along a beach, a lad discovers first a fossilized fern and then a dragonfly. To his open-mouthed amazement, both come to life. Cracking open a third rock ups the ante, as a bit of bone is revealed, and a moment later a leathery flying reptile carries off his dog probably its back. Despite this whimsy, Thomson's photorealistic full-bleed and inset paintings create a solid sense of plausibility and depict the action enticingly from often surprising angles and points of view. The boy's discovery that smashing the fossils makes their revenants disappear sends a problematic message. Still, the dragonfly remains, and in later scenes modern plants and birds appear to create connections between past and present for reflective viewers.

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

While walking on the beach, a boy discovers a fossil that releases some prehistoric magic that puts his dog in danger. The gripping wordless story that follows is told through Thomson's hand-crafted photorealistic illustrations, which the publisher emphasizes "are not photographs or computer generated images." The smooth images are too painterly to be mistaken for photos, but it's remarkable that they are without technological enhancement.

Kirkus Reviews

Exploring a lakeshore, a boy and his dog find a series of rocks which, when broken, reveal fossils that come alive in this wordless but vaguely menacing narrative. The first rock breaks by accident; a bit of fern emerges and takes root. It takes purposeful effort to reveal the next two, but out comes an oversized dragonfly and then a pterodactyl. Thomson's hyper-realistic art uses exaggerated and unusual perspectives to emphasize the boy's heavy human hand and large feet, the size of the prehistoric reptile, and the boy's expressions of shock and awe. Some images are framed in insets on top of the wider vistas on the spread. The art, done by hand using acrylic paint and colored pencils, is almost photographic in its detail. Figures and stones alike are set against a background of cloudless blue sky and an expanse of sand; some greenery in the background provides a horizon. As in his wordless Chalk (2010), Thomson's images come to life, but this story is disturbingly destructive. Although the author opens with a note about fossils, "By studying fossils, we can learn a lot about prehistoric life," the boy destroys them to save his dog, carried away on the pterodactyl's back--a mixed message indeed. Sometimes imagination can take you too far. (Picture book. 5-9)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Thomson follows his wordless picture book Chalk with another close encounter of the prehistoric kind. This time, a boy finds that when he splits open stones he finds along the shore of a lake, the plant and animal fossils inside them come to life. The boy trips after picking up a fist-sized stone, revealing a fossil fern leaf embedded within. Thus freed, the fern springs up in front of the boy and his cocker spaniel; dazzling light indicates its miraculous nature, and its source is made clear as the boy holds up the fossil to compare it to the fern. A dragonfly is released next, but when the boy releases a huge, scaly pterodactyl, it carries his dog away, and he must work out how to send the predator back to its extinct state. The pacing is tight, and Thomson-s lifelike art stuns on every page, enlivened further by dynamic angles, confident use of panel sequences and full-bleed spreads, and vivid close-ups of the boy-s shocked face. If anything, this adventure is even more effective than its predecessor. Ages 5-8. (Nov.)

School Library Journal (Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

K-Gr 2 Bursting with sun-washed illustrations that approach photography in their realism and detail, Thomson's wordless picture book features a child out on a walk with his canine companion when he picks up an interesting rock. He trips and drops it and, when it breaks open, he discovers the imprint of a plant inside. With a mysterious twinkling of lights, a live version of the plant appears. He breaks open a second rock containing the shadow of a dragonfly, and suddenly the real thing is darting around him. The third rock he finds contains the outline of a dinosaur's foot, and one can guess what happens next. The dog runs after the flying prehistoric beast, leaping onto its back. Chasing after them, the boy steps on the first rock, breaking it into shards, and the live plant disappears. The boy realizes that if he shatters the dinosaur fossil, the creature will vanish, leaving his dog unharmed (although he seems to be enjoying himself). Thomson's take on the fun of discovering these records written in nature is original and inspiring, encouraging young minds to imagine the plants actually growing, the insects really buzzing, and the dinosaurs truly soaring thousands of years ago. An exceptionally creative effort in combining science and art and turning kids into storytellers. Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR