Winx’s Paleo Progenitors

The Evolution of Winx Thinks- Dinosaurs!
Author Notes – Part 1

While engaging on its own merits, Crichton’s book got me thinking about the many other curious-to-greedy people struggling to reconcile new concepts as they found old rocks, recognized which ones merited collecting, and finally had enough evidence to claim dinosaurs existed. How mind-blowing to be among the first to use fossils to study beasts that lived before time began! I was excited to share these big ideas and the birth of paleontology with young readers.

But would kids care about past collectors’ curiosity, frustrations, and uncertainties? Since dinosaurs are hugely attention-grabbing, could I engage readers to focus on the drive for discovery that stirred the people and places of early paleontology? How best should I convey the messy bits of history that accompany an emerging science?

Thankfully, goofy, dino-loving Winx Muller sprang to mind, totally eager to puzzle out the twisty, misty magic of paleo-discovery. He couldn’t wait to time travel his way through history-in-the-making. And so, Winx Thinks – Dinosaurs! was drafted during three hyper-focused weeks in October 2018. Of course, like any worthwhile pursuit, it took a lot of deep digging, some despairing, focused dreaming, and a lot of (re-)doing to get that first draft ready for publication.

Escaping into the pages of a good book should be an unfettered joy, so I aimed for more than tacking paleontology’s early history onto a barebones plot. Afterall, readers don’t stick around for dull, disjointed stories. Of course, as a life-long educator, I also hope readers will delve into – maybe even delight in – the facts of science and history woven into Winx’s story. So, with a keen request that readers of this Author’s Note promise to protect the pure experience of reading for youngsters, here are some of the story’s underpinnings to share with Winx fans hankering for more.

See Dino Notes Part 2: Winx’s Plot & Process