BADLANDS, SOUTH DAKOTA: Is James Bond coming to the Badlands? No, but JAMES BONE is! “James Bone – 007 years old – Licensed to Dig!” is a new 8-book graphic novel series for second and third graders in search of dino-sized adventure and a tremendous appetite for prehistoric puns, fun, and facts.
Created and written by Carole Marsh (author of many South Dakota titles for children) comes a delightful comic spoof that introduces kids to James Bone, the pint-sized paleontologist. The 8-book series invites readers to join James on an epic hunt to find dinosaur fossils for show-and-tell.
Each story follows a group of young excavators exploring an archaeological site and books 1 and 2 are both set in South Dakota. Along with his friends Pick, Shovel, and his dog Diggy, James heads for the Badlands in search of Allosaurus fossils. Like every good 007 mission, each story features a villain; bent on thwarting James at every turn, ensuring a wild adventure filled with dinosaur facts, puns and humor, a chase through the topsy-turvy terrain, and eventual success; all celebrated at the Dino Diner.
In addition to its ability to educate and entertain, the book’s real power is the ease with which even reluctant or struggling readers can breeze through the colorful and exciting visuals created by artist Lee Barrow, accentuated with dialogue and plenty of clues to help with reading mastery. According to the author, “Studies have shown that kids love dramatic visuals and will read the ‘sound bites’ that explain the action. It is an incredible eye-opener for readers this age to manage a book from start to finish in a short time and realize, ‘I can read a whole book!'”
Marsh, who has been writing books for children for over 40 years and has won multiple awards for her works, explains: “The real proof of the success of a book is if kids want to read another…and read it now! Kids this age love dinosaurs and are eager to read and learn and as independently as possible, and for it all to be a lot of fun!”
The author has spent a lot of time in South Dakota. “My husband was from western Iowa, so when we visited his mom, we just kept going. I’ve been all over the state and love it; South Dakota is always an adventure. That’s what I hope kids around the world discover when they
read this and the other James Bone books.”
“James Bone and the Awesome Allosaurus Adventure” is currently available for pre-order at gallopade.com and will be on sale for the holiday season on Amazon and Follett with eBook and audio versions coming in 2022; book 2 in the series, “The Tremendous Triceratops Trek” will be available later this year. The author is available for Zoom interviews from her home in South Carolina.