Trapped in the Tar Pit: How Paleontologists Unearthed a City's Prehistoric Past

By Jessica Stremer

Book Overview

Dig down, down, down into the history of an ancient tar pit in this fascinating nonfiction picture book about one of the most exciting fossil discoveries of the modern day

Thousands of years ago, ancient animals roamed the Earth, unaware there was a lot of sticky tar hidden deep beneath their feet...until one day, an earthquake caused it to seep up to the surface. When unsuspecting animals stepped into the tar, they got stuck

Centuries later, in the early 1900s, people started exploring the tar pit and found more bones the deeper they dug. Eventually, scientists realized the bones weren't just any old bones but perfectly preserved fossils of ancient animals, just waiting to be dug up and puzzled back together

Uncover this true story of a miraculous scientific discovery in the most unexpected of places.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1665953179
• ISBN13: 9781665953177
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Beach Lane Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 11.2" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3