“MARIAN’S BIG DIG” by Laura Bontje, illustrated by Scot Ritchie
The mind of a child is a truly wondrous thing: full of curiosity and a different way of seeing the world. That is made manifest in “Marian’s Big Dig”, the most recent publication by local author Laura Bontje and award-winning illustrator Scot Ritchie. The story follows Marian, an adventurous and imaginative child who follows her true passion: rocks and fossils. When she makes a discovery that leads her to believe she’s found a fossil, she’ll use every ounce of her curiosity and determination to show her discovery to everyone she knows.
In an interview with Antler River Media, Bontje explained how children inspired the writing of the book. “I was fascinated to see kids listed in a timeline of fossil discoveries in another book, and it made me want to learn more! At the same time, my kids were bringing home pockets full of ‘dinosaur teeth’ (rocks), ‘pieces of Mars’ (lava rocks), families of pet rocks, and so on. There are a lot of excellent books about kids who love dinosaurs, but I decided to focus on the cool rocks and give Marian a passion for geology.”
That passion is palpable in the book’s protagonist Marian, who is shown to be intelligent, passionate, curious and determined in proving that she’s found a fossil. The book intentionally crafts a world where the adults involved in the story, Marian’s parents, do not simply dismiss her childlike wonder, but actively encourage her to explore her talents and support her endeavours. “I was touched that Kirkus wrote, ‘Marian is treated with respect by both her parents […] and her enthusiasm is never quashed,’ because that’s exactly what I wanted for her family. So many kids play and explore in that liminal space between straight-up pretending and genuine belief. Does Marian really believe she’s finding fossils or does she want to believe it?. I think it’s important for parents to recognize how much learning and growth can come from those imaginative moments—and how much it matters to celebrate our kids’ interests.”
Visually, the book utilizes an interesting blend of drawing and collage to illustrate the events of the story. “I wanted it to be obvious that Marian’s discoveries are household objects and items from nature,” Bontje explained, “and then Scot chose to represent some of those items through collage alongside his signature illustration style. The combination of different media creates an interesting parallel to the idea of Marian piecing together her found ‘fossils’”.
“Marian’s Big Dig” provides a solid story that will be entertaining for parents to share with their children and will inspire children to follow their curiosity and sense of adventure, not only through the narrative of the tale, but through other elements present in the book, like the list of fossil discoveries carried out by children and a list of resources that children and parents can use to research more about fossils.
“Marion’s Big Dig” will be available in bookstores starting October 6. Order it directly from House of Anansi Press or from your local bookstore.
