Dodo and Dinosaur launch new book in North Norfolk

Dodo and Dinosaur, a design studio and independent publisher, was founded by mother and daughter team Jill Michelle Smith, from Yaxham, near Dereham, and Jennifer Watson, from nearby Hockering.

The pair have now launched their latest book, Extraordinary Extinct Prehistoric Minibeasts: A First Guide to Fossils at the North Norfolk Visitor Centre in Cromer.

They were joined by Dr David Waterhouse, an expert palaeontologist, who wrote a foreword for the book for the event.

 It is their third book after setting up the business during the first lockdown.

Authors Jill Michelle Smith and Jennifer Watson with their book Extraordinary Extinct Crystal Palace Dinosaurs (Image: Dale Watson) (Image: Dale Watson)

Mrs Watson said that the inspiration for their fossil guide came from her two young children, four-year-old Artie and two-year-old Jemima, who love exploring beaches.

She said: “Artie, in particular, has always been keen to learn about dinosaurs and fossils, but we found there weren’t any accessible books for very young children, with common fossils that everyone can find.

“We wanted to create a simple guide that would inspire little explorers and their families to head out on their adventures and be able to identify their finds for themselves.”

The duo also recently published Extraordinary Extinct Crystal Palace Dinosaurs in August, which focuses on the life-sized sculptures built in South London in 1854 and shows how the Victorians thought prehistoric life would have looked and lived.

Author and designer Jennifer Watson with son Artie, age 4 (Image: Jennifer Watson)

It's not only books, the duo also held the Extraordinary Extinct Dinosaur Trail at Chantry Place in partnership with Norwich Science Festival earlier this year.

Dodo and Dinosaur's family trail at Crystal Palace Park can also be visited throughout the year. The pair are working on new projects for 2024 in Norfolk and continue to take bookings for pop-up activity workshops at various bookshops, venues and attractions, as well as school visits.

Jennifer with daughter Jemima, age 2 and illustrator Jill Michelle Smith with the original Victorian scale models of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, London (Image: Dale Watson)Dodo and Dinosaur's new family trail at Crystal Palace Park, South London (Image: Sarah Jayne, the Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs)