Jørn Hurum

Ida

Ida

47 million years ago there lived an ape-like little creature in a jungle in Germany. Today she is best known to the world as the fossil Ida. In this wonderful, illustrated picture book we learn how she lived and how we know what we do about her today.
When paleontologist Jørn Hurum introduced Ida to the world’s media in 2009, she became a scientific sensation. Ida is our very own 47 million year old ancestor, and this picture book written by Jørn Hurum and Torstein Helleve from the Natural History Museum and illustrated by Esther van Hulsen brings Ida to life once again.
The reader is taken on a journey to the jungle that Ida lived in as part of a stunningly illustrated tale of her life, where we follow her through dangers and triumphs. In addition to a fictionalised picture book section based on what we know about Ida and the time that she lived, the book also includes a fact and activity section.

Illustrated by Esther van Hulsen.

‘Researcher and Ida’s “father” Jørn Hurum and web editor of the museum, Torstein Helleve, write passionately and vividly, but first and foremost it is the large spreads of illustrations by Esther van Hulsen which pull the reader into the pre-historic universe. Both Ida herself and all the animals, which are identified in a silhouette overview at the end of the book, are painted colorfully and beautifully by the Dutch illustrator.’

Universitas

Jørn Hurum is a palaeontologist and science communicator. He has collected fossils since childhood and written several factbooks.

Torstein Helleve works at the Natural History Museum in Oslo.

Illustrator Esther van Hulsen has previously created numerous illustrations for museums and zoos.