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If You Like...Rocks

One of my favorite museum exhibits I visited recently was about rocks and minerals. It was fascinating to learn about how some of the beautiful stones had formed and how they are used in so many of our everyday objects and tools! Here are five picture books to read with budding geologists and anyone who likes to learn about or collect rocks.

A Stone Is a Story
Written by Leslie Barnard Booth
Illustrated by Marc Martin
New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2023. Informational. 40 pages.

This picture book follows the story of a stone in the various phases of its existence--from a volcano, to the ocean, to a mountain, to you. Dynamic vocabulary and watercolor illustrations enhance this imaginative read.

Written by Julie Falatko
Illustrated by Ruth Chan
New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022. Picture Book.

Rick is tired of sitting on the Nature Finds shelf of classroom 214. He wants adventure like the rocks the class has learned about that spew from volcanoes and tumble off cliffs. When Rick escapes the classroom to go back to the great outdoors, he realizes that maybe the rambunctious atmosphere of the classroom with the friends on his shelf is more exciting after all.

Written by Pat Zietlow Miller
Illustrated by Katie Kath
Naperville, I: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2021. Picture Book.

This picture book offers a host of suggestions of what you can do with rocks as you collect them, play games with them, or share them with new friends. The end also includes information on different types of rocks, and resources to better organize your personal rock collection. 

By Deb Pilutti
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2020. Picture Book.

Old Rock has been sitting in the same place for a long time, and his friends in the forest are certain that he must be boring. They soon change their minds though, as Old Rock shares the adventures he has had through the ages, watching and interacting with volcanoes, dinosaurs, mastodons, and the growth of the forest itself. 

By Sarah Noble
London: Flying Eye Books, 2022. Picture Book.

Three otter siblings are each seeking their own perfect rock to help them break open the delicious shellfish they love to eat. When they only find one perfect rock to use, the siblings fight over who will take it home, but when faced with a storm, they realize that sometimes family is what can really make things perfect.

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