Review: Stalactite & Stalagmite

Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave

By Drew Beckmeyer

New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture Book.

This is a great book that explains how stalactites and stalagmites are formed. Two piles of minerals in a cave become friends. One grows as the water and minerals drip down and one grows as water and the other grows as the water and minerals land on them. These two friends are constantly growing towards each other. And as they grow they see different things (like dinosaurs, giant sloths, trilobites, bats, or humans). And as they grow, the world outside the cave evolves and changes as well.

Young spelunkers will enjoy seeing through pictures just how long it takes for these mighty structures to grow and form. And all the extra bits about what the world would be like is a fun bonus. Give this to any young adventurer who is going inside a cave on a vacation this summer.

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