Book Description

Everybody needs a rock -- at least that's the way this particular rock hound feels about it in presenting her own highly individualistic rules for finding just the right rock for you. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

You will never look at rocks the same way.
After reading this book to my fifth grade students they all find their our favorite rock and value it among their most prized possesions. The reverence and care that they shower upon their rock is unbelievable. Only Byrd Baylor could inspire that kind of compassion through such simple prose.

a gem of a book
I am a senior who volunteers in a local elementary school helping the science teacher one morning a week with whatever she needs. (I also volunteer in the main branch of our county library.) In anticipation of a unit on rocks, she handed me a book list and asked me to check out as many as I could find. "Everybody Needs a Rock" touched me so much, I told her I was going to buy one for each of my 2 grandchildren. She said, if I was ordering, she wanted a copy also to permanently keep in her classroom. Today I ordered 3 copies and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she ended up ordering ANOTHER one for HER grandchild! It's just a beautiful, simple, charming book with lovely illustrations. There's nothing more to say. See it for yourself.

enjoyable lesson and artwork
Under the guise of giving ten rules for choosing one's "special rock", the author advises kids (and adults who read to them), to connect with nature and to act with deliberation. The line drawings are muted in color yet evocative and filled with imagination, and will be of interest to kids who have seen only traditional artwork.

Everybody Needs This Book
I bought this book for myself at Rocks and Stuff in Chelan, Washington. We visit this store on our annual vacations and are always awed and fascinatated by what we find there.

This book is a gem, telling us the importance of rocks, all the things they can be for us. More importantly than that, it tells us about our sense of self and our place in the bigger world. All that in a kid's book.

This book will be part of a gift, along with some cool rocks, for my niece, who picks up rocks wherever she goes.

Everybody Needs a Rock
This book has a very special meaning. When I look as this book it tells me that making a decision of any kind big of small takes time. It takes thought and concentration. As you are to pick a rock you have to look at it from al sides, just like you would have to in any decision you would make.
Decisions even as small as picking out a rock are important. Maybe you could apply these 10 rules that are read in the book and use them to solve everyday dilemmas or situations.
I think this book also tells us that the materialistic thing in life are no always what you need. Sometimes it takes just a rock to be your best friend. I would highly recommend this book to children who just think that toys or material possessions are what they need. There is a beautiful would of nature out there, and if you use your imagination even a rock can be your friend. ~ Kellie~ ... Read more

Book Description

See rocks and minerals up close in vivid detail, with anabundance of detailed information to match. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

This Book Is Really Good Book.
Before i read this book, i know rocks just is rocks.But after i read this book, i know rocks is very important for my life.This book have many good point.For example it have more pictrun and easy letter in this book.So not too difficulty.There are still some left many interesting think in it.I willing recommend it to other people interested with rocks.

This Book Is Really Good.
Before i read this book, i know rocks just is rocks.But after i read this book, i know rocks is very important for my life.This book have many good point.For example it have more pictrun and easy letter in this book.So not too difficulty.There are still some left many interesting think in it.I willing recommend it to other people interested with rocks.

Its a very good book, colorful, a little short but good.
Its a good book for beginners on this field, you wont find all of the rocks out there, but youll learn quickly about the major differences and characteristics of some rocks...

It is very colorful, pictures are awesome, and I liked that the book tells you about rock and mineral uses, as well as in the ancient times as in today.

I recommend it as an introductory book on the matter, then you should move to a more detailed book. I gave it 5 stars Considering that it is a pocket book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This book is part of a series of guides designed for adolescents interested in natural history and nature. The books are an excellent introduction to the Rocks and Minerals, Birds, Wildflowers, and Insects for children aged 8-18.Each guide is appropriately sized to fit in a field vest pocket.Readers who remember previous versions of these field guides from the 1970s that were dull and overly detailed will be pleasantly surprised.These books are arguably the most beautifully photographed and laid out field guides yet published for young people. Each book has an introductory section filled with interesting facts, descriptions of early naturalists, definitions of many of the terms used in the book, and a guide to using the field guide portion of the book.Best of all, the books also come equipped with laminated field "cheat sheet" cards, for quick identification while on the go, in any kind of weather.Each field guide features 50 common specimens with photos and brief descriptions of many more regionally occurring rocks and minerals.Brief discussions of threatened and endangered species are particularly valuable.Great first guides for children and adults with limited natural history background.

The Rocks and Minerals guide has excellent photographs and descriptions of many minerals and rock types.Most junior naturalists will never see mineral crystals in the field as shown in the photographs, but the guide gives a good understanding of where and how these minerals formed. --Merri Martz ... Read more

Reviews (2)

rocks and minerals
This would be a good book for ages 9-14 as it covers the basics only and in a format for the very young.

Fantastic research book for students in grades 4-6
Easy to read. Lots of information. Great pictures. Well organized. ESL and Special Education students find this to be the most accessible book on Rocks and Minerals. ... Read more

Book Description

Think of all the rocks there are-the skipping rocks, the splashing rocks, and the chalk rocks. Whether the found treasures are climbing rocks or wishing rocks, children can't help collecting them.

With joyful text and luminous photographs, If You Find a Rock celebrates rocks everywhere-as well as the mysterious and wonderful places they are found. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Terrific Inquiry-Based Lesson Starter!
This wonderful book is a great way to begin a lesson on rocks and minerals! It's imaginative and beautifully written. My third grade class loved it! I will use it every year to begin our inquiry-based science unit on rocks and minerals! The creative way to classify rocks was a very nice way to begin the topic of rocks and minerals with the students! We even started our own collection, using Christian's unique way of classifying them!

This rock book's a gem!
Wonderful prose, invitingly tempting pictures of children and rocks...my rock-crazy toddler loves having this book read to him. Who wouldn't love a book about the wonder of rocks? ... Read more

Book Description

"I am Joy, and I have come to qreet you."

A beautiful bird named Joy stops one day to visit a mountain. Every spring she flies high in the air, looking for the best place to build her nest and raise her children. As much as Joy would like to stay with the mountain, she must leave to continue her search. After hearing the mountain's pleas for her to stay, Joy is so touched she makes a very special promise that each spring the mountain will be visited by one of her kin. Over time the birds bring about a wonderful change in the mountain -- a change that will transform the mountain forever. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

It's about hope!
I found this book again while cleaning my daughter's room; I found it years ago and it is such a wonderful and uplifting story. Perhaps it was more than serendipity that I found it again, for it seemed the perfect message to send to an adult friend who needed some TLC -- for its main message, to my mind, is one of hope, and of believing in the power of love.

Beautiful pictures, beautiful story
This story is one of the true classics of children's literature, even though it is an unkown. I collect children's books, and this is one of my all - time favorites. If you want a story with substance, meaning, and still a wonderful story - buy this one. The illustrations are outstanding, also. Have a kleenex handy, though.

Beautiful
This is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read. It is love. Love that is indeed essential. Like water for chocolate type of love. Whenever I read this book it amazes me how as to how real the author personified the characters.

This story not only clarifies the necessity to of the need for love but it brings it forth with such astounding boldness. The mountain in its isolation literally almost gives up in the midst of its quest for companionship.

This book is not only a book for children -- it is can also be a literary piece for adults. In the quest for the mountain's security; the bird leaves behind generation upon generation of offspring to provide the mountain with a sense of love and security for many, many, many years to come.

Beautiful -- is a mere word that describes an element of something that is precious, astounding, and good. I cannot find the perfect word for this book. It seems to me that beautiful is hardly enough.

Beautiful story, great storytelling
This is a beautiful story about a bird that visits a mountain once a year. Both can talk, and they visit with each other. The mountain is lonely. The bird explains she will die someday, that birds don't live long, but promises she will have her daughter visit when she is gone. She explains that she cannot live there as this mountain is barren, so she can visit only once per year. The mountain is lonely when she passes on and cries (a brook begins). The daughter does visit and she drops one seed per year. In the end the mountain is a thriving ecosystem where birds and animals can live year round, nourished by the water that the mountain created.

The book has longer prose than the usual picture books for this age range (more like the picture books published in the 1950s and 1960s). The illustrations are by Eric Carle, interesting and appealing collage format that he is famous for.

This is a tender and touching tale! It is not just a plain picture book prose, it truly is "storytelling".

Timeless Story for Both Young and Old
I randomly picked and read this book waiting for my wife to finish in her kindergarten class. What joy it brought to me, as it will to you and your children. "The Mountain That Loved a Bird" revels in classic storytelling of old: a building promise of a miraculous ending. The timeless themes of emotions, promises made and kept, and "happily-ever-after" resound throughout the story and beautiful artwork. In these days of rapid-fire animation and video game addiction, "The Mountain That Loved a Bird" brings us to a gentler and far more satisfying place. It will teach your children about the power of friendship and hope, a lesson off-times lost in this world of Pokemon and violence. This book is one that should hold a revered and oft-used place beside your child's bed. But don't be surprised if you find "The Mountain That Loved a Bird" making its way into your bedroom or favorite reading nook. ... Read more

Book Description

Pack up your gear and get ready to go on a dig. Whether it's iron ore, dazzling gemstones, or a prehistoric creature preserved in amber, a mother lode of exciting discoveries await budding paleontologists and geologists in this informative picture book.Large and detailed full-color spreads, complemented by clear, concise text unearth the mysteries of the ground beneath our feet. Children will learn how rocks, crystals, minerals, and fossils are formed, where they are found, and how they are used.Step-by-step illustrations and captions explore such processes as the fossilization of ancient animals and plants, together with the work of the scientists who catalog and preserve them.Includes an illustrated glossary and an index to sharpen the young reader's reference skills. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A wonderful book for a budding geologist
This book was and is a big hit with my four-year-old. Clear, easy-to-understand text and big, bright illustrations make the book accessible to young readers. It is neatly formatted into two-page "chapters" focusing on specific topics, which makes it easy for him to "look up" whatever he's interested in that particular day. It also has useful tips for starting a rock collection, and (important for parents) convenient ways to store said collection. I recommend this book to any parent with a child interested in any aspect of geology. ... Read more

Book Description

From their backyard to the local bank, rock hounds can identify common rocks wherever they go-all on their own! ... Read more

Book Description

New Look! Relaunched with new jackets and 8 pages of new text!

Here is a spectacular and informative guide to the amazing world beneath our feet. Stunning color photographs of rocks, fossils, minerals, precious metals, crystals, jewels and gemstones give the reader a unique "eyewitness" insight into the evolution and composition of the Earth.See rocks that have come from outer space, stalactites as old as dinosaurs, the strange and beautiful shapes of natural crystals and priceless nuggets of gold, silver and platinum. Learn what the Earth is made of - and how its rocks were formed, how early humans made the first flint tools and how diamonds and precious stones are cut, polished, and made into jewelry. Discover how prehistoric animals are preserved today as fossils, how volcanoes work, how rocks are formed from molten lava, how minerals and metals are mined and how pebbles on the seashore are worn down into sand, and much, much more! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Gift Experience
I bought this book as a gift for a bright young lady who was fascinated with the appearance of the stones themselves, but although I liked the content of the book, I was wholly unable to persuade the recipient even to peruse the text as light reading.

It was enticing enough for me, but I claim the blame for missing the target. Experiences may vary -- if they're readers, they're readers -- if they're not, that's another subject.

Very Educational
This book shows tons of different kinds of rocks. Very great if your child likes rocks or if you want to read up on the subject.

very descriptive geology
Beutiful pictures with detailed captions. It shows igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks. It tells which rocks we use in our everyday life. Overall it is pretty good. I like the part were they tell the uses of flint.

How did they fit all those rocks between two covers?
Most of the rock-and-mineral books I see are full of colorful pictures of exotic minerals, underground caves or far-away mountains. This is the first book I've come across that actually takes you to those places. The simple, clever mirror device pops those rocks right into your lap, or brings the mountain up close.

The information is accurate and well-written. Full color spreads illustrate the location or object and the photography is breathtaking. This is one you'll want to find space for, on that "oversized" book shelf, to accomodate the height of the book. ... Read more

Book Description

New Look! Relaunched with new jackets and 8 pages of new text!

Here is a spectacular and informative guide to the amazing world of crystals and gems. Superb color photographs of crystals, jewels and gemstones of every color, size and shape offer a unique "eyewitness" insight into their extraordinary beauty and variety.See a crystal growing, diamonds used to cut through a brick wall, a phantom crystal, gemstones formed in a volcano, and crystals of gold and silver.Learn how a quartz watch works, how to identify crystals, why crystals have been grown in space, how crystals are used healing, and why Napoleon had a diamond in his sword.Discover where to find crystals in your home, how synthetic crystals are made, which famous rubies are really spinels, which is your birthstone, and much, much more. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A VISUAL FEAST!
The photographs of OVER 200 CRYSTALS AND GEMS is worth the purchase price of this book. And I am not just talking about ANY picture of each crystal, I am talking about a GORGEOUS, AMAZING sample picture of each crystal! Some of my favorite photographs/stones included are: Opals (My personal favorite stone ok, tied with Diamond!), Aragonite, Agate, Tourmaline, Calcite, Topaz, Barite, Hematite, Amethyst, Rose Quartz, The Blue Hope Diamond, Ruskin's Ruby, Moonstone, Spodumene, Blende, Natural Mosaic, Malachite, Gold, Mother-of-Pearl, Turquoise....I could go on forever!

Here are the chapters: WHAT IS A CRYSTAL? A WORLD OF CRYSTALS, NATURAL BEAUTY, CRYSTALS-OUTSIDE, ...AND INSIDE, THE COLOR OF CRYSTALS, IDENTIFICATION, NATURAL GROWTH, GOOD HABITS, DISCOVERY-RECOVERY, GROWING FROM SEED, CRYSTALS AT WORK, GOOD VIBRATIONS, QUARTZ, DIAMOND, CORUNDUM, BERYL, OPAL, OTHER GEMSTONES, COLLECTORS' ITEMS, STONES FOR CARVING, PRECIOUS METALS, ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE, WHAT IS IT WORTH?, MAKING THEM SPARKLE, LORE AND LEGENDS, CRYSTALS AT HOME AND INDEX.

This is a must-own if you have any interest in the marvelous beauty of crystals and gems. Not only are the photographs great but the information is succinct and fascinating! I highly recommend this book along with any other of the 109 in the Eyewitness series! Talk about something for everyone! Thanks Dr. Symes and Dr. Harding! Wow!

This book is isn't bad, It's meduim (Average).
This book had a lot of Crystals and Gems that come in all shapes, sizes and colors. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Familiar Territory
I've looked over the book, and a friend who teaches science from ages 6-14 read it. It covers a lot of familiar territory found in other books. There were very few interesting or unusual new ideas presented. It would take more than presented here to get a young student interested in geology.

Rocks Rock!
This is a wonderful introduction to concepts for your young geologist as well as a great place to find ideas for activities and experiements to aid her in her exploration of the earth! I've seen some of the activities presented in this book before, but several were new to me. The text is written in a witty manner, yet still provides a wealth of information. ... Read more

Book Description

This series is an excellent introduction to the basic concepts of science and nature. Children learn the what, where, how and why of animals, objects, and processes of the natural world. Each volume is packed with fun, easy-to-do projects that engage kids and make science accessible. The Guides are beautifully illustrated and contain a wealth of information for young readers. ... Read more

Book Description

A fascinating guide to the more widely-known precious stones -- from uncut gems to spectacular examples of finished jewelry -- this is the ideal introduction to the glittering world of gems. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

My grandma loves it
I bought this book for my grandma about 5 or 6 years ago. Its a VERY SMALL book. fits in your pocket, but definatly worth reading. basic info on every gem on the planet.
but if you want detailed, page after page long info on a certain rare gem- this is not the book. this is just a gorgeous simple overview. ... Read more

Book Description

Discover the world beneath us with Discovery Plus: Prehistoric Worlds. You will discover volcanoes, mountains, ancient fossils, spectacular gems, and even rocks from space that have fallen to Earth.Each spread in this 48-page book features eye-catching photographs, drawings, full-page acetates, tabs, wheels, and text written in an easy to understand format. Children will learn the difference between metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks, as well as how coal is formed and how fossils give us clues to the past.The Discovery Plus series includes Animal Kingdom, Oceans & Rain Forests, Bodyworks, Prehistoric Worlds, Pyramid Builders, and Weather & Sky. ... Read more

Book Description

In search of large fortunes, thousands of hopeful prospectors crowdedthe Klondike region and California.The Gold Rush investigates one of the most thrillingand desperate times in North American history.Learn about the prospector's tools, goldrush towns, and the exhilaration of hitting "pay dirt!" ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great book
A very nice overview of the subject matter. I am intrigued by this period in history, and this book help clarify a lot of my questions. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

10 starts
Introduces igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. The writing is simple and remarkably concise for a book aimed at this age group. For example, "Rocks form in three ways. In the first way, melted rock bubbles up from inside the earth. Then it cools down and becomes hard igneous rock." Colorful and friendly looking book layout. Includes a rock chart, activities and an introduction to Mohs Hardness Scale. There is also a glossary, bibliography, & index. Karen Woodworth-Roman, Children's Science Book Review ... Read more