Product Description

Holly Keller has created vivacious new paintings for this favorite Reading Rainbow title about geology. Readers follow two enthusiastic rock hounds around the globe as they add to their collection. Along the way they will learn how sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks are formed. From the Egyptian pyramids to Roman roads, from the diamond ring on your finger to the pebbles under your feet'rocks are everywhere!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21993 in Books
• Published on: 1997-05-30
• Released on: 1997-04-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3. More than just the title has been changed in this updated edition of Gans's Rock Collecting (Crowell, 1984). The topics are the same?basic rock formation; the characteristics of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks; the uses of rocks in the past (Roman roads, Egyptian pyramids) and the present (cement); and, finally, a bit about rock collecting. The excellent diagrams, full-color photographs of specimens, and minor textual changes clarify the concepts (for example, Mohs' scale of hardness) and extend the presentation. Gans barely introduces collecting rocks in the field and organizing and storing them, but the pair of youngsters featured in Keller's brightly colored illustrations certainly convey the joys of being a rock hound.?Carolyn Angus, The Claremont Graduate School, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 2^-4, younger for use with adults. Kids will immediately be caught by the idea that, "the oldest things you can collect are rocks." This simple geology book goes on to discuss the formation, hardness, types, and uses of rock. The coverage is cursory, yet it is sufficiently engaging to hold the interest of a young audience. Keller's illustrations, line drawings with watercolor washes, work well in showing the cross-sections of earth and volcanoes. Two children appear in many of the scenes, exploring a Roman road, finding fossils, mixing cement, and collecting rocks to store in boxes and egg cartons. A few pages feature photographs, allowing more realistic views of various rock types. Another good introductory book from the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out series. Carolyn Phelan

Card catalog description
Describes the formation and characteristics of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and how to recognize and collect them.

Customer Reviews

Misleading title, decent info about types of rocks and how they are made
This is NOT an introduction to rock hounding as I had hoped.

The bulk of the book contains interesting information about the three types of rocks (igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary) that was easy for young readers to understand.

The end of the book briefly encourages kids to go out and collect their own rocks, aiming for a variety of colors, and then to go home and try to identify them.

Overall, I don't think this book is going to inspire a kid to rush out and become a rock hound or geologist, as it lacks any sort of "wow" factor, but it is certainly a useful educational book.

If there are any rock hounding groups or gem/mineral shows near you, THAT is a great way to get your kid fascinated by the amazing rocks/crystals/minerals that come out of our earth.

Top Grade!
Let's Go Rock Collecting is an excellent book in the Let's Read and Find Out Science Series. My son started with this book when he was 4 (he's now 5). It has great illustrations that capture a child's attention and actual photos of the various rocks described so that the child (and parent) can identify a few basic rocks.

One thing that is really great about this book is the simple illustrations to educate the reader about the Earth's Crust and Solid Rock Layer. There are simple diagrams of:

1. The components of a Volcano
2. Moh's Scale of hardness
3. The formation of sedimentary rocks
4. Metamorphic rock process

The book also ends with a practical suggestion that kids will love and that's how to begin your own rock collection and start to identify the rocks you have.

NOTE: Depending on your view of the age of the earth, you may like to know that this book utilizes millions of years in its descriptions.

Rock Collecting Fun
My son and I used this book to suplement our study of rocks. We ejoyed the artwork. The writing was engaging. This book is good for children in primary grades 1-3.