My kid, the rock hound.

September 23, 2019 6:38 AM

My 5.5yo child has recently started collecting rocks/pebbles when he's out and about. Can you recommend a good, child-friendly book I can give him that he can flick through and read about different rocks? Like, what's _____ book : rocks as this book : Pokemon? Doesn't need to be super simple in its contents, he's a strong reader and I'll also enjoy looking through it with him. Thanks!
posted by catch as catch can to Science & Nature (9 answers total)

Best answer: This is the book I got my daughter and she loves it.

I also have "A Rock is Lively" which is more of a story book style but is part of a wonderful series of books and I recommend them all.
posted by selfnoise at 7:04 AM on September 23, 2019

Best answer: Our kids loved basically all DK Books for science and history subjects when they were that age and up. Lots of pictures, you can read as much or as little as you like on a subject. It looks like there are several on rocks/minerals. Libraries often have a big shelf of DKs.
posted by Mid at 7:07 AM on September 23, 2019 [3 favorites]

Best answer: This is a job for the library.

When I was a bookseller, we had Golden Guides for lots of things, and they were really useful. Rocks and Minerals.
posted by theora55 at 7:18 AM on September 23, 2019

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble was always one of my favorites ... not totally responsive but great for a pebble-lover
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 8:09 AM on September 23, 2019

The Magic School Bus ... goes to the Earth’s core, or something like that, talks about different kinds of rocks along the way.
posted by kerf at 8:24 AM on September 23, 2019

Books about rocks thus far have not been too successful with my kid (even though he devours books he loves). Pieces of quartz, cave tours, YouTube videos about lava? Magnifying glasses? Appreciated.

So don't despair if a book doesn't click.
posted by typecloud at 8:58 AM on September 23, 2019

Rock and minerals sticker book! They are everywhere online.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:23 AM on September 23, 2019

Best answer: Not just about rocks, but Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray is a beautiful, fascinating book. It would be a fun addition to other books about rocks, has great pictures, and could sustain and spark further interest in rocks and science. Kind of a grow into it book that a rock enthusiastic might still get a lot out of as a kid. (the author has similar books on molecules and reactions.)

Seconding A Rock is Lively -- age-appropriate picture book with great information and illustrations.

The DK Eyewitness books are pretty much the library gold standard (or were as of ~3 years ago) for children's nonfiction, so check out their Rocks & Minerals book.
posted by carrioncomfort at 11:16 AM on September 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Not a book either, but the Rockd smartphone app is a hoot for knowing what's beneath your very feet.
posted by jquinby at 1:23 PM on September 23, 2019 [2 favorites]