A RAINBOW OF ROCKS

Characteristics of rocks and minerals are presented alongside beautiful photos in this picture book.

Clear, close-up photographs of rocks and minerals set against black backgrounds highlight this informative picture book designed for young readers. The first nine double-page spreads of the book feature a simple rhyming text that points out an uncomplicated distinguishing characteristic of two paired rocks, each named in a complementarily colored type: “Copper give sunstone its fiery glow. / Iron makes citrine rusty, though!” While this initial information is very basic, and the rhyming text doesn’t really add anything, when presented with colorful, crisp photographs of the rocks and minerals, it will generate in readers a curiosity about what else these beautiful stones are. The substantial backmatter uses a Q&A format to delve into more detail—“How hard are they?”; “What are they made of”; “Does light shine through them?”—and introduces words such as “luster,” “hardness,” and “impurities.” A bit of a design kerfuffle occurs on the final double-page spread, where the question, “What happens as light moves across them?” is squished into the top part of the copyright page. Nonetheless, the book succeeds in both generating curiosity and intrigue about rocks and minerals through beautiful photos and presenting a basic narrative, clearly written.

A colorful and accessible introduction to rocks and minerals for young readers.