All the rocks we love

Lisa Varchol Perron (My Love for You) and debut author Taylor Perron, a married team, survey common rock types, while art by Scheirer (Seashells of New England) features children of various abilities and skin tones finding rocks along a coastal path as well as in a city park, a backyard, a desertscape, and elsewhere. Each rock type gets its own spread and its own quatrain as those including shale, pumice, and limestone with embedded fossils are introduced in tight, primer-like verse: "Rocks are everywhere we look--strewn along the shore,/ nestled in the sidewalk cracks,/ and on the forest floor." In one spread, about chert, text appears on the verso: "Rocks are good for gathering./ I hunt until I find/ a pocketful of river stones--/ rounded, smooth, and lined." The rock's name appears below with a close-up view of its stones and pebbles. On the recto, two children with brown skin and straight black hair wade as a cutaway view shows the rocky river bottom in which chert can be found. Featuring naturalistic portrayals of rocks alongside stylized, spare images of humans interacting with the natural world, it's a true beginner's guide for young rock hounds. Back matter offers more about each rock type introduced. Ages 3--6. Authors' agent: Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy Literary. (July)

What kinds of rocks do you love? Poet and psychotherapist Lisa Varchol Perron and her husband, Taylor Perron, a geology professor, have combined their different areas of expertise, with appealing, accessible, and informative results. Told in verse and accompanied by carefully composed watercolors, this simple introduction to geology opens by a river; one child looks at rocks in the grass while in the distance an adult and several other kids, one of whom uses a wheelchair, return from the waterside. Ensuing spreads depict diverse children interacting with various types of rocks, from chert to granite. A curious youngster takes pleasure in stacking pieces of shale. A fearful child finds comfort in holding a piece of obsidian. Agate makes a delightful gift for a loved one. Some activities will be familiar to readers: A bespectacled youth draws on the sidewalk with chalk as a seagull looks on; another child tosses pumice into the water and smiles as it floats. Each spread contains a four-line stanza that scans well. The useful backmatter includes excellent descriptions of the 10 kinds of rocks presented; the authors also remind readers that "some rocks need to stay put in order to preserve the geology and ecology of an area or to respect local beliefs and practices." Smashing! (Informational picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.