November 5, 2024 by Lonely Planet
Copy provided by the Publisher
Are you always taking small stones out of your dryer's lint trap because you have a rock obsessed kid? This is the book you need! In Lonely Planet's typical beautiful style, THE ROCKS BOOK provides all of the information your budding geologist might need to start on a fascinating hobby that might even turn into a career.
This starts with basic information about what exactly rocks are. Going all the way back to the formation of planets, there's also a good explanation about the Earth's layers, shifting plates, and different kinds of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic). The all important rock cycle is explained with fantastic diagrams. The most interesting thing to me (with my liberal arts mind) was the inclusion of thumbnail biographies about people through history who have studied geology, going all the way back to Theophrastus in 372 BCE!
Crystals, gemstones, and rock formation also get entries, as do minerals and fossils. I enjoyed the chapter on how we use rocks; building and jewelry were readily apparent, but many young readers might not know that rocks liked talc, gypsum, and salt are used as ingredients.
It wouldn't be a Lonely Planet book without a little trip around the world, discussing the rocks of different countries. The part that may appeal most to children, once they are armed with all of the previous information, is the chapter "How to be a Rock Hound". Collecting is always a fascinating pastime, and rocks seem like something that would be inexpensive to amass, and easy enough to disperse when the collection no longer holds appeal. This chapter starts with responsible collecting, which I appreciated, but also has some good tips on washing, sorting, and storing ones "quarry".
The best part of the book, however, is the "Directory of Rocks and Minerals". This is an extensive catalog, complete with pictures, of examples of different kinds of rocks, broken down into categories. While it might be hard to find snowflake obsidian in one's backyard (depending on location), the pictures are fun to look at. Since the book also has a good glossary as well as a robust index, young readers will be able to find the information they need to identify their finds.
While I have some nonfiction books in my school library on rocks, they are usually from publishers who sell mainly to the academic market. National Geographic has a serviceable identification guide and an Ultimate Rock-opedia, and Dorling Kindersley has an Illustrated Guide to Rocks and Minerals, but the combination of history, global coverage, and identification guide makes The Rocks Book a great one stop source of information. Combine this with a small box for keeping specimens, and you'll be able to keep your rock hound digging for hours!
My only concern about this is that the binding might not hold up terribly well to library use; the corners of the new copy I have are already showing wear from traveling in the mail and to school in my back pack. I don't have a full report yet. This is just a suspicion.
November 19, 2024 by Lonely Planet
Copy provided by the Publisher
Lonely Planet takes us around the world again... but this time, we might not come back! Starting with a map of the world showing the location of all manner of deadly animals, reptiles, and insects, this shows all of the possible ways we can perish in our travels, from vampire bats in South America to the Sydney Funnel-Web Spider in Australia. Since this deadly animals are hugely interesting to young readers, this book will be a hit, even though I personally am identifying with the cute little penguins that are an arm's length away from being gobbled down by a leopard seal!
In a unique landscape format that employs fold out pages, young readers will find out about different sorts of deadly weapons employed by animals, and there are even lift a flap sections (that I highly recommend opening BEFORE giving to anyone under the age of 16!). Starting in North America, we get a description of habitats, and then some of the animals in those areas described in the pages underneath. This repeats through all of the continents, giving animal and after animals. I liked the inset maps showing exactly where the creatures are supposed to be found, just in case I ever find myself in the Carpathian Mountains, trying to avoid a Fire Salamander.
Because of the nature of the sturdy, fold out pages, some with double layered flaps, there is no table of contents, index, or supplementary material at the end of the book. While this makes it somewhat less useful for research, this is more of a coffee table or back seat of the car book, perfectly for dipping through on rainy days or on long trips. This is also has a mixture of illustrations and photographs, which might make it more appealing to slightly younger readers.
Lonely Planet has really been stepping up their game, making them a great addition to similar titles about nature and the world like Dorling Kindersley's Nature's Deadliest Creatures Visual Encyclopedia or National Geographic Kids Deadly Animals Collection. For younger readers, combining this book with a collection of small plastic animals will make a great gift, but be prepared for the sounds of roaring and screaming as the Australian Silent Snapper or the Green Jararaca viper has a Fisher-Price farm cow for dinner. Also, this book has reaffirmed by belief that were I to travel to Australia, I would die a horrible death!
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