If You Find a Rock

by Peggy Christian, Barbara Hirsch Lember (Photographer)

Think of all the rocks there are: the skipping rocks, the splashing rocks, and the chalk rocks. Whether the found treasures are climbing rocks or wishing rocks, children can't help collecting them. With joyful text and luminous photographs, If You Find a Rock celebrates rocks everywhere--as well as the mysterious and wonderful places they are found. •Features 18 hand-tinted photographic illustrations •Junior Library Guild Selection

Genres: Picture Books, Science, Poetry, Nature, Childrens, Nonfiction, Environment

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2000

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful pictorial venture with a simple thing as a rock. My students loved this book!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every child I've ever known as collected a few rocks. They're free, easy to find, come in different sizes, shapes, and colors, are satisfying to hold... and, as this book makes clear, they have a magical way of speaking to our soul... even if we're scientists, atheists.

The text is poetical. The pictures are lovely (though I'm not fond of the tinting).

This would make an excellent companion to the even better Everybody Needs a Rock. This is about the variety of rocks and the variety of 'voices' they have, Baylor's focuses on the concept of one special rock and the ways it can 'speak' to one person. So, between these books we have the universal and the particular, if you want to teach that.

[CanadianReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book with beautiful photographs and simple quiet text that encourages children to look at and think about the natural world around them.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me at the start:

Oh. My. God. A book about rocks . . . ~SIGH~

Me at the end:

OMG, ROCKS!!!!!!!

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

A celebration of all the different types of rocks there are - skipping, climbing, wishing... great illustrations and lovely text

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the beautiful photographs in this imaginative book about different types of rocks. The book identifies different "types" of rocks you might find...wishing rocks, skipping rocks, writing rocks, and so on. This really got my students interested in finding rocks of their own and determining what type of rock they thought it was...not scientific in nature, but does get children thinking about and observing rocks and some of their properties.

[Grace Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for encouraging children to go outside and explore the "not so simple" rocks around them! This would be a great story for a non-fiction read during a science lesson.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book and one that I think was suppose to have been in my recommendations that my sister fished out. She has at least admitted that so far and I think whenever I am over she is going to be fishing on my Goodreads account for other such books.

Anyway this book explores not all the types of rocks that are out there but the shapes or appearances they may have then gives them names such as the famous worry stone, the climbing rock, the skipping rock, etc. So for those who are wanting to teach their children the three basic types of rocks this is definitely not going to be what you are looking for in the science department.

I love how the illustrations are actual photographs so children are given an introductory look into rocks as if they haven't probably seen more than ten by the time they get their hands on it. And somehow, especially with my niece, I have a feeling after reading this book rocks may become more of a captivation than what they are already.

All in all it is a sweet and cute book, especially if you are wanting to get your child to participate more actively in nature whether you are camping, walking or even just helping them find a rock or two for their starting rock collection.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertainingg, but not very academic, book about rocks. The narrative is lyrical and inspires a bit of whimsy and imagination more than scientific discovery, but it's a fun book to read aloud and our girls really liked it. For some reason, collecting and playing with rocks is a popular thing for our girls and they love to show me their 'gems' and interesting finds.

I also shared with them that I have often bring home a rock from my travels and we used to keep them as part of the bed in our big fishtank. I'm not sure where they've all gone off to now that we no longer maintain a tank, but they loved the romantic notion of bringing home a piece of a foreign land, even if it's just a small rock.

The photographs are colorful and the narrative is short, perfect for reading with younger children. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Peggy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous introduction to rocks, especially from a child's point of view. No classification other than throwing rocks and climbing rocks and wishing rocks and stepping rocks and chalk rocks, etc. Wonderful photography to go along with the text as well. If you have a child who's interested in rocks, give them this book.

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book to use during the engage part of a lesson on rocks. It uses a lot of descriptive words to describe different rocks. I would pass out different rocks to the students and have them describe their rocks. We would then together write on the board descriptive words for the rocks from the book. I would use this book in grades second or third.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a whimsical look at rocks that was a nice change from our other more scientific rock books. It's really written from the point of view of a child and what children do with rocks. It reminded me of my childhood playing with rocks and I really enjoyed reading it to my son. The photographs are lovely and whimsical too. A great read!

[Vickie McEntire · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If You Find a Rock" by Peggy Christian, paired with the evocative photographs by Barbara Hirsch Lember, offers a unique and enchanting experience for readers of all ages. This picture book captures the joy and wonder of discovering rocks, a pastime familiar to many children and a nostalgic memory for many adults. The photography in this book adds a special touch, transforming simple rocks into objects of beauty and curiosity, engaging readers on a visual and emotional level.

The narrative encourages children to start their own rock collections, sparking a sense of adventure and a deeper connection to the natural world. Each page invites readers to imagine the stories behind the rocks they find, whether it's a skipping rock, a climbing rock, or a resting rock. The book beautifully illustrates the simple yet profound pleasure of exploring nature and finding treasures in unexpected places.

As an adult with my own small rock collection, I found the book particularly touching. The ending brought tears to my eyes, reminding me of the timeless joy and wonder that rocks can bring. "If You Find a Rock" is not just a fun read; it also highlights the importance of appreciating and preserving our natural world. Its ability to inspire imagination and a sense of adventure makes it a deserving award-winning book. Whether you're a child or an adult, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

[Maggie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading "If you Find a Rock," you will look at each of the rocks and discover that rocks all have different purposes. This book is excellent because it helps readers understand why they may be a chalk rock or a skipping rock. This book plays a role in showing young readers the rock cycle and how they might be shaved down to smaller rocks because they are eroded by other forces of nature. In a creek, the reason why the rocks will be soft, round, and smooth is because the water forces the rocks to move down the river and bump into other rocks to make them erode away to smaller rocks. The chalkier rocks are because they have been rubbed up against hard, bigger rocks. The students will do an activity that requires them to focus on how rocks erode. I will have different stations with candy in the jars. the candy included will be original M&Ms, peanut M&Ms, jolly ranchers and water, and sugar cubes. The students will have the candy in jars and they will take turns shaking them. When they are done shaking the candy for 10 minutes, they will observe what happened to the candy. In their notebooks, they will write down observations and we will have a discussion later.

[Jake Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-Fiction. Grades 1-5.
This book has a very calm tone about it, and is great for a read a loud in a classroom. We see kids finding rocks and starting rock collections all the time, why not give them some names to go along with them? This second-person point of view is great for students who find rocks fascinating. Students who just need to relax can also listen to this book and get some ideas for what type of rocks they can come across. This could be turned into a fun game by having students find "a skipping rock" one day, and "a chalk rock" another day.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely adore rocks. Rocks of all sizes and kinds. Look in one of my pockets and you are sure to find a rock. Therefore I wanted to adore this book and I did like it but I hoped for the author to convey a bit more information on rocks. Perhaps just a note below the page's lyrical text saying the rock pictured was granite or something. But for kids whose parents don't like rocks maybe reading this book will open their eyes.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs
- poignant thoughts....

last page, a recap...
"If you find a rock ---
a rock that's not
....
but you like it anyway,
because it reminds you
of a place,
or a feeling,
or someone important---
then you have
a memory rock,
and sometimes
those are the best
rocks of all."

------
"Everybody Needs a Rock"
was on one of lists after documenting this book...
I love "Everybody Needs a Rock"

[Mrs. Ruigrok · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely book that talks about the different kinds of rocks...not in a scientific matter...but how some rocks are for skipping or splashing or wishing. A really nice story to share with young children...especially those children who love to find a rock here and there and pop it into their pocket.

[Amanda up North · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for the rock finding child I was and is still a part of me.
Where I grew up on the Mississippi River, there was a 1/4 mile long driveway to walk home from the school bus each day, collecting pocket rocks. There was a rocky bend in the river with rocks for hopping, perching on, turning over, and finding crawdads around. There was The Big Rock nestled under a pine plantation, surrounded by a quiet carpet of pine needles, big enough for several kids to climb on and play on at once.
This book is more imaginative than it is scientific. If you're looking for information on igneus, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, it won't help. But it's lovely,
encouraging observation, imagination, and nature activity. That's a win.

[Emma Cochran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes through a journey in nature and describes all the different types of rocks you can find while outside. It describes each rock and allows students to understand its texture, shape, size, appearance, etc. The illustrations are really nice and the words are very easy to read and understand.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have memories of finding and using almost all the different types of rocks exactly as described, so this was quite nostalgic for me. So much nostalgia I was surprised to learn the book was published in 2000!

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about the various human child uses of everyday rocks. I’ve met every type but the wishing rock. You can be sure I’m looking for one of those next!!!!

[Adams' Country Retreat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meditations on different rocks, different purposes.

[Lauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

From skipping rocks to fossil rocks, this book verse and photographs of children in nature, describes the differences in different rocks in a lovely way.

[Grace Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book includes poetry and pictures! It makes me want to explore the world around me, just to find rocks!

[Jaycee Omohundro]

A book that helps explain where rocks come from and the different types there are

[Katie Little]

This is another great book!

[Talea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable little book that embraces the innocence and magic of childhood wonder.

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A poem about different types of rocks you may find!

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