Earthsteps: A Rock's Journey Through Time - Hardcover

Spickert, Diane Nelson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1555919863 ISBN 13: 9781555919863

Publisher: Fulcrum Pub, 2000

Synopsis

Describes the geological setting for the transformation of a rock to a grain of sand over the course of millions of years.

About this title

About the Author

Diane Nelson Spickert has been a geologist for more than 20 years. She has enjoyed volunteering as a guide for Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison, Colorado, and teaching geology at local elementary schools. Marianne D. Wallace is a natural science illustrator and writer whose work has appeared in over 30 books and publications. She has also been an elementary school science teacher, a botanic garden tour guide, and a writer for the US Forest Service. She lives in the foothills of Southern California.

Reviews

K-Gr 3-The 250-million-year journey of a rock is told, from its first fall from a mountaintop to its formation into sandstone. The book opens with a nicely rendered geologic time scale that highlights the various periods and changes that occurred. Attractive illustrations have the appearance of dioramas created with animal toys, leaves, and shells. The rock's journey is geologically accurate, moving from large to small through the effects of weathering. The animals that pass by it, particularly the dinosaurs, add interest. The problem with this book is that the story format and the science don't mesh. While the whole sweep of geologic history is surely dramatic, the tale of one random rock lacks the characterization necessary for a good story. The rock, appropriately not personified, is unaware of what is happening to it. Whole geologic periods pass with the slightest note: "Permian conifers surrounded the pond." The language, necessarily scientific and defined in a glossary, doesn't help to move the story along: "Imbedded in the alluvial fan, the rock overlooked a shallow pond." Children drawn to the illustrations are unlikely to have enough prior geologic knowledge to stick with the text. Still, there will be a few very young, gifted geologists who will find this fascinating.-Ellen Heath, Orchard School, Ridgewood, NJ

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-6. Following a rock over millions of years could be like watching paint dry. In this case, the watching is well worth the 250-million-year trip. The transformation of an ordinary rock begins in the Permian Period and continues to the present day. The story starts when Dimetrodon walked the earth and granite valleys hugged shallow ponds. Through the Triassic and Jurassic periods and beyond, the rock changes, and so does the earth. The mica-speckled rock bears silent witness to the transforming animal and plant life all around it. Even though this large rock ends up as a speck of sand, the beauty and drama around it are nicely realized in full-color paintings. Denia Hester
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Fulcrum Pub
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1555919863
• ISBN 13: 9781555919863
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Wallace Marianne D.
• Number of pages: 32