Rocks & Minerals (Audubon Guides). This item is unavailable.Rocks & Minerals (Audubon Guides)

The budding mineralogist will find the photos and spotter's guide section of this sturdy field guide useful for identifying and categorizing minerals found in the backyard and throughout North America. Simultaneous.

Grade 5 Up-These handsome books, illustrated with vibrant, full-color photographs, have a lot to offer, but calling them "first field guides" is somewhat misleading. They assume some previous knowledge and background vocabulary, and are not designed to give users quick reference to found items. Instead, they introduce their respective subjects and offer tips on equipment and observation. "How to look" sections give the basic science behind the fields of study. Then come the actual guides, which contain photographs of 50 common wildflowers or rocks and other similar species or formations. Boxed inserts detail the specific information. In Wildflowers, each entry lists what to look for, leaves, height, when the flower blooms, habitat, range, and cautions (when applicable). For Rocks, the boxed inserts give the mineral composition, texture, color, and environment. Each book concludes with an illustrated glossary; Wildflowers includes pictures of the 50 state flowers. Both titles have current lists for further reading that cover a wide range of reading levels and include Web sites. These are attractive and useful additions, but are not stand-alone field guides, per se.
Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH
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