Rocks & Minerals (Reader's Digest Pathfinders)

Examines the nature, formation, and different kinds of rocks and minerals and explains how to collect them

Grade 4-8-Boldly colored illustrations, computer graphics, and an innovative format make this oversized volume out of the ordinary. Children can either read the book from cover to cover or follow one of the icon-identified discovery paths. "Inside Story" gives personal accounts of people in the field of geology, "Hands On" features experiments and activities, "Word Builders" gives the history of words and phrases, "That's Amazing!" offers awesome facts, and "Pathfinder" provides cross-references to related subjects on other pages. The book is divided into three sections: "Rocks," "Minerals," and "Collecting Rocks and Minerals," and each double-page spread is packed with information provided by the text, diagrams, full-color photographs and illustrations, and boxed discovery paths. Much of the material one would expect to find in a basic book about geology is here, e.g., rock formation, uses of rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, weathering, rock cycles, and crystals. Although there is enough content for basic reports, the book's strength lies in its capacity to be explored in many different ways over several readings. Children who are used to multilayered Web sites will find this format attractive and enticing. A good glossary and index make the subject matter more accessible.
Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.