Earthsteps: A Rock's Journey through Time

This engaging and educational picture book takes readers on one rock’s geological odyssey through time. Gorgeous, full-color illustrations and a detailed timeline of a rock’s journey teaches students about earth science and the geologic cycle. Also includes a glossary of geologic terms.

Diane Nelson Spickert was an exploration geologist with a major oil company for more than twenty years and a field trip leader at Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison, Colorado.

Marianne D. Wallace is a natural science educator, writer, and illustrator. Her work has appeared in more than thirty books and publications, including the award-winning America’s Ecosystems series.

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

A kid-friendly exposition of how one rock journeys through its geological cycle.

Children's Literature

A large chunk of granite breaks away from the mountain and lands on a rock pile near a shallow pond. The journey from igneous rock to sedimentary rock has begun. Though it will take many millions of years and will cover many relative time periods, the reader is kept interested because the format for this journey is a story, with the rock being the main character. This rock-cycle story is enhanced by geologically accurate descriptions and illustrations of creatures, plants, conditions and their effects on the rock's journey. Even young children will be interested in the process that turns rock into sand and then back into rock. The only difficult aspect for children (and perhaps adults) to comprehend is the expanse of time. Many millions of years, from Permian to present day, is a difficult concept to grasp when we are accustomed to dealing with a much smaller time frame on a day to day basis. This is, however, a very educational and noteworthy book, for it combines two or more lessons into one. Teachers and parents will recognize that this is one of those books. Science, reading and listening, and comprehension skills can all be addressed with this book. It also includes a geologic time scale, an especially helpful glossary and a bibliography. 2000, Fulcrum,

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.