The lyrical and informative Stone by Stone: A Rock's Journey Through Time by Melissa Koch (Forest Talk) and illustrator Victoria Tentler-Krylov (Building Zaha) invites young readers to consider petrology through the lens of human handling.
A rock, whether metamorphic, igneous, or sedimentary "seems to be still," but over "billions of years" it is "shaped by Earth's forces." Extreme heat and pressure, along with "Earth's weather and waterways" create mountains, diamonds, ocean floors, and islands out of the substance. Here, one rock, "changed by time," stands ready to be transformed by humans. People may use it, along with other "special stones," to create a stacked marker on a path or property, build a wall, or sculpt art. Civilization's bridges, buildings, and hidden chambers, from antiquity to modernity, have indeed been built "stone by stone."
Koch's picture book suggests rocks are essential minerals and show humanity "who we were, who we are, and who we want to be." The author's text melodically and expressively describes how humans use rocks to shape cultures and livelihoods. Her six pages of fact-heavy back matter ground and clarify her poetry with specifics ("Igneous rocks form when lava... cools and hardens"; sedimentary rocks develop from "sand, pieces of rock, minerals" pressing together; metamorphic rocks "form when preexisting rocks change" due to heat, pressure, or water). Tentler-Krylov's dynamic, jewel-tone watercolor and digital illustrations are textured, detailed, and dreamy as they guide readers through the creation of rocks to human activity and use. Stone by Stone is fascinating, as creative as it is instructive, and a rock-solid addition to bookshelves. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author