Not So Hard! I'm Trying to Love Rocks by Bethany Barton

GEOLOGY... It's all starts with loving rocks.

But our young Rock Skeptic begs to differ. What's not to like about rocks? Mostly everything. They lie around on the ground. They're usually dirty, and they don't do anything--no matter how hard you poke 'em.

The Rock Expert has a good comeback. How about FOSSILS! VOLCANOES! DIAMONDS! They are all parts of . . .

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GEOLOGY!

GEOLOGY IS ABOUT WHAT THE EARTH IS MADE OF!

And the Rock Expert points out that we wouldn't be here without the results of geological processes--and igneous, metamorhic, and seditary rocks are all part of geology. Most of the surface of the earth we depend on for life begins as igneous rock, which morphs under pressure and weathering through metamorphic and sedimentary processes. Rocks are the basis of what we interact with daily, right under our feet--our continents, islands, mountains, and the minerals we use in so many ways.

EVEN THE MOST BORING ROCK IN YOUR BACKYARD IS A TIME MACHINE TO EARTH'S HISTORY AND WE WOULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT THEM!

The witty comic dialog between the rock skeptic and the rock expert, the president of the local Rock Club, makes the unbeliever into a solid rock fancier, and young primary readers can join the club, too, in author-illustrator Bethany Barton's I'm Trying to Love Rocks (Penguin/Random House, 2020). The dialogue between the two illustrates the rule that Science is all about asking questions. A book that may appeal especially to the reluctant science student, this is a lively, funny introduction to the study of geology that makes a great kick-off introduction for that popular unit on on rocks certain to come in the primary grades. Other books in Barton's naysaying science series are I'm Trying to Love Spiders, I'm Trying to Love Garbage, the punny, funny Give Bees a Chance and a cheery pitch for the so-called (but rarely beloved) Queen of the Sciences, I'm Trying to Love Math.

Quoth Kirkus Reviews, "Chock full of facts, diagrams, and examples, including fun end pages, this book will reward readers who return to it frequently. Bold lines, lively colors and clever use of white space make for an eye-catching read."