2025 Blogging A to Z Challenge: Geology
When I was younger, I was gifted a rock tumbling machine and after some trial and error, it was such a cool process seeing rough rocks and minerals turn into smooth, beautiful stones! These twelve nonfiction titles are sure to inspire kids who love having their hands in the dirt exploring what the Earth has to offer.
Be wary that kids will be coming home from the playground, walks, the seashore, and hikes with pockets laden down with stones and pebbles of all sorts as they try to find the treasures among them. Learn about the history of the planet as well as identifying common rocks to create your own collection!
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2025 Blogging A to Z Challenge: Geology
Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth by Steve Tomecek
Come and explore the world under your feet with the Dirtmeister and friends! Part graphic novel, part fun guidebook, this very cool, rocky journey introduces both eager and reluctant readers to the basic geologic processes that shape our Earth. Clear and concise explanations of the various geologic processes reveal the comprehensive science behind each fascinating topic. Fun facts and simple DIY experiments reinforce the concepts while short biographies of important scientists inspire future geo-scientists.
Geology for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide to Rocks, Minerals, and the Earth Beneath Our Feet by Meghan Vestal
Set off on an adventure 4.6 billion years in the making with Geology for Kids. Start at the red-hot center of Earth and learn about each layer until you reach the rocky crust. Discover how mountains, valleys, and oceans form, and uncover secrets about the planet you call home. (Did you know that only 20% of deserts are covered by sand, and some can be blistering cold in the winter?)
Geology for Kids is jam-packed with facts, illustrations, and photos that will teach you how volcanoes erupt, why earthquakes shake the land, and what causes tsunamis with waves 100 feet high. And when you’re ready to go from curious kid to certified rock hound, use the photographic guide to help you identify rocks and minerals in your own backyard. Your collection will be the best on the block!
Geology Lab for Kids: 52 Projects to Explore Rocks, Gems, Geodes, Crystals, Fossils, and Other Wonders of the Earth’s Surface by Garret Romaine
This family-friendly guide explores the wonders of geology, such as the formation of crystals and fossils, the layers of the Earth’s crust, and how water shapes mountains, valleys, and canyons. There is no excuse for boredom with a year’s worth of captivating STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) activities.
In this book, you will learn:
- How to identify the most common rocks and minerals
- How to maintain and display your rock collection
- How insects are trapped and preserved in amber
- How geysers and volcanoes form and erupt
- How layers of rock reveal a record of time
- How to pan for gold like a real prospector
Grand Canyon by Jason Chin
Rivers wind through earth, cutting down and eroding the soil for millions of years, creating a cavity in the ground 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and more than a mile deep known as the Grand Canyon.
Home to an astonishing variety of plants and animals that have lived and evolved within its walls for millennia, the Grand Canyon is much more than just a hole in the ground. Follow a father and daughter as they make their way through the cavernous wonder, discovering life both present and past.
Weave in and out of time as perfectly placed die cuts show you that a fossil today was a creature much long ago, perhaps in a completely different environment.
Little Kids First Big Book of Rocks, Minerals & Shells by Moira Rose Donohue
Discover how rocks are formed, the three kinds of rocks, and the difference between rocks and minerals. Learn how rocks and minerals are used in art, architecture, industry, and science. Then journey to the oceans to explore seashells and the amazing animals that once inhabited them. Packed with more than 200 stunning photos, including closeups of each specimen, this colorful book showcases breathtaking natural sites such as the Giant’s Causeway and human-built structures such as the Great Wall of China.
Rock Collecting for Kids: An Introduction to Geology by Dan R. Lynch
Nature’s treasures are just beneath our feet, waiting to be discovered. With this book, you’ll experience the excitement of finding, collecting, and identifying rocks and minerals. Dan R. Lynch, author of many Rocks & Minerals field guides, presents a children’s introduction to our amazing Earth.
The book begins with geology basics, such as where rocks come from and how Earth’s surface changes over time. Next, young readers are provided with an identification guide, which features full-color photographs and ID tips on 75 types of common and collectible rocks and minerals. From there, a “how to” section includes details on what to look for, where to look, and what to bring, as well as safety considerations. With rock collecting guidelines that the whole family will learn from and enjoy, this fun guide is engaging and informative.
A Rock Is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long
From the creators of the award-winning An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, A Butterfly Is Patient, and A Nest Is Noisy comes this gorgeous and informative introduction to the fascinating world of rocks. From dazzling blue Lapis Lazuli to volcanic Snowflake Obsidian, an incredible variety of rocks are showcased in all their splendor. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this book introduces an array of facts, making it equally perfect for classroom sharing and family reading.
Rocks and Minerals: A Gem of a Read by Basher and Dan Green
Simon Basher is back with another zany primer to science! Following his 3 successful titles on the basics of chemistry, physics, and biology, BASHER SCIENCE: ROCKS AND MINERALS is an in-depth look at the ground beneath our feet. Like his other titles, Basher presents these topics through charming and adorable illustrations and pairs them with basic information told from a first person perspective. He develops a community of characters based on the things that form the foundations of our planet: rocks, gems, crystals, fossils and more. And what’s more, he makes it understandable, interesting, and cute. It’s not what you expect out of a science primer.
Rocks, Fossils, and Arrowheads by Laura Evert
This fun, informative book is perfect for rockhounding and fossil-collecting kids who love to explore the outdoors—whether they’re out on a hike or sitting at a computer! The book features activities, giving readers fun, hands-on experiments to try. Scrapbook pages are included at the back for notes and drawing.
Science Comics: Rocks and Minerals: Geology from Caverns to the Cosmos by Andy Hirsch
In this volume, join a crystal-crazy fanboy and a famous rock hunter on a geological journey that will take them to the summit of a volcano, deep within the earth, and even into outer space! They’ll learn about the unstoppable forces that shape our planet and they might even pick up a gemstone or meteorite along the way.
Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic―dinosaurs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, robots, and more! Whether you’re a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these graphic novels are for you!
The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain, illustrated by Yuval Zommer
When you’re out walking around, whether on the city streets or a country trail, there’s always so much to see and hear. But do you ever stop and look down? Have you ever wondered what’s going on deep in the ground under your feet?
There are so many amazing sights to see! One side of the foldout shows the ground beneath the city, while the reverse side shows the ground beneath the countryside. The underground scenes include tunnels and pipes, creatures’ burrows, layers of rock, and the planet’s molten core, each running seamlessly into the next.
Mixing urban and rural settings, covering subjects such as geology, archaeology, and natural history, The Street Beneath My Feet offers children the opportunity to explore their world through a detailed learning experience. And its foldout, laperello (or concertina) style, which extends to eight feet in length, is ideal for spreading out on the floor to pore over for hours.
Ultimate Rockopedia: The Most Complete Rocks & Minerals Reference Ever by Steve Tomecek
Welcome to the amazing world of rocks and minerals! Let’s start at the very beginning, with an introduction to the origin of our rocky planet, then move on to explore the world of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. You’ll discover how they form, what makes them unique, and most importantly, how to identify them in your own backyard.
Complete with the origin and description of some of the most important rock-forming minerals, readers will discover how some of the most beautiful and precious stones on the planet are created by the Earth itself. Each chapter includes dozens of profiles of amazing rocks and minerals, fun facts, sidebars, photo galleries, and more. At the end of the book readers will get to meet a real geologist and learn just what it’s like to dig in the dirt for a living. Thematic spreads cover topics such as birthstones, cool crystals, digging for diamonds, and more. And, of course, amazing photography and colorful graphics add visual awe to the lively text.
2025 is my tenth year participating in the Blogging A to Z Challenge! This year, I chose as my theme: Fact Finders Club: Nonfiction for Curious Kids with a focus on providing book lists focused on all types of nonfiction books for readers from birth to teens. Each letter of the alphabet will focus on different topics and will provide twelve titles on each list. Nonfiction is having a heyday in children’s literature and if you think it’s dry and boring, then I implore you to take a look at these amazing suggestions! Stop by daily to check out the new books and other posts that I’ll be sharing in April.
