National Geographic: Ultimate Rockopedia: The Most Complete Rocks & Minerals Reference Ever

Ages 5 to 8, Grades K to 3

Catalog Copy: 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.

Fans of other National Geographic Kids Ultimate "pedias" in the same series—Dinopedia, Bugopedia, Reptileopedia, Oceanpedia, Predatorpedia, and Weatherpedia—will want to add Ultimate Rockopedia to their must-have list.

About the Author

Author Bio: Steve "The Dirtmeister" Tomacek is a geologist and founder of Science Plus, Inc., a company that presents science enrichment programs to schools, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S. He has served as a writer and curriculum consultant for many companies including National Geographic, Scholastic, Children's Television Workshop, and Age of Learning. Tomacek has written more than 50 science books including What A Great Idea, Everything Rocks & Minerals, and his latest, Dirtmeister's Nitty Gritty Planet Earth. His first book titled Bouncing & Bending Light, won the American Institute of Physics 1996 Science Writing Award.