About the Holiday
Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week was established with the idea of getting authors, illustrators, and children together to share great books, the joys of creating them and the fun of reading. During the week, authors and illustrators hold special events, including storytelling, exciting presentations, and writing workshops in venues around the country. To find out more about the Children’s Authors Network and discover classroom resources to use throughout the year, visit the Children’s Authors Network website.
I received a copy of Old Rock (is not boring) from G. P. Putnam’s Sons for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Old Rock (is not boring)
By Deb Pilutti
It seemed that Old Rock had been sitting in the same spot forever. Tall Pine and Spotted Beetle thought being a rock must be pretty boring. Hummingbird wondered, “‘Don’t you ever want to go anywhere?’” She knew she would be if she couldn’t fly all over the world and taste exotic nectars. But Old Rock had flown once, and he began to tell his story.
Copyright Deb Pilutti, 2020, courtesy of G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.
It was during the time when he was surrounded by darkness, but then the volcano erupted and Old Rock “‘soared through a fiery sky into the bright light of a new world.’” Tall Pine, Spotted Beetle, and Hummingbird weren’t very impressed. They still thought Old Rock must be bored. Spotted Beetle told him how much he might see if he climbed to Tall Pine’s very highest branch.
Copyright Deb Pilutti, 2020, courtesy of G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.
Old Rock countered that he had seen a lot. He’d watched dinosaurs pass by and had even hidden a spinosaurus from a hungry T. rex. He’d traveled in a glacier and been left teetering on a ridge overlooking a vast desert, where he “could see the place where the sky touches the earth.” Spotted Beetle and Hummingbird were intrigued, but Tall Pine dismissed these experiences as “ages ago.” He wanted to know about now. Didn’t Old Rock feel like moving? Tall Pine showed Old Rock how his limbs could dance in the wind.
Copyright Deb Pilutti, 2020, courtesy of G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.
While Old Rock couldn’t dance, he did recall how he’d turned somersaults off the ridge, landing in a prairie where mastodons grazed near a lake. Tall Pine, Spotted Beetle, and Hummingbird were mesmerized by Old Rock’s story and wanted to know what had happened next. Out of the prairie, sprang a pine forest, Old Rock revealed. And from one of the pine trees a pinecone fell and a seed was released. That seed grew “to be the tall pine who dances in the wind and keeps me company.” Sometimes, he continued, a spotted beetle and a hummingbird meander by. Old Rock was very pleased with his spot, and the others had to agree that it was “very nice” and “not boring at all.”
An illustrated timeline of Old Rock’s life from 18 billion years ago to the present day follows the text.
Copyright Deb Pilutti, 2020, courtesy of G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.
So much clever thought went into Deb Pilutti’s Old Rock as she reveals to kids what a fascinating and active life the rocks and boulders we see every day have had. Tall Pine, Spotted Beetle, and Hummingbird’s skepticism keeps the suspense building as Old Rock rolls out stories of his various travels and talents. Once he has them hooked, they—like young readers—want to hear more, leading to the just-right ending that sweetly encompasses shared history, happiness with one’s place in life, and friendship. The trio’s questions to Old Rock and their related experiences also engage children to think about issues and opinions from a variety of perspectives.
Pilutti’s mixed-media illustrations are nicely textured to bring out Old Rock’s grainy surface while highlighting nature’s vivid colors. Her vignettes from the dinosaur eras, the ice age (where the skeletons of dinosaurs are also swept up and away in the same glacier as Old Rock), and beyond impress upon readers the long time-frame involved, how the earth has changed, and even the fascinating science of the fossil record.
A multi-layered story, perfect for general story times or as a lead in to science lessons and to promote discussion and research in the classroom, Old Rock (is not boring) would be an original and exciting addition to home, classroom, and public library collections.
Ages 4 – 8
G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2020 | ISBN 978-0525518181
To learn more about Deb Pilutti, her books, and her art, visit her website.
Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week Activity
Rock This Puzzle! Word Search
You can discover a lot about an area by its rocks. Find the twenty rock-related words in this printable puzzle then learn more about them.
Rock This Puzzle! Word Search | Rock This Puzzle! Solution
You can find Old Rock (is not boring) at these booksellers
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound
Picture Book Review
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