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Basher Science
Rocks and Minerals: A Gem of a Read!
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.
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 30, 2021
A Really good book as it explains things the way a child can understand.
September 2, 2009
One Sentence Review: Though it may primarily find itself being used in conjunction with homework assignments, I read this puppy from cover to cover and enjoyed it thoroughly in the process.
September 20, 2020
Colorful and chatty, this guide to rocks and minerals mixes cold hard facts with warm fuzzy (sometimes cheesy) characterizations. The cartoon characters for each entry are entertaining and often very apt (I love how the Trace Fossil has handprints, Quartz has a trigonal head, Marble is a column with a toga, etc). Descriptions are told in the first person, giving each rock or mineral a voice. Kind of the same voice, with a lot of puns. But the entries also contain accurate information about color, constituent minerals, hardness, and so on. And at the end is a fold-out poster with a Mohs hardness scale peopled with the cute cartoon minerals!
August 2, 2017
I'm surprised how much fun my son and I had reading this science book. We enjoyed guessing the properties of the rocks and minerals based on their character drawings and got into their personal stories. We're moving on to math and chemistry next.
November 21, 2017
My third-grade son LOVES the Basher series. Right now, he is so interested in rocks that he wanted a rock collection for his birthday, so this book was perfect reading material for him. The only reason it is not five stars is because he thinks the illustrations are a little 'weird'.
March 1, 2024
Rocks are cool. This book had the best portrayal of rocks, and it made me want to collect them. All of these rocks have their own personalities as presented through the art and each individual rock entry, and they seem more like characters than the scientific concepts in other Basher books.
November 28, 2018
GREAT!
March 3, 2024
This book is a masterpiece.
I like the gems, the minerals in this book.
I discovered Arsenic because of this book.
Reminder that I bought this on November of 2022.
I like the gems, the minerals in this book.
I discovered Arsenic because of this book.
Reminder that I bought this on November of 2022.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2020
My daughter read it and she absolutely loved it. It contains enough information with a easy language for a 7 years old
March 4, 2015
I picked this up since I already had the companion set of cards, and my six year old adores them. (Don't ask me why.) With the cartoonish aide-memoire illustrations and basic information, this is an excellent companion to more photographic rock and mineral guides, or an additional study guide for those toiling through high school geology. Because it doesn't include realistic illustrations of the different rocks and minerals, it won't supplant those resources, but if you don't have one of those, read with Google Images open to see examples. What it does have is light-hearted engaging text about where the rocks are found, how they are formed, what they are good for, and similar tags. (A chart at the bottom of each entry describes mineral component, chemical formula, hardness, color, crystal system, and look-alikes.) Each of the groupings is introduced with a short description of what makes them a set. There is a glossary at the end (though hardly and exhaustive one) and a poster showing rocks/minerals at different points in the Mohs scale.
I actually enjoyed this but point out it is probably best for rockhounds and those who read science for fun, though cartoon/anime enthusiasts may be drawn to it, also.
I actually enjoyed this but point out it is probably best for rockhounds and those who read science for fun, though cartoon/anime enthusiasts may be drawn to it, also.
April 20, 2011
This book is great for projects. It gives a lot of information about rocks and minerals. The bo0ok tells about how we use the rocks and minerals, it's history, what it looks like, but not a lot on how the rocks and minerals are made.
I really liked this book because it made the rocks and minerals information like you are actually talking about it. And the pictures for the rocks and minerals were really cute.
Rocks and MInerals is a gem of a book.
this is a book about everything Beeneth your feet. When you think about that you think that grass, dirt but it is so much more than just grass and dirt. There is pyrite, tuff, and Peridoite and many other minerals and gems.
I really liked this book because it made the rocks and minerals information like you are actually talking about it. And the pictures for the rocks and minerals were really cute.
Rocks and MInerals is a gem of a book.
this is a book about everything Beeneth your feet. When you think about that you think that grass, dirt but it is so much more than just grass and dirt. There is pyrite, tuff, and Peridoite and many other minerals and gems.
December 15, 2010
Book Review:
I think this book has a lot of interesting facts on rocks and minerals. Its vary easy to understand and read. It was one of my favorite science books I've read all year. I think the writers did a great job I just couldn't stop reading. The book had many different types of rocks and minerals including a lot I didn't know. Most of the pages have different facts about many different rocks like gold, silver, granit, copper and a lot more.
I give the book Rocks and Minerals 4 *'s for that reason.
I think this book has a lot of interesting facts on rocks and minerals. Its vary easy to understand and read. It was one of my favorite science books I've read all year. I think the writers did a great job I just couldn't stop reading. The book had many different types of rocks and minerals including a lot I didn't know. Most of the pages have different facts about many different rocks like gold, silver, granit, copper and a lot more.
I give the book Rocks and Minerals 4 *'s for that reason.
February 20, 2013
I love this book. To have the sometimes boring science in this very interesting creative book with characters as the rocks and minerals is awesome. Thos book has alot of infromation and gives you an idea of what rocks are out there. It probably has a follow up book telling you how they are made because there is so many books , there is follow up books for others on the series. for example biology has a follow up book called human body, math has algebra. this book and the entire series is really good and i recomend it to everyone.
March 31, 2011
There is a whole series of these "Basher" books on different topics. Great for generating interest if your kids like Poke-mon style characters. Some of the wit and points will go above a kid's head, but they will pick up some info. Great for fun reading that is "nutritious" and "delicious."
February 4, 2013
This book was awesome and i would really recommend reading it because it isn't hard but a simple read and the pictures are creative with some facts on the side. They go through most of the rocks and minerals you can find on the planet and give many details.
December 22, 2010
Another outstanding entry in this series. Bright illustrations and engaging text make this a great way to introduce children to geology.
May 19, 2014
Epic.
May 23, 2018
Awesome book about the rocks and minerals and explains about what it is in the book
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews