If Rocks Could Sing

If Rocks Could Sing: a discovered alphabet by Leslie McGuirk.  Tricycle Press, 2011 (review copy provided by publisher)

My inner school librarian is putting this book on my "must purchase" list.  The book is a happy tribute to every child who ever filled a box, sack, pail, or gym sock with a rock collection.
The ABC style book is wholly original and an imaginative delight.  Each page focuses on a rock in the shape of a letter of the alphabet.
A rock shaped like a lower case "e" illustrates "elephant" along with a rock that looks just like the head of an elephant, with an upraised trunk.  The two page spread for "o is for Ouch!" depicts a donut shaped "'o" rock with ouch depicted by a smooth oval stone "face" pitted with holes and grooves that look just like a face, grimacing.

I know I exclaimed or laughed out loud at some of the whimsical selections. McGuirk's interpretation of these amorphous shapes is a wonder because we see them too!  Her rocks are identified as fossiliferous sandstone and the geologic process that forms this kind of sedimentary rock is also described.  McGuirk began collecting these rocks on Florida beaches although she specifies that the letter "X" is from Maine.
This book has wide classroom applications from art teachers to science teachers.  It would perfectly pair with Byrd Baylor's classic Everybody needs a Rock.