Spenser and the Rocks

PreS-Gr 2—These titles are slightly revised versions of Peter and the Rocks and Up, Up in a Balloon (both Holt, 1969). In Spenser, a boy collects and classifies rocks in various ways and visits the library to learn more. Balloon recounts how the Montgolfier brothers invented the hot-air balloon and then revised and improved their designs. The texts are nearly identical to the older editions, and the illustrations are also largely the same, though a space shuttle has been added to a page in Balloon that discusses aviation history. Two new features include an introduction explaining how scientific inquiry is natural for children and a parent/teacher handbook with science activities related to the story. No source notes are included, though in Balloon, the parent/teacher information notes that some dialogue was invented. While there is a high demand for STEM titles, the dated illustrations in these books are a drawback. Nancy Elizabeth Wallace's Rocks! Rocks! Rocks!(Marshall Cavendish, 2009) covers the same topics as Spenser and includes information on how rocks are formed and changed. Dianna Hutts Aston's A Rock Is Lively (Chronicle, 2012) has more detailed and attractive illustrations. Marjorie Priceman's Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride (S & S, 2005) relates some of the story found in Balloon.—Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR