100 books like A Stone Sat Still

By Brendan Wenzel (illustrator),

Here are 100 books that A Stone Sat Still fans have personally recommended if you like A Stone Sat Still. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Everybody Needs a Rock

Leslie Barnard Booth Author Of A Stone Is a Story

From my list on rocks and geology for children.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child growing up in the Pacific Northwest, my pockets were often full of rocks. Rocks are beautiful and soothing to hold. They are ubiquitous treasures, available to all. But even more than this, rocks are portals to the past—to a time before humans, before animals, before plants, before microbes. I am endlessly fascinated by the stories rocks tell and by the secrets they share with us through their form and structure. I still collect rocks, and now I also write picture books about science and nature for children. The books on this list are all wonder-filled. I hope you enjoy them!

Leslie's book list on rocks and geology for children

Leslie Barnard Booth Why did Leslie love this book?

If you haven’t already shared this classic with a child, you must!

Everybody Needs a Rock sets out to explain the ten rules of finding a special, just-right rock. Deeply in tune with kids’ relationships to the stones they collect, this delightful picture book insists that you must “look a rock right in the eye” and that a rock “has to feel easy in your hand.”

This book’s gentle humor makes me grin every time, and its overarching message, that a rock is a treasure more compelling than any toy, empowers children to connect with nature and revel in their own imaginations. 

By Byrd Baylor, Peter Parnall (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Everybody Needs a Rock as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Everybody needs a rock -- at least that's the way this particular rock hound feels about it in presenting her own highly individualistic rules for finding just the right rock for you.


Book cover of Perspective Detective

Carli Valentine Author Of The Fun Thieves

From my list on that teach how perspective is everything.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've always believed in the power behind positive thinking, but it’s easy to get caught up in feelings of worry or disappointment. I picked this topic because I feel that perspective is the tool that can help us change a negative attitude into a positive one. We don’t always have control of various things happening in the world around us. However, we do have the power to try to change our perspective and look at things in a more positive way. I believe this skill is essential to find gratitude and happiness in life, and I love how each of these books approach the topic of the importance of perspective in different ways.

Carli's book list on that teach how perspective is everything

Carli Valentine Why did Carli love this book?

Perspective Detectives is such a unique and enjoyable read! The author brilliantly explains how everyone’s perspectives can be different and uses optical illusions to inspire her readers to dive deeper when analyzing situations. Her message to readers is that things are not always what they originally seem to be. I love the creativity and unique style of the illustrations and think the optical illusions bring a wonderful element of fun to the book!!

By Cazzy Zahursky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Perspective Detective as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Perspective Detective is an interactive, rhyming mystery story. The Perspective Detective's mission is to help children better understand one another and their different points of view. Help him and the cubs solve his latest mystery of the lost Teddy in this entertaining, optical illusion filled, puzzle packed story. Young readers will explore themes like empathy, open mindedness, problem solving, and communicating better with one another.

Perfect for fans of: Dr. Seuss Julia Donaldson P.D. EastmanGreat for parents who are looking to: Promote a growth mindset and problem-solving Cultivate communication skills Help children deal with difficult emotions and feelings Prepare children…


Book cover of Ricky, the Rock That Couldn't Roll

Simon Mills Author Of The Secret of Scrufflewood Wood

From my list on children’s stories written in rhyme.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have written poetry since I was a little boy. Rhyme came naturally to me, and I found it to be a world to escape to. This led me to songwriting and touring in bands, and it grew into my vocation as a jingle writer in Australia. Eventually, I wrote the jingle that won the World’s Best Jingle award in Hollywood, and this, in part, inspired me to move to New York City from Australia. The other driving force was getting my first book, How To Steal From Banks—an autobiography—published in America. Writing and rhyming are deeply embedded in my soul and cells. 

Simon's book list on children’s stories written in rhyme

Simon Mills Why did Simon love this book?

I love an underdog story. Overcoming adversity against all odds.

Ricky is a rockstar. Plus, I’ve been a rocker all my life, playing in bands all over the world, so when it comes to rock n roll, I clearly identify. I like the subtle use of color in the illustrations in this book, as it gives the rhyming verse a little room to shine.

Ricky, the Rock that Couldn’t Roll also points loosely to overcoming a disability and gently navigates the emotion of living with such a burden. 

By Mr. Jay, Erin Wozniak (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Ricky, the Rock That Couldn't Roll as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

These rocks can really roll! Well, most of them, anyway...

Get ready to meet a new rock group! From zippy, little pebbles to big strong boulders, the rocks get together to play and roll around their favorite hill, only to find that one of their friends, Ricky, can't roll with them. Unlike all of the others, who are all round, Ricky can't roll because he's flat on one side.

Except for poor Ricky, who quietly sat.
You see, Rick couldn't roll, because one side was flat.

His friends didn't get it,
"Come Roll!" they would chant.
So Ricky tried, but…


Book cover of Search for Silver Linings

Carli Valentine Author Of The Fun Thieves

From my list on that teach how perspective is everything.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've always believed in the power behind positive thinking, but it’s easy to get caught up in feelings of worry or disappointment. I picked this topic because I feel that perspective is the tool that can help us change a negative attitude into a positive one. We don’t always have control of various things happening in the world around us. However, we do have the power to try to change our perspective and look at things in a more positive way. I believe this skill is essential to find gratitude and happiness in life, and I love how each of these books approach the topic of the importance of perspective in different ways.

Carli's book list on that teach how perspective is everything

Carli Valentine Why did Carli love this book?

I love this book. It is so hard to see the good in situations and so important to find the “silver linings.” I relate to the message in this book because I am a mother to a child that has had many medical hurdles to get through. My son has had 2 heart surgeries, but yet he is still positive, brave, and strong. Sometimes it is the silver linings that help us see what we truly have. Finding the silver linings in difficult experiences was vital to allow us to continue to push us forward with a positive attitude. This book truly showcases that! Love the unique illustration style of the book and that it is written in verse!

By Etaine Raphael,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Search for Silver Linings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Suddenly, Chloe had an idea:
“I think we should turn this all into a game—
And then we will never see bad days the same!
Let’s find all the good that came out of today—
I’m sure we will see it in such a new way!”

The Rhyme-Time Twins, Chloe and Zoey, are having a tough day at school – absolutely nothing is going well! Can learning about silver linings help turn this awful day around, or will it just continue to get worse and worse?
Join Chloe and Zoey on their next adventure as they process a whole range…


Book cover of Benny the Brave in The First Day Jitters

Carli Valentine Author Of The Fun Thieves

From my list on that teach how perspective is everything.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've always believed in the power behind positive thinking, but it’s easy to get caught up in feelings of worry or disappointment. I picked this topic because I feel that perspective is the tool that can help us change a negative attitude into a positive one. We don’t always have control of various things happening in the world around us. However, we do have the power to try to change our perspective and look at things in a more positive way. I believe this skill is essential to find gratitude and happiness in life, and I love how each of these books approach the topic of the importance of perspective in different ways.

Carli's book list on that teach how perspective is everything

Carli Valentine Why did Carli love this book?

In this book, a little girl named Sarah is worried about starting her first day at school. She can’t help but imagine all the terrible things that could happen. Her friend named Benny helps her to change her perspective by showing her all the things that could go right instead of wrong. I really enjoy this book because it’s so easy to let our minds wander to the negative possibilities. I like how this book reminds us to see the good that can happen in situations and also encourages us to find good positive friends like Benny that will help give us a boost when needed! 

By Julie Anne Penn, Darren Penn, Sergio De Giorgi (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Benny the Brave in The First Day Jitters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**From the best-selling Team Supercrew Series**
**First Place Winner - Purple Dragonfly Book Awards 2022 - New Author Fiction**

First day? New School? New experience? Feeling scared? Benny the Brave is here to help!

Meet Sarah. She’s about to start a new school that’s on a distant planet. She doesn’t have any friends yet. Her teacher may or may not be a swamp creature. And worse, lunch looks like it’s wriggling, slimy and alive! But just before the school bus arrives, Team Supercrew’s Benny the Brave comes to the rescue! Team Supercrew’s Benny the Brave reminds kids that they have…


Book cover of Grand Canyon

Leslie Barnard Booth Author Of A Stone Is a Story

From my list on rocks and geology for children.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child growing up in the Pacific Northwest, my pockets were often full of rocks. Rocks are beautiful and soothing to hold. They are ubiquitous treasures, available to all. But even more than this, rocks are portals to the past—to a time before humans, before animals, before plants, before microbes. I am endlessly fascinated by the stories rocks tell and by the secrets they share with us through their form and structure. I still collect rocks, and now I also write picture books about science and nature for children. The books on this list are all wonder-filled. I hope you enjoy them!

Leslie's book list on rocks and geology for children

Leslie Barnard Booth Why did Leslie love this book?

I’m obsessed with time—how to define it, the way it reshapes all things, the sheer immensity of it. Rocks are our only link to Earth’s deep past, and we rely on the stories rocks tell to understand our planet’s history.

This nonfiction picture book offers a detailed introduction to the geology and ecology of one of Earth’s great natural wonders, showcasing the Grand Canyon’s distinct ecological communities and explaining its formation.

As a parent and child hike the canyon, we explore it alongside them, and through momentary leaps back in time, we see how the landscape and its inhabitants have changed over the course of more than 1 billion years.

By Jason Chin,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Grand Canyon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Rivers wind through earth, cutting down and eroding the soil for millions of years, creating a cavity in the ground 277 miles long, 18 miles wide and more an a mile deep known as the Grand Canyon.

Home to an astonishing variety of plants and animals that have lived and evolved within its walls for millennia, the Grand Canyon is much more than just a hole in the ground. Follow a father and daughter as they make their way through the cavernous wonder, discovering life both present and past.

Weave in and out of time as perfectly placed die cuts…


Book cover of Where Wonder Grows

Leslie Barnard Booth Author Of A Stone Is a Story

From my list on rocks and geology for children.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child growing up in the Pacific Northwest, my pockets were often full of rocks. Rocks are beautiful and soothing to hold. They are ubiquitous treasures, available to all. But even more than this, rocks are portals to the past—to a time before humans, before animals, before plants, before microbes. I am endlessly fascinated by the stories rocks tell and by the secrets they share with us through their form and structure. I still collect rocks, and now I also write picture books about science and nature for children. The books on this list are all wonder-filled. I hope you enjoy them!

Leslie's book list on rocks and geology for children

Leslie Barnard Booth Why did Leslie love this book?

When I take the time to really look at a rock and contemplate the journey that brought it to me, I am humbled. I’m reminded that I’m a small part of something bigger, an experience shared by the characters in this gorgeous picture book about rocks, intergenerational relationships, and Indigenous knowledge.

In Where Wonder Grows, Grandma leads her granddaughters to a special garden, and together they explore a collection of rocks. Grandma encourages the girls to look closely at each rock and to think about how it formed and all it has been through. She helps the girls see that rocks are “alive with wisdom” and that nature is full of wonder. 

By Xelena Gonzalez, Adriana M. Garcia (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Where Wonder Grows as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

⭐"Simply stunning"―Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review / ⭐"Lyrical"―Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

A children’s picture book about a grandmother bonding with her granddaughters as she teaches them how much they can learn from nature just by being curious.

Grandma knows that there is wondrous knowledge to be found everywhere you can think to look. She takes her girls to their special garden, and asks them to look over their collection of rocks, crystals, seashells, and meteorites to see what marvels they have to show. “They were here long before us and know so much more about our world than we ever will,”…


Book cover of Nature Is a Sculptor: Weathering and Erosion

Leslie Barnard Booth Author Of A Stone Is a Story

From my list on rocks and geology for children.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child growing up in the Pacific Northwest, my pockets were often full of rocks. Rocks are beautiful and soothing to hold. They are ubiquitous treasures, available to all. But even more than this, rocks are portals to the past—to a time before humans, before animals, before plants, before microbes. I am endlessly fascinated by the stories rocks tell and by the secrets they share with us through their form and structure. I still collect rocks, and now I also write picture books about science and nature for children. The books on this list are all wonder-filled. I hope you enjoy them!

Leslie's book list on rocks and geology for children

Leslie Barnard Booth Why did Leslie love this book?

Nature Is a Sculptor combines two of my favorite things, poetry and geology, to great effect.

With rhyming text and breathtaking photographs, this inviting and accessible nonfiction picture book introduces children to the geological processes of weathering and erosion, revealing how natural forces sculpt Earth’s rocks and landscapes. Active verbs highlight the dramatic nature of these processes and underscore the malleability of our dynamic Earth.

By Heather Ferranti Kinser,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Nature Is a Sculptor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

Glaciers, rivers, wind, and rain are a few of the elements that shape the landscape in powerful ways.

They form features big and small―from grand canyons and enormous caves to smooth pebbles and fine grains of sand. Lyrical verse by Heather Ferranti Kinser introduces weathering, erosion, and deposition, and eye-catching photos provide a look at some of the world's geological marvels. Back matter gives more information about the processes that sculpt the landscape and highlights formations including Half Dome, a hoodoo, and basalt columns.


Book cover of The World I Live in and Optimism: A Collection of Essays

Jeffery Renard Allen Author Of Song of the Shank

From my list on blindness.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a creative writer, I think it is important for me to put myself into the bodies and minds of people, unlike myself, and imagine how they move about in the world. In my book, I write about Blind Tom, a person from the nineteenth century who has little in common with me. However, there are some affinities and connections between Tom and myself. Although I am not blind, I suffer from a disability. Also, I like writing about music and musicians. I chose to write about Tom in part because he was a great musician who has never received the proper credit he deserves from musicologists and historians.

Jeffery's book list on blindness

Jeffery Renard Allen Why did Jeffery love this book?

I think Helen Keller is one of the most fascinating and brilliant individuals in human history. In this book, she shows and tells us what it is like to be a person who cannot see, hear, or speak. I find the book quite moving. Some readers will be familiar with the biopics that have been made about Heller. Take my word these movies don’t offer the pleasure of reading Keller’s story. 

By Helen Keller,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The World I Live in and Optimism as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

These poetic, inspiring essays offer insights into the world of a gifted woman who was deaf and blind. Helen Keller relates her impressions of life's beauty and promise, perceived through the sensations of touch, smell, and vibration, together with the workings of a powerful imagination.
The World I Live In comprises fifteen essays and a poem, "A Chant of Darkness," all of which originally appeared in The Century Magazine. These brief articles include "The Seeing Hand," "The Hands of Others," "The Power of Touch," "The Finer Vibrations," "Smell, the Fallen Angel" "Inward Visions," and other essays. "Optimism," written while Keller…


Book cover of Redirect: Changing the Stories We Live by

Susan M. Weinschenk Author Of How to Get People to Do Stuff: Master the art and science of persuasion and motivation

From my list on understanding human behavior.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have a Ph.D. in Psychology and a lifelong fascination with people and why they do the things they do, including why I do the things I do. My life and career have been all about trying to learn as much as I can about psychology, brain science, how people think, how people learn, and how to use this body of knowledge and research to understand myself and others. My work is about applying behavioral science to the design of technology to better fit and serve people.

Susan's book list on understanding human behavior

Susan M. Weinschenk Why did Susan love this book?

Redirect describes the research on how self-stories drive our behavior. “Self-stories” are the small stories we tell ourselves and others about why we do what we do. There are two reasons why this book is so amazing: First, it makes you see that these largely unconscious self-stories are really controlling our whole lives, and secondly, Dr. Wilson shares his research on how very easy it actually is to change the stories and therefore change our lives. I’ve used his techniques many times to make it through my own life challenges and it works. Changing your self-story is the only way to get your life to change. Luckily, if you follow Dr. Wilson’s research and techniques you will discover it is much easier than you think to change the stories.

By Timothy D. Wilson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Redirect as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What if there were a magic pill that could make you happier, turn you into a better parent, solve a number of your teenager's behavior problems, reduce racial prejudice, and close the achievement gap in education? There is no such pill, but story editing -- the scientifically based approach described in Redirect -- can accomplish all of this.

The world-renowned psychologist Timothy Wilson shows us how to redirect the stories we tell about ourselves and the world around us, with subtle prompts, in ways that lead to lasting change. Fascinating, groundbreaking, and practical, Redirect demonstrates the remarkable power small changes…


Book cover of Everybody Needs a Rock
Book cover of Perspective Detective
Book cover of Ricky, the Rock That Couldn't Roll

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in perception, nature, and rocks?

Perception 31 books
Nature 158 books
Rocks 11 books