Backpack Explorer: Rock Hunt

Backpack Explorer: Rock Hunt is a great resource for doing rock-related activities! There are lots of facts about rocks, minerals, and other items outside. I really enjoyed the variety of activities, from organizing your own rock collection, to figuring out what type of rock you have. Very fun, great way to get kids outdoors and interested in nature.

Being a rock painter I just had to read this story about rock hunting! This is a cute book for little kids to give them ideas of what to look for while hunting for rocks. It also explains some scientific principles. I like that it is encouraging curiosity and being outdoors. I liked all of the scavenger hunts for the different types of rocks. This was a colorful book and little kids would really enjoy the scavenger hunt aspect of it especially with the stickers to add when the rocks are found. Fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for access to this Digital ARC.

I LOVE this book! As a grade 3 teacher about to teach a unit on Rocks and Minerals with my class, I'm devastated that this book doesn't come out until February! That's ok, I'll still definitely need to purchase a copy for my class library in the new year! This book is filled with fun and interesting activities that children can do to learn more about different rocks and minerals. There is a mix of real and drawn pictures that are intriguing and will draw in a young readers attention I think this book would be a perfect fit for any little aspiring geologists in the age 4-10 range. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

I loved this book. My background is in nature based education and I would absolutely recommend this book to nature based educators of young children or to families. It has a great mix of scientific information, activity suggestions and beautiful illustrations. I think a child would feel like they had a treasure map in their hands reading this book. This book would be a great tool for parents who value connecting their children to the outdoors but don’t always know how to do that.

We own all the Backyard Explorer books published so far. This one definitely didn’t disappoint. It has such great illustrations/photos, as well as just enough information to get kids interested in learning more about rocks without overwhelming them. They’re made to take out on the trail and explore.

Backpack Explorer: Rock Hunt is a Children's Nonfiction about nature and outdoors, specifically looking and learning about rocks.

The cover is simple and goes alongside their other books within the series. We have seen a few others of theirs to incorporate within our outdoor studies with our toddler.

Within the pages, you're introduced to rocks, what you need to pack when you go "rock hunting", learn about minerals, and more.

Their illustrations are great, colorful and bright but also easily understandable for kids and little ones while still being realistic and detailed. We've enjoyed their previous books within this series and it's a great tool for homeschooling, teaching and more.

5 Stars. Would recommend. This book will definitely become a part of our collection for learning at home.

Thanks to the publisher, Storey Publishing, the author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy to read and review. Review will also be posted to my blog (www.kagoodsell.com/book-reviews), GoodReads, TikTok (@unearthingeco), as well as NetGalley reviews.

This book is a great addition to the series! I love the emphasis on rocks, especially collecting and identification. There are lots of colorful pictures throughout and fun activities that would appeal to children of various age groups.

I really enjoy collecting cool and interesting looking rocks when my husband and I go on walks and hikes, so this book seemed like a fun read, and it didn't disappoint. If you have a young one that loves the outdoors and/or rocks, this could be a great addition to your library. That being said though, this book does require some adult supervision for a number of the activities and some of the tips and facts might want to be elaborated on for safety reasons. (For example: 'certain rocks can scratch glass', please make sure your readers do not try to scratch all your windows with rocks).

So what is this book, well, it is a lot of great things. First and foremost it is a non-fiction book all about types of rocks, where you might find them, their differences, and often interesting facts about them. It is also a sticker book of sorts, as you locate the types of rocks, the book boasts stickers in the back that you can use to track your progress (since I had a digital copy, I did not have the pleasure of stickering, nor where there examples of the sticker pages). It is also an activity book. In between the sections about rocks, there are fun things to do and try with them, pet rocks, scavenger hunts, boats with rock pirates, and collections

This book was very well put together with thing to bring on your hunt, images of actual rocks, illustrations, and diagrams. It is easy to follow along with and has some pronunciation guides in the text to help out.

It is important to also remind your readers that not all rocks are found in all areas, it is possible that they will be able to complete their sticker journey, but maybe not. Overall, I found this book pretty fun to read through and I think young rock hounds will enjoy it as well. But be prepared to find rocks all over your house.

Galley note: I received this early e-copy from the publisher, and at the time of reading there were many images with watermarks on them from stock images. Completely fine and the images were great, I just hope that for publication the watermarks are removed accordingly.

Review will go live on blog closer to release date.

This book is perfect for all aspiring young geologists, or for introducing children to the different types of rocks they may encounter whilst in nature. The illustrations and pictures used within the book will allow younger children to engage with the book, and the vocabulary used will help them to establish a solid foundation of knowledge upon which they may build scientific and geographical knowledge further. I particularly enjoyed within this book, that alongside the written explanations and pronunciation guides the scavenger hunts and activities which will allow children to experience hands-on activities to engage them with the learning opportunities provided within the book. 5/5 - perfect for first time geologists or for compounding prior knowledge!

This book provides young readers/learners with interesting facts about various types of rocks and minerals. It provides plenty of pictures to compare your findings to the book to identify your rock. Would be perfect for a classroom, home schooling, or any rock obsessed child.

I really enjoyed this book there's tons of fun facts and the little scavenger hunts will be fun for kids (or adults) to do. It's a good resource for lots of information on rocks from how they form to the different types great for the little rock hunter you know

Thank you to Net Galley and Storey Publishing for this opportunity to read this E-Ark and this is my honest review.

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My son got one of those kits from national graphic where they have to dig out the rocks. He loved it. Since then we have been everything rocks in this house and got a tumbler.

This book was a great introduction for kids who like and want to know more about rocks. I loved how it went thru three different types with detailed pictures. But then within those types the author then provided fun ideas for activities that the kids could do. Like stacking rocks, making a bark boat and seeing how many rocks it could hold etc. I also loved the idea of using an egg carton to hold all your small rock treasures.

This is great and I can't wait for it to come out to pickup up physical copy.

I love this book! I've loved rocks since I was a kid, always going to rock shows and using rock tumblers, and when my son got interested in them, I was incredibly psyched. I was very excited to have this book to explore with him!

This book is a delightful introduction to rock hunting and geology for little people.

The illustrations and pictures are bright and inviting and convey a real sense of excitement and adventure.

The instructions, activities, and information is perfect for young children and is bound to start a life-long interest in being a 'rock hound'.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the editors for giving me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Links to Booktopia and Amazon AU reviews will be updated the week of publication.

We absolutely love @storeypub ‘s upcoming book Backpack Explorer: Rock Hunt. It is the perfect book for educational lessons, helping you offer both crafts and information about rocks, rocks types, their formation and identification. It is packed with excellent images, lots of great detail and really provides a brilliant book for young ones to ask questions and find a true interest in rocks and the geology around them. We highly recommend adding this book to your collection, for fun and education. We were provided this book via NetGalley to honestly review. #BackpackExplorerRockHunt #NetGalley

This was so adorable! As a kid I loved to collect rocks and even dreamed for a while of becoming a geologist. I think this book would have been one I ADORED when I was younger. It has a good mix of information, images and also interactive activities.

It could also be good as a refreshed for adults like me who used to be big rock collectors. Some of the information in the book were things I didn't know/or didn't remember. I also like how the connected rock collecting and exploring to more broad subjects and more local/everyday subjects like chalk for a chalk board.

Overall I think this is a great book for kids who either are into rock collecting or maybe want to get into it. I could also see this book being great to gift to a child going on a road trip or camping trip. It does a good job at making rock collecting "cool" and fun by framing it as an adventure.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book with my eight-year-old niece, who is obsessed with rocks, and she really liked it.

Found this book very educational. Most kids (and some adults) just consider a rock as a rock and nothing more. Besides most kids collect rocks and wonder what kind they are without really knowing where to get more reliable information that is geared towards younger kids like what is contained in the book.
Really was surprised that the book has interactive suggestions for immersing the kids into geology; with a combination of the stickers, games, and other ways to really showcase the uniqueness of each rock. This is a parents answer to their kids’ inquisitiveness.
I received an advanced reader copy for free from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review

Rock Hunt is perfect for your young science and nature lover. My five year old would absolutely love this book and the magnifying glass that is included. The illustrations and diagrams are clear and colorful. The text is written in a way that encourages the reader to make observations of the rocks around them. Filled with suggested activities and ideas for exploration, this book has an interactive feel to it. The activities suggested are easy enough that they could likely be done independently and don’t require extra materials. The book was more comprehensive and detailed than I expected it to be without being too complicated. My only complaint is that the book seems to end somewhat abruptly. A final page encouraging readers to keep exploring would make it seem more complete. Perhaps an index could also be added. Overall I would buy this for my science-loving elementary kiddo.

I thought that this book was absolutely brilliant!

It is a brilliant resource for children all about rocks – it uses photographs and illustrations throughout and it is a really detailed and informative book

I liked the layout for the book and the fact sections were brilliant

At the end of the book is a sticker section where children can take the sticker off to add it to the right page when they have found a specific type of rock – a fun book to use at the beach or on a trip out in nature for the day - it is really fun and interactive

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!

I'm not very outdoorsy or geology-lover but this book was a great resource to learn more about rocks. Some kids in my classroom would love and it will be a great addition to the curriculum. I'll recommend it!

My daughter and I had so much fun reading this book together, especially as we both love rocks and crystals. We have our own collections, which we love.

The book is amazing, and we both loved it a lot. It goes into detail about how to find rocks and pebbles, what we can do with them once we find them, and how we can collect crystals. There are lots of beautiful images and photographs in the book, which are bright and colourful. The whole book is fantastic, and it is filled with so much knowledge and information.

I highly recommend this book to all children and adults, and I think this is a book which should be in every school and library. It would also make the perfect gift!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This is a really interesting non-fiction book that introduces children to geology and minerals etc in a really child-friendly way - because who hasn't had a child pick up a dozen rocks whilst out on a walk?!
Educational, interactive and full of fascinating facts - what's not to like?!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

This was absolutely darling. The illustrations were lovely. My children and I learned so much about rocks. We can't wait to read it again. This is one I'll return to again and again. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This is a great non fiction book with lots of interesting factoids about rocks, minerals, and outside things. I liked how there are activities to engage kids and I think this will peak the interest of lots of kids.

This is a great nonfiction book for any young rock enthusiast! Easy to read, easy to follow, easy to enjoy!

I was really impressed with this book! It is loaded with many activities and great visuals. I can't wait to learn with my kids on our many adventures :)

This would be an awesome gift for kids before a camping or state park trip. It would even be cool if you were not going on vacation. I love the little ideas of activities and making a pet rock (the blankets bit had me gushing). Loved it!

My children love this series and we have all of the books published so far. I love the balance of informational with interactive. The journal is loaded with information, but has parts throughout that ask kids to search, examine, compare, and investigate as they explore their surroundings. Hours of fun will be had with another awesome journal.

What a FANTASTIC book for young ones to expand their knowledge about the world around them and right outside their door! This book is bright and colorful and so inviting to all! Included inside are many activities for kids to do with the different rocks they find and how to identify the different rocks and minerals they find in their search. I have two boys that absolutely love this book and I plan to incorporate this in my classroom immediately as a teacher. Not only did this book educate my young boys about the intricacies of different types of rocks, but I myself learned so much!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This book is lovely. It perfectly matches the interests of my 8 year old rock-loving son. The details have been carefully thought out, from what to take on your rock adventuring all the way to reward patch stickers post adventures. I loved it that a lot of the activities are so simple - notice sizes and colours, sit on a rock and have a snack. This guide teaches children not only the different kinds of rocks in the world, it also includes information on landforms, minerals, gems and the rock cycle. I definitely recommend this book. It would be a great addition to a home library as well as a great birthday present for others. I would like to add it to our list of books to buy.

Having a little rock collector at home, I thought this would be the perfect book. And I was right. This will be a great addition to our science book collection. The definitions are easy to understand and the activities are perfect for any nature walk. Now hiking will never be "boring" again. I know a couple of little ones that will like this book very much and I will definitely recommend it to them. I can't wait to see all the rock art and pets this book will spark to life.

This book is an absolute gem! 😉 I’ve already bought a couple in this series, and my kids love them! The illustrations are simple but informative, and there is enough range for my 3 and 6 year olds. I love that it covers landforms that create the rocks and not just categorizing rocks and gems. I also love the suggested activities We will definitely be adding this physics book to our collection.

Also, a note on the physical books: these are the best quality kids books we have. The coves are a firm-but-pliable material and the pages are rip-moisture proof. My kids haul Nature Trail on every hike and it’s never worse for the wear! The only thing that did it in was leaving in the yard overnight in a downpour, and it was immediately replaced. These are wonderful field guides for kids to tote around with them in the outdoors.

Backpack Explorer: Rock Hunt is a perfect book for a student kindergarten through 5th grade. This book gives the readers activities and discussion options about rocks throughout. The book explains classifications, has discovery zone pages with facts all about landforms, rocks, gems and fossils. If you are looking to create study cycle with your child/students then this book is a wonderful companion. Rock Hunt is a wonderful birthday gift for all the grandkids, nieces and nephews as well as your own little one. The scavenger hunts were perfect to entertain various age groups and still be inclusive. Pick one up today and begin exploring in your own backyard!

Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for access to this Digital ARC.

We love this series and the Rock Hunt addition is perfect for any nature loving kiddo. We love the exciting illustrations that draw in even the youngest readers, as well as the great information provided throughout the book. The photographs add another element of interest, and it takes all of the work out of having to think up an activity adults. A great grab and go book to take outside exploring- we will definitely keep our eye out for a hardcopy once it's released.

We are big fans of the Backpack Explorer books at our house and are very excited about the release of Rock Hunt!

Like the other books in the series Rock Hunt has beautiful illustrations and plenty of hands on explorations and activities to keep little ones busy for hours and hours!

This book introduces children about being a “rock-hound.” I can’t wait to add a physical copy of this book to our shelf!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review

I really like this book. So many young children love rocks and this book has it all, examples, information on formation, usage , types, colours, challenges, love it. I will be buying this for my class as soon as it comes out.

Backpack Explorer: Rock Hunt
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Series: What Will You Find?
Rated: 5
Obtain: Buy it
Back of the Book: “ The latest addition to the best-selling Backpack Explorer series (455,000 copies in print) invites kids ages 4 and up to head outside and find, collect, and learn about rocks with this take-along activity book! Backpack Explorer: Rock Hunt is packed with prompts and activities, including: 12 interactive field guide pages introducing rock classifications (color, shape, size, texture); sensory scavenger hunts; hands-on outdoor creative activities; rock experiments; and discovery zone pages with facts about geology, landforms, igneous and metamorphic rocks, gems, fossils, and more. The book includes a real magnifying glass, stickers, and a log for recording rock finds, making it the perfect explorer guide for budding geologists, whether in a backyard, a city park, or a nature preserve.”

Impressions: This is a fantastic resource for any young explorer. My son is obsessed with rocks and this book provided a comprehensive and age appropriate means to learn and explore. The pictures and text support each other with relevant information. The stickers provide a fun and motivating addition as well. I believe this book and others in this series will be a great addition to any elementary bookshelf.

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here. For more book reviews go to: https://simplyannehere.wordpress.com

Very informational! Kids will love the illustrations and organized format of this book. Excited to purchase this book for my classroom and own kids.

My Kids Loved this book! It was a really great book for my oldest to read and he found it very interesting!! Thanks!!

A wonderful illustrated guide about rock hunting and learning about rocks. It includes a variety of facts, illustrations, and photographs. This would be perfect for explorers ages 6 to 9. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

My daughter was enamored with this book! The colorful pictures and infographics drew her in, the information hit the right balance of thorough and digestible, and she was engaged with the questions and activities throughout the book.

As a parent, I appreciate an intro to geology book that can be understood by and encourage curiosity in a preschooler, though I think any elementary age kid could get something out of this.

This book is interactive and fun, inspiring kids to connect with and explore nature. We will be enjoying many rock hunts with this cheerful book. I think it would make a great gift.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book is really good for children who are interested in rocks, either by just looking around beaches etc or collecting gemstones. It is American so the first couple of pages I wasn't sure for UK audience but actually it is definitely one on my wishlistGreat geology explanations of how the different rocks arr formed, informative but easy to follow and also lovely geographical diagrams of land formations and landscapes.
I like the way it had fun suggestions of what to look for or activities to do too.

This was such a fun book to go through with my son. It was also very handy being able to read it on my phone as well as iPad because we went exploring in the bush looking for rocks that may have matched the descriptions of ones in the book. It's also been raining a lot so we had fun racing barky boats down the ditch together, though we didn't have much luck keeping any stones on them. My son now wants to visit all the different beaches he can to check what colour sand they have and what they feel like, not something we can do in the middle of winter but it will be a fun summer activity. The book was colourful, informative and really held my sons attention, he is keen to try every activity in the book over the school holidays that we haven't already done, and go on many more adventures. A fun activity and informational book for the whole family to read together.

A super cute book for young children interested in learning more about rocks. Would be an amazing book to have to teach the Rocks and Minerals unit at school (Ontario curriculum.) Of course, I also think it is an amazing book to have at home as there are lots of great activities to do on a weekend outdoors.

Backpack Explorer: Rock Hunt is a fun beginners guide to rock hunting and collecting. With beautiful photos and interactive information, it’s the perfect book for younger kids to begin or continue their budding love of rocks.

The photos and illustrations are engaging and provide information for novice scientists in an easily understandable format. The book finds the perfect balance between learning and doing, providing many readily available and affordable activities that range from collecting to art. My two older rock- collecting boys would have loved this in their earlier years.

This is a great activity book for any parent of preschool to 3rd grade children to pick up, even those not already interested in geology or science.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the ARC.

My favorite part about this awesome activity book is that there is SOMETHING for everyone- it doesn't exclude any kiddo that may learn differently or have any type of disability that would affect their enjoyment of the activities. Can't see the colors for one prompt? That's ok!= use your sense of touch!

It also encourages kids to be creative and unique while educating them on SO many different types of rocks. I even learned quite a bit through the various prompts, definitions, maps and pictures. Rounding out some of the lessons by linking them to real world applications is a brilliant way for kids to retain what they're learning- when they can see how it works in relation to their own life and experiences it makes it tangible and fun.

Also- encouragement of a pet rock was SUPERB and my second favorite thing about this book, again emphasizing creativity and curiosity.

Love, love love this book!

If you have a child in your life that collects rocks, pebbles or stones as treasure-- this is a perfect gift book for them! I would recommend buying a physical copy as the digital version isn't able to come with the magnifying glass!

My little one has pockets full of special" rocks all the time and this book was a delight for her! As a parent, this is a total connection win for those kiddos who LOVE rocks! Buy it right away to help you delight in their rock collecting hobby!

It would also be a great addition to a classroom or library! It is by far our favorite rock book!


The publisher made a copy of this book available for review. This is my honest opinion.

Backpack Explorer: Rock Hunt (Storey Publishing, February 2023) is an engaging activity book for “rock hounds” on the hunt for rocks all around them. From the beginning of this photographic and colorful book, kids see creative ways to make STEAM come alive as they find and examine rocks.

Rock Hunt provides stickers for marking pages as they spot the types of rocks described. Rocks are often differentiated by size (sand, pebbles, and boulders) and appearance (black rocks, striped rocks, sparkly rocks), and still others by where they are found (river rocks). In addition, illustrations diagram the rock cycle, types of rocks (sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous), and even various types of landforms. Another few pages discuss minerals and gemstones, along with a Mohs hardness scale.

Just writing out what is included shows what a comprehensive look at the rocks aspect of earth science Rock Hunt can provide for children. It would be perfect to grab before going hiking or exploring at a lake. The scavenger hunts will keep kids busy while you are on such a vacation.

As a home educator, I also must suggest that Rock Hunt would work well for your own rocks science unit. There so much in there, and it’s just right for early elementary ages. If you have older children, use the educational pages as a jumping off point for exploring the other aspects of rocks that appeal to you and your children. There is a lot to explore and rocks sure look more fun than you might expect.

I read a digital review copy of Rock Hunt.

This book is a great teaching resource when learning about rocks, sand, fossils and rock cycles. It’s detailed pictures make it easy for children (and grown ups) to identify the rocks and has a great use of vocabulary in bold. It also includes fun and creative activities and crafts that the children can do to extend on the learning. The book is colourful and set out easily for children to be able to follow and find what they are looking for.