Everybody Needs A Rock written by Byrd Baylor and illustrated by Peter Parnall is among my top ten favorite children's books and, if pressed to make a choice, I might say that it is my all-time favorite. My first exposure to the book was back in the 70's in one of the gift shops at one of the Smithsonian Museum branches in Washington, DC. I didn't buy it at the time, but its simple story and wonderful illustrations made an impact on me and stuck in my head. Here was a book about someone like me; here was a book about someone with a deep appreciation for rocks. The young lady in the book also had deeply felt personal values. The drawings reminded me of some of my own sketches and they said so much with so few lines and such a simple, earthy color scheme. I would forget the title and then rediscover the book in the 80's as I was finishing up my training as a geologist and then as a high school science teacher. Recently, my Mom gave me a blow-up of a picture taken of me in Badlands National Park in 1966. In the picture, I am 7 and I am sitting on the side of a rocky hill looking intently at a small rock. The picture reminds me of Rule Number 3 from the book:
Bend over. More. Even more. You may have to sit on the ground with your head almost touching the earth. You have to look a rock right in the eye.
If you know a child with a deeper than average appreciation of nature who is little bit misunderstood, give them a little validation by giving them a copy of this fantastic book. I'm still looking for the perfect rock, but, in my opinion, Everybody Needs A Rock is close to a perfect children's book.