Rocks in My Head: Poems for Young People about Rocks, Minerals, and Crystals

From stalagmites widening into “seven-layer wedding cakes” to a trip through a rock shop that feels “like fingering / all the candies / in a trick-or-treat bag,” rocks, minerals, and jewels seldom fail to dazzle and delight young and old alike. Open an abalone shell and you could find a pearl “sleeping on a bed / quilted in rainbows.” Crack open the world of geology through a poem, and you’ll find all sorts of gems for the mind. The poems in this collection do just that, merging science and verse to enchant young rock-hounds and those who enjoy poems that contain all the sparkling pleasures of a crystal geode. These poems range in length and form, including haiku, concrete, narrative, free verse, tanka, and sensory, and are aimed at intermediate and middle school readers. Judi Rypma is no stranger to rocks and minerals—or to poems. This is her 8th book of poetry, and when she’s not collecting rocks or writing poems, she’s teaching children’s literature.