Picture Book Monday: If Rocks Could Sing

[osprey_archer]

I found one surpassingly cool picture book today: Leslie McGuirk's If Rocks Could Sing: A Discovered Alphabet, which is entirely illustrated with photos of ocean-shaped rocks that McGuirk found on the Florida beach near her home. Not just rocks shaped like letters, although that's cool enough - how often do you find a rock shaped like a K? - but also rocks shaped like the objects the letters stand for: E is a rock like an elephant's head, for instance. Or O stands for ouch! - accompanied by a picture of a rock that looks like a face grimacing in pain.

And she has a unique answer to the X problem. Rather than using X-ray or xylophone, she has X stand for XOXO, and illustrates it with a rock shaped like an embracing couple - rather like a natural sculpture of Klimt's The Kiss.

The book is cute, but most of all I love to imagine the author beach-combing, walking softly along the sand to look for rocks washed into sculptures by the waves.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

That sounds beautiful!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I thought of you when I read it! Finding all the alphabet rocks sounded like something you might do if you lived by a beach in Florida. :)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I would! I clicked on the link and then did an image search for more pictures--the rocks are so expressive!

I hope to visit Florida in June. Maybe I'll find some good rocks :-)

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, have fun in Florida! Which part of Florida?

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

The very southern part. I want to kayak through some mangroves. I've always wanted to see mangroves with my own eyes. That, and I've always wanted to see the Everglades. And while we're at it, I'd like to go to a Seminole museum. So! I'd better get cracking and see if I can make it happen.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

That sounds amazing! I hope you can make it work.