Julie the Rockhound - Gail Langer Karwoski

When a young girl finds a sparkly rock buried in the dirt and discovers that it cleans to a beautiful quartz crystal, she is fascinated and becomes Julie the Rockhound. Join Julie as her dad shows her how to dig for minerals and explains the wonders of crystal formation. Combining clever wordplay with earth science, young readers learn about Earth's most abundant mineral "treasure.".

Gail Langer Karwoski (Water Beds, River Beds, and Julie the Rockhound) is an award-winning children's book writer. In addition to Julie the Rockhound and Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean (Mom's Choice Best Children's Picture Book Author for 2005), published by Arbordale, Gail has written six other books for young readers including: Tsumani: The True Story of an April Fool's Day Disaster and Quake! Disaster in San Francisco, 1906. Before becoming a full time author, Gail taught in Georgia public schools. She frequently returns to schools as a visiting author. Gail married a rockhound. On their honeymoon, they hiked through lush western forests and stark "forests" of petrified wood. They dove into foamy aquamarine waves in the Pacific Ocean and dug into crumbly turquoise deposits in the Southwestern desert. Since then, they've gone "treasure hunting" for geodes, fossils, and crystals. At the schools where she taught, her classroom was famous because of the "rock box." Now, as owners of a quartz deposit in South Carolina where visitors can try their luck at digging for crystals, Gail and her husband have watched hundreds of people - both young and old - delight in finding sparkly quartz crystals. She wrote Julie the Rockhound to share this delight in our earth's treasures with children and their parents. Gail lives near the University of Georgia with her husband, two daughters, and three bossy cats. Visit Gail's website: http://www.gailkarwoski.com/

Soft pastel illustrations make this a warm, accessible introduction to rock collecting. The interplay between Julie and her dad and the infectious enthusiasm passed between the two add to the appeal of digging up treasure in one's own backyard. - School Library Journal

This book would make an excellent addition to earth science lessons and it will keep curious, young rockhounders busy. - Children's Literature Comprehensive Database

Warm watercolor illustrations capture the excitement of a sparkling mineral discovery, the details of the quartz crystal shape, and the relationship between Julie and her father. - Rock & Gem Magazine