Rick the Rock of Room 214 by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Ruth Chan

Although I'm not personally a fan of Ruth Chan's art style, both she and Julie Falatko have done several things that kids really like and find very funny, so I was hopeful about their new collaboration featuring Rick the Rock.

In a messy, busy classroom, where the kids "sing and jump, draw and read." there is a shelf of Nature Finds. On that shelf sits Rick the rock. He has a splash of paint and a glitter star and he sits. He's always been perfectly happy, until one day the teacher starts a new unit on rocks and he learns all about the exciting things rocks do. The bark, moss, and acorn on the shelf explain that he's not that kind of rock - he just sits. But Rick the rock is determined to get outside and do something exciting and after much effort and planning he makes it! He can't wait to do something exciting, like maybe explode out of a volcano, but... it turns out that the other rocks don't do anything like that. Not anymore. Now they sit. Rick spends a lonely, discouraging night, and is delighted when he's rescued by a student from the class and taken back inside. With a new coating of dirt, and some special decorations from the students, he's happy to be back in his classroom and observe the students, just where he belongs.

Chan's cartoon illustrations show a small classroom of diverse kids. The rocks, and other natural items, have cartoon eyes and mouths, and the art alternates between traditional picture book spreads and comic panels with speech bubbles.

I have to admit I was disappointed by this story. It's hard to believe that sitting inside, even if he's the occasional focus of an art project, is an "adventure" and the deadpan delivery of the other rocks isn't really as humorous as it seems meant to be, especially to young readers and listeners. I also dislike the practice of giving inanimate objects genders - especially when 9 times out of 10 they default to male. However, it's quite possible that I am just deficient in humor, since all the professional reviewers were big fans.

Verdict: In my opinion, an additional selection, most likely to be enjoyed if you do programs decorating rocks or perhaps use it as part of a geology or earth science unit.

ISBN: 978-1534494640; Published August 2022 by Simon and Schuster; Review copy provided by publisher