Fezzel’s Story: History of a Rock by Leigh Ahlgren (1998) won a “Kids are Authors” award. Ahlgren was a middle school student when she wrote this story. It’s an ingenious premise which Ahlgren succeeds in developing through rhyme. Tom Chesek turns this unusual tale into an engaging read with his cartoonish illustrations. The rock in question is all face. It’s two eyes and mouth show a wide range of emotions. This rock has a volcanic birth. “I was minding my own business Under the crust one day, When suddenly I was pushed up And out of the way.” It lands in a pool of water, is swallowed by a dinosaur, gets squashed in an earthquake, and is mined for aluminum cans. This drama is less than half way through the story! I’ve never read a book about rocks that was so much fun.
