Rock, written by Laurel Croza and illustrated by Matt James. Groundwood Books, 2025. $22.99 ages 4 and up

 

"Regardless. 
Pebble. Stone. Rock. 
Splash, skip, plop. 
When you are tossed into the water, 
you will sink." 

I love this rock! It has exactly the right attitude when faced by a bully of a seagull. As the gull sweeps in expecting a tasty morsel from the beach, it is disgusted to learn it has just tried to eat a rock. The gull is quick to demean the rock as it spits it back onto the beach. The rock is steadfast in its explanation of what it is. 

"I am a rock."

The gull casts abuse at the rock, suggesting it is merely a small pebble. The rock remains adamant of its being. The bird keeps insulting the rock and doing its best to have the rock realize it is nothing. The gull even suggests that tossing the rock into the water would be the end of it. There are many other rocks, and this rock would never be missed. 

The talk goes back and forth in words that are decisive for the rock and increasingly threatening from the bird. The rock does not waver. While trying to impress its bird companions, the gull suggests that the rock will eventually be diminished by erosion as the waves wash in and out. The rock is happy to explain one more time that it is what it is. The bird is determined to have the final say: 

"Insist all you
want. 
But, I am telling you, 

you 

are 

nothing special." 

A young girl playing on the beach chases the birds away, and proves that the rock is, indeed, something very special. 

Mattt James' acrylic-and-ink artwork is inspiring, showing the seagull in dramatic close-ups, while also changing perspectives to show the child playing on the beach, and her discovery that the rock is the final piece needed for her artistic creation. Double-page spreads offer a realistic look at the vast open skies and the endless beauty of the sandy beach.