Your Birthstone Book: Unearth the Secrets of Your Birthday Gem

by Sarah Glenn Marsh, Hallye Webb (Illustrator)

Overview

Learn the amazing (and sometimes magical) history of gemstones from around the world through the corresponding birthstones that represent each month of the year.

Gemstones are among Earth’s rarest and most beautiful creations. They are history’s preeminent symbols of wealth and power. They are valued because they are beautiful and rare, but also because their beauty is undiminished with time. The stone that once adorned a king or maharaja, might today be set in a ring or necklace, and if not destroyed, will continue to sparkle thousands of years from now. This history only increases the value of these stones.

What better way to teach young readers about gemstones than by focusing on the different birthstones that correspond to each month of the year? Everyone (mostly) knows their birthstone. But do they know the full history of these stones--where they were mined, how/why they were popular, or how to best harness a stone's energy to help deal with matters of friendship, family, and life? Your Birthstone Book will give readers insight into the powers assigned different bithstones while exploring their fascinating uses over the course of history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762479306
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	12/06/2022
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	36 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sarah Glenn Marsh is an author of several young adult novels and over half a dozen picture books. When she's not writing, she loves creating pottery and painting it in exciting new colors. She lives with her husband and many pets, including four dogs and three birds, in Richmond, Virginia.

Hallye Webb is an illustrator and designer based in New York City. Drawing inspiration from the Wisconsin farm where she grew up, her Mexican heritage, and the art of storytelling, she hopes her work inspires readers to love and care for their communities and our planet. She lives near Central Park with her husband Stephen and their dog Moss.

Editorial Reviews

2022-09-14
Facts and fancied qualities associated with 21 birthstones commonly included on current U.S. lists.

Marsh readily admits that the idea of birthstones is ancient and has crossed cultures, but she sticks to what she claims is a standard list developed by this country’s Jewelry Industry Council and last updated in 2016. For each entry, she offers a few bits of information about where the gems are mined and what they look like; the latter is necessary because instead of photos, readers get only painted representations carved and in the rough along with occasional simplified images of bejeweled crowns or other artifacts. Mineralogy and actual mining procedures get spare attention, though the author does acknowledge the existence of “blood” or “conflict” diamonds. Sections of historical anecdotes and superstitious beliefs from “ancient times” then follow, preceding lists of “Uses”—not in, say, industry or fashion but as talismans: “Wearing garnets is believed to inspire a sense of self-confidence.” “Some believe that diamond can clear glaucoma.” “Gray moonstone is believed to help increase a person’s psychic abilities.” Skeptical readers may want to acquire some sardonyx, citrine, turquoise, or black tourmaline, any of which “clears away negative thoughts,” before taking any of this seriously. Webb adds assorted flowers, unidentified human figures (some of whom are people of color), and other vignettes as spot art filler.

Weak in visuals and science, but fascinating for suggestible sorts. (selected sources) (Nonfiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews