Thompson, Ruby Amy. Rock and Roll. Ruby Amy Thompson, Illus. Tiger Tales, 01/2026. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-1-6643-0092-7. GRADES Preschool–2. ADDITIONAL.
A rock and a bread roll are compared side by side; one is strong and one is soft, but they also have things in common. The two are portrayed as friends, although we don’t learn where or how they met. The cartoonish artwork may have been achieved with gouache or watercolors and is similar to the work of John Jory, as in The Bad Seed (Harper, 2017), with a rock and a roll with eyes and stick arms and legs. Some of the comparisons are unclear: “Rock can swim. Roll can fly,” but the rock just sinks and the roll has been thrown, and a thrown rock could “fly” too. This could be used to talk about comparisons.
Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool