Ricky, the Rock that Couldn't Roll

“Ricky The Rock That Couldn’t Roll” is an absolute gem of a book that captivated both my 7 year old and 4 year old from the very first page. I’m not going to lie, even I, their mom, found myself thoroughly enjoyed this delightful story. The artwork is wonderfuk, with each rock character beautifully illustrated and bursting with personality. My children loved getting to know all the different rocks and their unique traits. The story itself is a heartwarming and humbling tale about friendship, acceptance, and the unconditional love that binds friends together. The message is profound yet perfectly accessible for young readers, teaching them the importance of supporting and loving one another. This book has become a bedtime favorite in our household, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. “Ricky The Rock That Couldn’t Roll” is a must-have addition to any child’s bookshelf!​

Great book on the power of persistence, friendship and peer support. Ricky the rock is "different" from his friends - he has a flat bottom instead of being "round." Consequently, he cannot roll down the hill like his friends when they play. He is stuck on his flat side. Despite, having this physical "challenge," Ricky keeps trying but cannot roll on this own. His friends start trying to find ways that help Ricky roll down the hill. When their initial attempts don't work, they keep trying until they come up with a unique and ingenious way helping him be able to roll down the hill. This is a great book for a child who is facing the challenges of any kind of impediment to success by giving them hope and fostering trust that there are others who will be kind and help them. Sometimes we cannot overcome the odds on our own but with the help of others, we can succeed. This is a powerful message for such children and adults but also for any child who is facing normal developmental challenges such as learning to read, going through potty training , riding a bike, etc. I bought this for my granddaughter who is can master tasks quite well but is a bit of a perfectionist and can get down on herself. It helps her keep a proper perspective. I really loved this book because of the happy ending and the way it teaches how we are all interconnected.

Over and over, Ricky the Rock watches his rock friends race to the top of their hill overlooking a lake and then roll all the way down, as rocks apparently love to do when we’re not watching. They invite Ricky to join them, but all Ricky can do is sit and watch. You see, Ricky is flat on one side, not round like the others. His friends, unwilling to let him sit on the sidelines and not enjoy their fun, try various ways to help Ricky join in all their rolling-rock games. All to no avail. And Ricky only becomes more discouraged. But they keep trying. Finally, by working together, they nervously, with love and hope, come up with one ingenious plan. Author Jay Miletsky skillfully tells this humorous tale with the rhythm and rhyme kids love, and the story oozes caring, friendship, and perseverance. Erin Wozniak’s simple line-drawing backgrounds set off colorful character illustrations of Ricky and his friends as they try all their problem-solving ideas. And dialogue bubbles contain rock characters’ jokes and other quips, such as Ricky asking if one of the failed attempts is supposed to be fun. Highly recommend this book for classroom and home enjoyment.

This book is different and so cool. I love that the content is different than your usual child's book and that it also touches on a lot of emotions you would feel on a normal day. Its silly and engaging and allows your little one to laugh and follow along as well as giving you quick laughs as an adult(the rolling stones and the pebbles lol). I love this book, hope to continue with the series.

I am so glad I found this book series! The stories are so cute and entertaining, the illustrations are EXCELLENT and the storylines also teach important things about life like being different, friendship, how to treat people…..my toddler grandbaby loves to read these books, and we made a whole fun project out of them because she loves collecting rocks so now we’ve decorated some of her rocks and named them after the characters in the books! I bought them all and there’s another one I pre-ordered. If you have a little one who loves to read-check out this series. There are also a number of YouTube videos of people reading the books aloud which is fun too!

So I bought this book for myself a grown 56 year old who happens to be an avid rockhounder. I was able to listen to the full story over on YouTube and immediately had to buy it! It's a special little book! I highly recommend.

I like the story - it has a "moral" but, it's not treacle. There is a problem and the gang pitches in to help their friend. I like the way the story moves and the illustrations are fresh and interesting - authentic rock, you know? The ending is very satisfying. I think my 3,4 and 6 year old grand kids wanted to know what happened and once they did, they wanted to read it again. I have read it to them several times and they have not become bored or lost interest. The reason I gave it a 4 star and not a 5 star is that I do not like booger jokes and I did not appreciate the silly cartoon that had NOTHING to contribute to the story. I will white it out as soon as my young reader gets close to reading it. Not necessary and a cheap ha ha that distracts from the story line. The last line of the book was profound, and is a really good lesson. Bravo.

Cover: This cover is simple done right. I was privileged to watch this book as it moved through the development process, and it's amazing to see the final product. The key characters take center stage - full of expression - giving buyers a clear idea of what the story is about. This is harder to accomplish than you might expect, and the illustrator/designer pulled it off very well. The title font choice is excellent, and LARGE enough! Illustrations: The artist made some very creative choices in illustrating this book. Rather than sticking to the standard mediums, she incorporated various crinkled paper textures. Each rock character has a different texture/color of crinkled paper. It even looks like she may have used a fine grit sandpaper in some cases. This technique is downright brilliant, and it brings the entire story to life. There's not a whole lot of color on each page otherwise - the scenery is simple line art - but this approach delivers an almost tactile experience. Of course, I haven't even touched on the fabulous characters. Each rock is unique and adorable, packed with personality, and wildly expressive. I flipped through this book (looking at the pictures) half a dozen times before I even read the text! Story: That's not to say the story isn't great all on its own - because it really is. It's a rhyming book, but very well written. The meter is excellent, rhymes are on point: "Kai was a meteorite and not from this planet and Maya was lava but taken for granite." And whaddaya know? There's a lesson here too. But it's communicated wonderfully, without feeling forced or "teachy." This book is great for any kid who needs a boost of determination, motivation, and empowerment: "... there's always a way if there's also a will."

Ricky's friends are always willing to help and include Ricky in their "rock" adventures. Poor Ricky, things just don't work out for him. But the perseverance and ingenuity of his friends makes this story a real winner!

Great book and the fact my son is called ricky made it more personalised

I adore this story. It talks about the power of friendship. It shows you when surrounded by good friends, you can achieve joy and any goals in life. They will be there to help. The illustration are very appealing too. Characters full of positive attitudes. My daughter get excited every time when I bring this book to read it to her. I highly recommend it.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Such a fabulous message for young children to hear. A truly delightful story. Would recommend. Fab!