PPBF – STALACTITE & STALAGMITE: A BIG TALE FROM A LITTLE CAVE

I saw the list of Caldecott Award winners announced earlier this week, and today’s Perfect Picture Book caught my eye. When I discovered it yesterday in a favorite indie bookstore, I flipped through the pages and knew I had to share it today.

Title: Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave

Written & Illustrated By: Drew Beckmeyer

Publisher/Date: Atheneum Books for Young Readers/2025

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: natural history, geological history, geology, stalactites, stalagmites, extinction, cave, all dialogue, non-fiction, friendship

Opening:

The earth settles.

The volcanoes burp up rocks.

The first clouds form and drip the first raindrops onto the ground.

This is just the beginning.

Brief Synopsis: A conversation between a stalactite and a stalagmite as they grow through the many eons of earth’s history.

Links to Resources:

·      Check out these free Activity Sheets;

·      Check out this Guide to Using Environmental Fiction and Nonfiction in the Classroom;

·      Learn more about Stalactites and Stalagmites here;

·      Have you ever seen a Stalactite or a Stalagmite? How did it make you feel to see rock formations that emerge from drops of minerals?

Why I Like this Book:

True confession: my knowledge of geology and earth history is as small as the emerging stalactite and stalagmite at the outset of this story. Had I not seen the title on the Caldecott list and discovered it in a bookstore, I may not have read it. But once I started flipping through the pages, I couldn’t put it down.

From the get-go, it’s clear Stalactite & Stalagmite is a unique history of the natural world geared towards a picture book audience. The Opening quoted above is from the End Papers. It and one more paragraph are the only non-dialogue until we reach Back Matter. Once we’ve cleared the title page, we jump right into the story, the story of a Stalactite that drips and grows through the ages, and the Stalagmite which emerges from the drips and drops. These two characters converse with each other and with the creatures that visit their cave through the ages, from a trilobite through humans.

I won’t spoil the ending, but suffice it to say that Stalactite and Stalagmite remain rooted in their cave throughout this story, fearlessly surviving the world’s many changes.

In darker earth-tones that evoke life in a cave, Beckmeyer’s art draws readers into the story and helps us connect with the title characters and the many creatures that visit the cave.

Whether in a classroom or at home, readers will learn much about the natural history of our world and enjoy this tale of two friends.

A Note about Craft:

Recounting the entire natural history of our world in a picture book while creating two empathetic characters is no easy feat. Kudos to Beckmeyer for making earth history accessible and fun to learn. No wonder Stalactite & Stalagmite is an award winner.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!