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The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones

The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones

How Blessed Nicolas Steno Uncovered the Hidden History of the Earth

by Thomas Salerno

Illustrated by Dillon Wheelock

Format
Regular price $24.95 USD
Regular price $24.95 USD Sale price $24.95 USD
SAVE 0% Sold Out MADE IN ITALY

Winner of the ACP 2026 Excellence in Publishing Award for Children’s Books: Young Readers

Winner of the CMA 2026 Book Award for Children’s Independent Reading (2nd Place)

Journey into the exciting life of Nicolas Steno, the father of geology whose passion for truth led him to groundbreaking scientific discovery and a deep religious devotion. Interwoven into this biography of a scientist and Catholic bishop is the story of fossils and the hidden history of the earth beneath our feet. With an extensive glossary of scientific terms and delightful field-guide sketches, this beautifully crafted book will inspire any young person eager to learn about the natural world and its Creator.

Details

Publisher: Word on Fire Votive
ISBN: 978-1-68578-164-4
Binding: Hardcover
Page count: 56
Dimensions: 5.25 x 7 (in)
Thickness: 0.55 (in)
Made in: Italy
Language: English
Release date: Feb 03, 2025
Age Range: 8–14

About the Author

Thomas Salerno

Thomas Salerno is an author, freelance writer, and podcaster from Long Island, New York. He has a bachelor of arts in anthropology from Stony Brook University and has also worked in the fossil collections of the American Museum of Natural History. Thomas hopes to inspire young readers to embrace a spirit of curiosity and wonder about the natural world. The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones is his first children’s book.

Dillon Wheelock

Dillon Wheelock is an illustrator based out of the Midwest with a focus on the fantastical. He loves fairytales, folklore, and fantasy! He also works in the toy world as a concept artist on both original and established properties. When he's not creating art, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife and son, wandering bookstores, exploring nature, plucking away on the ukulele, or tending to his house plants. 

Shipping & Returns

When will my order ship?

  • When items are in-stock, orders placed before 8am CT should ship out that same business day from our Illinois warehouse. 
  • Depending on your shipping address and the shipping method you select at checkout, in-stock items should arrive between 7-10 business days.
  • If your order contains a preordered/backordered item, no items in your order will ship until the preordered item becomes available (i.e. your order will ship all at once.)

 

Do you ship internationally?

  • We offer two international shipping methods, Passport and DHL. Passport has all taxes and duties included in the shipping cost. DHL is delivered duties unpaid, and you may be responsible for taxes and duties when your package is delivered. 
  • International orders are subject to unpredictable delays by customs, and are subject to security mandates, duties, and other fees upon receipt.  
  • Please allow international orders a significant amount of flexibility in timeframe to receipt. 
  • We do accept international returns, but we are unable to generate return labels for international shipments. 

 

Can I make changes or corrections to my order?

  • Please contact us as soon as possible—ideally within 2 hours of placing your order—at 866-928-1237 or sales@wordonfire.org with your order correction details. We’ll work quickly to see if any edits to your order are still possible.
  • Once an order has shipped, we are unable to cancel it.

Return Policy

For non-damaged, standard returns:

Our products may be returned if they were purchased within the last 90 days, are unused, and are still in their original packaging. Original shipping costs are already collected by the shipper, and therefore the original shipping costs are not refundable.

We will provide a pre-paid return label to you. The maximum shipping cost covered will be $20. If the return shipping costs in excess of $20 to ship it to us, that will be deducted from the refund amount. (Meaning, if one orders 30 bibles and changes their mind after receiving them, it would not be good stewarding of our donor-provided funds for the ministry to cover that return shipment.)


Exceptions and limitations:

  • Bulk books (evangelization pricing): Books sold in pre-boxed quantities are evangelistic in nature and priced as low as possible, and we cover the original shipping cost. For that reason, we are unable to cover return shipping costs for bulk books. If you choose to return a bulk book, return shipping will be the customer’s responsibility in that case.
  • Seasonal titles (including Advent and Lenten Gospel Reflections): Seasonal titles are final sale and are not eligible for returns or refunds.


For damaged items: 

For damages to the item that are significant in nature, such as missing pages, large gashes in the cover, major creases in the cover, or dents, etc, please email us at sales@wordonfire.org for a no-cost replacement. For minor damages, like a nick or otherwise tiny blemish, or a slightly bent inward corner, or a slightly flaked embossing, these returns may be accepted but the return shipping will not be covered in order to be good stewards of the donor provided funds that make our non-profit ministry possible. For items that are shipped in protective packaging, such as the Leather Bible, note that the outer box is meant to absorb damage in shipping, and the box should not be considered the product itself, and the box is not replaceable.

 

How can I set up my return? 

Please email us to set up your return at sales@wordonfire.org. 

Your order record will be retrieved by the system based on the email address you used to make the purchase. For this reason, please have the email address or the order number (example: Q######) handy when beginning the return process. We are able to accept international returns, but we are unable to generate return shipping labels from countries outside the United States.  

 

View full details
Thomas Salerno headshot

About the Author

Thomas Salerno is an author, freelance writer, and podcaster from Long Island, New York. He has a bachelor of arts in anthropology from Stony Brook University and has also worked in the fossil collections of the American Museum of Natural History. Thomas hopes to inspire young readers to embrace a spirit of curiosity and wonder about the natural world. The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones is his first children’s book.

Dillon Wheelock headshot

About the Illustrator

Dillon Wheelock is an illustrator based out of the Midwest with a focus on the fantastical. He loves fairytales, folklore, and fantasy! He also works in the toy world as a concept artist on both original and established properties. When he's not creating art, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife and son, wandering bookstores, exploring nature, plucking away on the ukulele, or tending to his house plants. 

What People are Saying

Lisa M Hendey headshot

“The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones is a remarkable journey into the life and legacy of Blessed Nicolas Steno. Gifted author Thomas Salerno invites readers of all ages to consider how the unlikely life of one curious young man forever impacted our world intellectually and spiritually. Illustrations by Dillon Wheelock and a thoughtful layout invite readers into a phenomenal learning adventure. Blessed Nicolas Steno’s life reminds us that the call to sainthood invites each of us, in our unique ways, to explore, love, worship, and share God by living with curiosity, passion, and generosity. Masterful!”

—Lisa M. Hendey, author of I’m a Saint in the Making

Baglow headshot

“Young and old who find themselves fascinated by fossils and the history of our planet will find here a holy companion, inspiration, and hero. Blessed Nicolas Steno is that hero, and here we meet him in story and beautiful images. This is the perfect companion volume for a middle or high school earth science text.”

—Christopher T. Baglow, Ph.D., Academic Director, Science & Religion Initiative, McGrath Institute for Church Life, University of Notre Dame

Meg Hunter Kilmer headshot

“Just the thing for science-loving kids!”

—Meg Hunter-Kilmer, author of Saints Around the World

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