Some people collect stamps. Other people collect coins. Carol Otis Hurst's father collected rocks. Nobody ever thought his obsession would amount to anything. They said, "You've got rocks in your head" and "There's no money in rocks." But year after year he kept on collecting, trading, displaying, and labeling his rocks. The Depression forced the family to sell their gas station and their house, but his interest in rocks never wavered. And in the end the science museum he had visited so often realized that a person with rocks in his head was just what was needed.
Anyone who has ever felt a little out of step with the world will identify with this true story of a man who followed his heart and his passion.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Carol Otis Hurst is a storyteller, teacher, children's book critic, and columnist for Teaching K-8 Magazine. She is the author of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book Rocks in His Head.
With great affection and an appealing nostalgia, Hurst (Through the Lock, reviewed below) recounts the story of her father, an avid rock collector from the time he was a boy. When people commented that "he had rocks in his pockets and rocks in his head," he would answer with an agreeable "Maybe I have," then reach into his pocket and eagerly add, "Take a look at this one." This response, conveying both the hero's humility and passion, becomes a recurring refrain. Stevenson conveys the fellow's easygoing manner with elegant pen-and-ink wash illustrations. Together, author and artist chart the boy's growth into manhood and touch on the world events that shape him. As a young man, he opens a filling station, where he displays his labeled rocks and minerals and learns how to repair the then-new Model T. After the Depression shuts down his business, he moves his cherished collection into the attic of his home, finding odd jobs wherever he can. The story's conclusion will prove as satisfying to readers as it was to Hurst's father: the director of the local museum offers him a dream job the position of curator of mineralogy. Dominated by earth tones, Stevenson's artwork convincingly evokes both the personality of this endearing protagonist and the period in which he lived. An emphatic endorsement for youngsters to follow their passions. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Stevenson, James (illustrator). Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 4348519-75
Quantity: 3 available
Seller: Once Upon A Time Books, Siloam Springs, AR, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Good. Stevenson, James (illustrator). This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear . This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear . Seller Inventory # mon0001151657
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Stevenson, James (illustrator). May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.8. Seller Inventory # G0060294043I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Stevenson, James (illustrator). Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.8. Seller Inventory # G0060294043I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Stevenson, James (illustrator). Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.8. Seller Inventory # G0060294043I3N10
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Stevenson, James (illustrator). Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.8. Seller Inventory # G0060294043I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Stevenson, James (illustrator). Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.8. Seller Inventory # G0060294043I4N01
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Betty Mittendorf /Tiffany Power BKSLINEN, Ralston, NE, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. James Stevenson (illustrator). First Edition. Color illust on cover and dj. Dj in mylar wrap. Int. good. Color illust. Usual library markings. Seller Inventory # 131419B
Quantity: 1 available