Rocks in His Head

Rating:
Summary: Don't Be Afraid to Follow Your Dream.....
Review: "Some people collect stamps. Some people collect coins or dolls or bottle caps. When he was a boy, my father collected rocks. When he wasn't doing chores at home or learning at school, he'd walk along stone walls and around old quarries, looking for rocks. People said he had rocks in his pockets and rocks in his head. He didn't mind. It was usually true." So begins Carol Otis Hurst's inspiring biography of her father and his lifelong passion for rocks and minerals. In simple and gentle prose, we follow the story of his life, how he grew up and married, opened a successful filling station, lost his business during the depression, and finally while looking for odd jobs and work met Grace Johnson, the Director of the Science Museum. Ms Johnson was so impressed with his knowledge, dedication, and love of rocks that she to gave him a steady job as night janitor at the museum so that he could work around rocks, and that as they say, was just the beginning..... Ms Hurst's fascinating story is beautifully enhanced by James Stevenson's spare and touching pen and ink illustrations, done in quiet earth tones, that really capture the life and times of this very endearing man. With an afterword to complete her uplifting story on the jacket flap, Rocks In His Head is an engaging and nostalgic little treasure that's perfect for youngsters 5-9, and is told with great insight and affection. Never be afraid to follow your dream!

Rating:
Summary: The Triumph of the Amateur
Review: An amateur is someone who does something for the love of it and the main character of Carol Otis Hurst's wonderful, beautiful Rocks in his Head is the epitome of an amateur. In this well illustrated story, Ms. Hurst recounts the story of her father, a rockhound who was dissuaded from making a career of his first love. We follow him through his life from successful gas station owner to family man struggling to make ends meet during the Depression, all the while lovingly collecting, cataloguing, and caring for an ever expanding rock and mineral collection. The payoff comes when her dad gets a job at the local science museum after the director notices his interest in minerals and then views his personal collection. The father goes on to become the curator of the museum's mineral collection. James Stevenson's illustrations perfectly compliment this story of a triumphant amateur. Children's books with true stories like this one usually have a summary page after the end of the story to give details left out of the main book. Unfortunately, details like the father being sent to college by the director and his eventual rise to director of the museum are left for the dust jacket, a part of a children's book that is often lost. Other than this minor criticism, I think this is a 5-star book and wish there were many more like this.

Rating:
Summary: Do what you do best
Review: I just discovered this book. This is the perfect book for a child who likes to pick up rocks, or even who likes to collect just about anything. The drawings are about as charming as any book I ever saw. I love the themes of having a passion and educating yourself about what interests you, but also the excitement of being "discovered" for what you are best at. And when you least expect it. A fabulous book.

Rating:
Summary: Historical story
Review: My children , ages 8 and 6, love this book. I like the message of following your dreams and passions through hard times and no matter what other people may say. We also used the book to discuss the Great Depression and rocks and minerals. I highly recommend this book!!.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: My children , ages 8 and 6, love this book. I like the message of following your dreams and passions through hard times and no matter what other people may say. We also used the book to discuss the Great Depression and rocks and minerals. I highly recommend this book!!.

Rating:
Summary: Historical story
Review: This book tells the life story of the narrator's father, a self-educated man who managed to become museum curator due to his passion for rocks. When the narrator's father was a young boy, he collected rocks everywhere he went. When he grew up, he ran a gas station and kept his rocks on shelves for customers to look at. The gas station went under during the Depression. After hunting around, the man eventually stumbled into a job as a night janitor at the Museum of Science. He was quite happy with this job because he got to polish the rocks in the exhibits. Eventually he was even promoted to the position of curator of the museum because of his expertise with the rocks, even though he lacked a college education. The story is quite appealing for older kids. With 1250 words, it may be a bit long for the young ones.