Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December 2001 (Vol. 55, No. 4))
Hurst writes gently and affectionately of her father’s unusual career. Owner of a pre-Depression gas station, he really preferred to collect rocks and talk to his customers about them. When the Depression took its toll and he lost his station, he turned an avocation of museum-going (to see the mineralogy exhibits) into a janitor’s job at the museum; his mineralogical expertise finally triumphed over the museum board’s requirements, and he was appointed curator of mineralogy. There’s a retrospective and adult slant here that will distance this from some young readers, but this is a quiet and personal evocation of one man’s self-acquired education and enduring passion (“Take a look at this one,” he’s always saying as he pulls another specimen out of his pocket). Stevenson’s scratchy, flyaway lines have a front-porch informality suited to their unpretentious subject; the colors are sometimes a bit overly subdued, but they’ve got a low-key and pleasing period flavor. “Do what you love” is a rather abstract message, but this concrete demonstration of the philosophy and its rewards may open some youthful eyes. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2001, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2001, Greenwillow, 32p, $15.95 and $15.89. Grades 3-5.

Karen Leggett (Children's Literature)
Anyone with rocks in his head must be crazy, right? Look a bit more closely, though, and there may be something very special about those rocks--and the person with rocks in his head. The father in this story has collected rocks since he was a young boy. When he grew up he wanted to do something with rocks, even though he was told "there's no money in rocks." He ended up opening a gas station, pumping gas, changing tires and fixing Model Ts...still collecting rocks and always ready to pull the newest find out of pocket. When the depression forced him to close his filling station and rain kept him from looking for another job, he went to the science museum "looking for rocks that are better than mine." He was hired as a janitor but he spent so much time scrubbing the rocks in the mineral cases that the director put him in charge of the rocks, even though the board of directors usually didn't hire people without college degrees. "I told them I need somebody with rocks in his head and rocks in his pockets. Are you it?" asked the director. "Maybe I am," said the father. This gentle story of persistence and curiosity is illustrated in softly colored, cartoon-style sketches. 2001, Greenwillow Books, $15.95 and $15.89. Ages 5 up.