My Ol' Man

by Patricia Polacco

Patricia's father is always telling stories, and the best is the one about the magic rock. But does the rock have enough magic to help when he loses his job?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Art, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Patricia Polacco is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator with around seventy beloved and award-winning books to her credit, including The Keeping Quilt, Pink and Say, The Blessing Cup, Chicken Sunday, and Thank You, Mr. Falker. She resides in Michigan.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is Patricia Polacco’s homage to her father. He was a traveling salesman, and then found a second career.

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book; the story was just okay for me, which is hard to say since it’s a cherished memory of an author who I respect greatly. Perhaps my own issues with my father kept me from enjoying this as much as I might have; I have enjoyed most of the stories written by Polacco. Here, the magic wasn’t magical for me.

In the front and back inside covers of the book, there are many photos of the author, her brother, her father, and her grandmother, most taken from around the time the events in this story took place. I really enjoyed the photos.

I read the 1995 hardcover edition; the cover is identical to this 1999 paperback edition.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patricia Polacco, whose many family-themed picture-books include tributes to her mother ( Betty Doll ), her daughter ( The Lemonade Club ), her brother ( My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother , Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare ), her husband ( In Enzo's Splendid Gardens ), her great uncle ( An Orange for Frankie ), and six generations of her family ( The Keeping Quilt ), turns here to the story of her father, a traveling salesman from Michigan. Visiting with him during the summer - their parents being newly divorced - young Trisha and her older brother Richie looks forward to their ol' man's many stories, related after his return home from work each day. When he tells them of a very special rock - a magical rock! - that he has discovered on his travels, and takes them to see it, both Trish and Richie are convinced of its powers of enchantment. But when disaster strikes, and their da loses his job, will the magic be enough to help him...?

An engaging story of a newly divorced family, one which touches upon the subject with delicacy - Trisha observes, at one point, that Richie had been struggling with the family's recent separation into two households, but the subject isn't the primary focus of the book - while also exploring such themes as unemployment, and the importance of hope in hard times, My Ol' Man has that bittersweet poignancy I have come to expect from Polacco's better books, and I'm glad I finally had the chance to read it. The scene in which Trisha's Gramma sells her beloved crepe-paper parrots, in order to buy art supplies for her granddaughter, and fulfill her promise to teach her to paint had me sniffling, while the resolution of the Da's unemployment felt entirely appropriate, and immensely satisfying. All in all, a strong Polacco - one I recommend to her fans, and to all young readers who enjoy family stories!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We really enjoy Patricia Polacco's stories and so we look for them often at our local library. Lucky for us, she is a very prolific writer, so we still have a lot of her books to discover.

In this story, Tricia and Richie's Dad loses his job and despite the anxiety of being unable to provide for his family, he finds a way to bring hope and a sense of wonder to his children by showing them a magical rock he discovers in the forest.

The story also briefly examines the difficulties for children of divorced parents and the conflicting feelings about being with one parent and apart from the other.

Many of her stories are fiction, but loosely based on her childhood. This story seems to be more of a memoir of a magic event from her childhood and I decided to put it on my nonfiction shelf.

This was a strange, but poignant tale that offers the reader another glimpse into the author's childhood. We enjoyed reading this book together and we will certainly look for more of her books at our local library.

[Victoria Olivo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read aloud to my son I was chocked up and had tears. This story really touched my heart. Always love Patricia Polacco’s books.

[Paul Large · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia Polacco is a tremendous writer and it is shown in this book that is based on her father. All of her stories are based on stuff that has happened in her life or someone else's life that she knows. I believe that this would be a great story to read to young children as it shows the love that a father should have for his family. It also shows how a family should pull together in times of trouble as when her father lost his job! I had to read this book a couple of times because I thought that it was really good and I wanted to make sure that I had the full story straight with the pictures that went along with the book. The pictures were also superb and illustrated the story to the best that it could. Go and get this great book for your library as this or any other of her books would be a great addition.

[Cally Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very good. I loved how it was from the point of view of the children and was all about their father. They loved having their father come home at the same time everyday, until they found out that he got fired. They loved spending time with him and a bonding moment was when they saw found the magic rock. This book is able to relate to kids because it says how the two parents are divorced and what it's like when they spend time with their father. It is a sweet story because they have faith in the magic rock and the ending ends up very good because the dad gets another job and they find out that the magic has always been in the rock! All of the drawings are very good and it's a realistic book that parents and children would enjoy.

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about two kids whose parents are divorced so they spend the summer with their dad and gramma in Wilmington. They are dirt poor but their dad shows them this "magic" rock and the rock helps bring good luck on the family. At the end of the story the rock is gone and the kids realize the magic is in them and not the rock.
I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book because they are different than most. I also like how they portrayed a family with divorced parents because that is so real in our world today.
I would keep this book on my shelf in my class. I doubt I would read it out loud but it would be a good book for free time reading.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading many of Ms. Polacco's books I'm starting to get a real feel for her family and her history. This story introduces us to her father, a man who manages to keep the kids hopeful in difficult circumstances by introducing them to a certain magic found in a rock. I liked how the young Trisha is taught to paint, as this feels like a massive turning point in her life. And I love how the family looks out for each other and helps each other through their challenges.

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patricia Polacco is a woman who has experienced so much in her life. Each book is a personal narrative of different events or people who have impacted her. In this story she pays tribute to her father, a quirky traveling salesman who struggles to get by financially.

This was not my favorite Patricia Polacco story but still an entertaining read.

[Kim Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of text, so it would take a while to read to a class. It would be a great starting point for a writer's workshop for the students to write about themselves. This is a good story about a family, job loss, a magic rock, and love.

[Carol Royce Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once more, Patricia Polacco shares a beautiful memoir of a special time with her family. When her father loses his job during tough times they need magic to get them through, and they find it in a special rock deep in the woods.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is about a girl whose father is always telling stories about his job. One of his stories is about a magic rock. Her father loses his job, and she hopes the magic rock can save them. This book is about hope.

[Alicia Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about to kids who live with their dad and grandma. After their dad loses his job, they find a rock that gives them hope. There dad eventually gets a new job because of his writing and they find that it was the rock that gave them all the hope and courage.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty rad. I'd love if Patricia Polacco didn't cost $2500 a day to come visit our kids...

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Ol' Man
Polacco, Patricia
the story of a father with many stories finds a new way to support his family, by finding and telling he stories he finds on the radio

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good memorial book. I read this for a forty book challenge from school. I am so glad I pick this book!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this tribute to her father and the message behind the magic rock. Hope, faith, and a belief that things will work out.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patricia writes and illustrates a loving story about her down and out Dad in what appears to be the Depression era of the 1930s

[Brianna Crall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I missed this one for so long! It's amazing! True Patricia Polacco genius!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book. Loved the twists and turns of the characters in the book.

[Vcmc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story about the author's dad and the moment when his luck changed. The love within the family pours off the page. A book to share with children and treasure.

[Jonah Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre -Realistic Fiction
Grade -K-3
Unique -Takes place in Michigan and the book is about the author

[Anne Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the beginning of the book, the author, Patricia Polacco, essentially tells the reader that whenever she feels small she looks back on her time spent with her brother, dad, and gramma in Michigan during the summer. This page is very well written and the author takes us back in time with her words and illustration to her childhood street as she points out the people to be seen and the things they are doing, using words such as "there" and "those", making us feel as if we are traveling back in time with her and being shown all these familiar and wonderful things she loves. An illustration also shows us all of the things she is describing. This lets us see the scene even more through the author's eyes as she illustrates it the way she remembers it. The story centers around the author's dad, beautifully described in the book as "a dream saver, a wish keeper. A raggedy man in unmatched socks and a worn plaid suit." In the illustration that goes with this description, readers can see the dad in his car. The image conveys through his clothing with its varied patterns and through the mess of partially eaten cookies and other items on the dashboard of his car that he is not a very elegant man, and yet he is smiling and happy and it is clear the author was very fond of him. Subsequent illustrations show the author and her brother looking joyful and spending time with their father. The father loved to tell stories to the children. One day, he told them about something amazing he had found when he was out walking. He brought them to it because he said they had to see it to believe it, but when they got there they saw that it was only a rock. Responding to Patricia's brother's disappointment, the dad insisted that the rock was a magic one. Patricia knew that her brother needed to believe in some magic because he was struggling with their parents' divorce, and eventually, Patricia and her father are able to convince her brother of the magic in the rock. They all run excitedly into the house to tell the gramma about it. She doesn't know what to make of the rock and the fact that no one remembered seeing it before and it seemed to appear out of nowhere, but she recognizes the "magic" in the fact that the brother was smiling so much for the first time in a long time. As the book goes on, the dad eventually loses his job and is about to lose his car. Patricia's gramma makes a sacrifice and sells her beloved crepe-paper parrots she had made so that she would have enough money to buy painting supplies for Patricia. Gramma had promised to teach her how to paint. Patricia starts painting a special surprise for her dad. When there is a knock on the door one day, the family assumes that people had come to take their car away, but when they open the door they find a man who offers Patricia's dad a job. The dad had written the story of the magic rock and had sent it in to a radio station. The visitor offered Patricia's dad a job working for the radio station not because of the rock, but because of the "magic, hope, and dreams", which people those days needed more of, conveyed in his writing. At the end of the book, they go back to the place where they saw the rock. It isn't there anymore, but they see light shining on that spot on the ground and Patricia realizes that the magic is really inside them and not any rock. Patricia's brother is disappointed at the rock's disappearance but then he sees the painting Patricia had done, a picture of the rock, and his eyes were filled with wonder that she says never left again. This is a heartwarming story of love, hope, and healing as the family deals with poverty and the divorce of the parents. The rock may not really have been magic, but it did help the family greatly in many ways. The love the family members have for one another is evident in the way they sacrifice for and help one another, sometimes in very imaginative ways as with the magic rock. It seems likely that the author's gift and love of storytelling was influenced by her father and it seems obvious that her gramma was one person who supported her and influenced her as an illustrator as she taught her to paint. Based on the author's life, this book includes photographs of the characters in real life. I thought this book was well done but I wasn't extremely interested in the story.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on her own experience, Patricia Polacco tells the story of her father, her ol' man, and how he told many wonderful stories of his time as a traveling salesman. His stories helped the family cope after he loses his job. A nice story about the magic of storytelling, accompanied by Polacco's beautiful artwork.

[Kassidy McCusker]

This book is about Patricia and her family when they are struggling with money and have to sell her father's prized possession, his 49' Buick. This could be used in the classroom to show that things can always turn around, and to always have hope even in bad situations.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoir of a special time in Polacco's childhood.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww...Dad goes through hard times, but his very personality saves the day.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the idea of how this story takes a typical event and turns it into a great adventure!

[Sharon Honeycutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations as always. Not as thrilled with the story this time. But still worthy of reading.

[Tony Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story built around Patricia Polacco's father (her 'ol man).