This book is a colorful tale of a little girls relationship with her grandfather. I like this book because it reflects the role that grandparents may play in a family structure and reinforces that fact that all families are different and unique. Polacco used illustrations effectively and engagingly. ( )

Patricia Polacco, the author of this book, was who I did my author study on. When doing my read aloud ,for my Children's Literature class, I read a few of her books. After I left, I received pictures of other Polacco books the children found in their class library. Polacco's books always are a joy to read so I decided to read another. This book is about Patricia, her brother, her Gramma, and her dad (Ol' Man). They are going through a rough time but together as a family they believe that something magical will happen. They believe the magic is in a rock. At the end of the story they realize the magic was deep within themselves. ( )

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! ( )

A magic rock seems to be the Polacco's answer to everything they needed.After learning that Da got fired from his sales job, he was going to have to sell his car.They all went to the magic rock and waited for good things to happen.The car never sold but Da was offered a position on the radio and it ended up he didn't have to sell his car.They went back to the magic rock but it was no longer there. ( )

Great to read to younger students. It shows students that it is ok to dream big. http://www.patriciapolacco.com/pr/polacco_3.jpg