My Ol' Man [Hardcover]

Patricia Polacco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 1995 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

In a fictional portrait of her father, a traveling salesman, the author of Pink and Say chronicles her pop's discovery of a magical rock, a talisman whose powers appear to be a hoax after her father suddenly loses his job.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Polacco (Pink and Say; Chicken Sunday) again spins a family anecdote into a picture book, this time focusing on the adventures of her traveling-salesman father. Every day brings a surprise during the summers young Patricia spends with her dad, who collects stories "like kids collect baseball cards, or fine ladies collect special teacups." But one afternoon Da comes home with a tale of a magical rock that Patricia and her brother must see to believe. Eventually, it is belief in the rock's magic that sees the family through some hard times. While an excess of sentimentality occasionally saturates the tale, Polacco's easy-listening storytelling style so effectively evokes time, place and personality that her characters come to seem like old friends. Her signature art combines pencil, bold gouache and watercolor into vibrant, almost kinetic portraits. Period photos of Polacco and her relatives on the endpapers enhance this book's homey charm. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4?Polacco excels at personal narrative woven in words and pictures. Here, she tells the story of the summer her father, a lovable, flimflamming traveling salesman, discovers an ancient rock with mysterious lines that he believes to be magic. Da shows it to young Patricia and her somber brother, Ritchie, who seem convinced of the rock's powers as well. When their father is fired from his job, Ritchie is sure that the rock will help them; in its own way it does. Da writes a story about it and submits it to the local radio station, which then hires him to write stories of magic, hope, and dreams to be broadcast on the air. Returning to the rock to say "thank you," they discover it is gone. It is then that Patricia realizes that the magic had been inside them all along. The sentimental portraits Polacco paints are both intimate and universal?from the interior of Da's car, its dashboard littered with the detritus of a traveling salesman, to the interiors of the house with a wheelchair-bound Grandma, her artistic fingers twisted with arthritis and her hose drooping. So successful is Polacco at communicating through her vigorous words and watercolors that readers know these people and their modest, comforting environment instantly. A tender story that will not only remind readers of the necessity of believing in magic, but also renew memories and spark discussions of their own talismans.?Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Philomel; 1St Edition edition (March 21, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399228225
• ISBN-13: 978-0399228223
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,537,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born Patricia Ann Barber in Lansing, Michigan, to parents of Russian and Ukrainian descent on one side and Irish on the other, Patricia Polacco grew up in both California and Michigan. Her school year was spent in Oakland, California, and summers in her beloved Michigan. She describes her family members as marvelous storytellers. "My fondest memories are of sitting around a stove or open fire, eating apples and popping corn while listening to the old ones tell glorious stories about their homeland and the past. We are tenacious traditionalists and sentimentalists.... With each retelling our stories gain a little more Umph!"Studying in the United States and Australia, Patricia Polacco has earned an M.F.A. and a Ph. D. in art history, specializing in Russian and Greek painting, and iconographic history. She is a museum consultant on the restoration of icons. As a participant in many citizen exchange programs for writers and illustrators, Patricia Polacco has traveled extensively in Russia as well as other former Soviet republics. She continues to support programs that encourage Russo-American friendships and understanding. She is also deeply involved in inner-city projects here in the U.S. that promote the peaceful resolution of conflict and encourage art and literacy programs.The mother of a grown son and a daughter, Patricia Polacco currently resides in Michigan, where she has a glorious old farm that was built during the time of Lincoln.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, February 12, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Ol' Man (Picture Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

My Ol' Man is a great book because it has magic in it and I like when pa tells them stories of his traveling. My favorite part of this book is the photographs inside the cover because those are actual photos of her family.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My OL' Man, April 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Ol' Man (Hardcover)

This is a great book to use to help children understand the hardships of loosing a job

4.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgic, March 21, 2004

By 

ardnam "ardnam" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: My Ol' Man (Picture Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

Enjoyable, realistic. Ms. Polacco has drawn upon her own childhood once again to create another wonderful piece of children's fiction. The actual photographs of the author and her father add to the realism and help children to realize that author's are real people too.