A sensitive child, Ian Goobie finds printing and other classroom concepts enormously challenging. One day he finds a rock in the schoolyard that, once in his hand, transports him to another world, calming his anxiety. He soon finds that keeping at least one rock in his pocket relieves his feelings of inadequacy – until the disastrous day when the rocks in his pockets make his pants fall down in front of his classmates. Overwhelmed and humiliated, Ian is comforted by a kindly teaching assistant, before returning to class to find the students enthralled by a visiting storyteller. When the storyteller confides to the class that he always keeps a rock in his pocket for luck, Ian falls under his spell. With the help of this kinship, Ian is finally inspired to print his name, not with a pencil, but with his special rocks out in the schoolyard.
Sheree Fitch’s tale evokes compassion for Ian and his troubles, and reminds us that stories have the power to heal and bond individuals. But her latest picture book touts a corny idea – that rocks have secret worlds inside them – that might not work for young readers who are literal-minded.The many incomplete sentences reflect a free style of writing, but the result is a distracting, uneasy mix of styles, with clunky grammar (“The thing of it was…”). Some of the imagery is strained (“Mrs. Dingle’s voice was marshmallow” and “his eyes were brown and kind as melting chocolate chips”).
Illustrator Helen Flook does a decent job interpreting Fitch’s story, using a cartoon style with exaggerated facial expressions and movement appropriate for the tone of the text. The double-page spreads contain activity, detail, and warm colours. It might find a niche as bibliotherapy, but Pocket Rocks is not a memorable picture book.