“You can do a lot with a pocket full of rocks.” There are repetition and constancy but also variation and surprise in this picture book as the young narrator (brown-skinned) collects rocks in winter, flower petals in spring, shells at the beach in summer, and acorns in fall. “Your mom will say the rocks are making your coat dirty. Your dad will ask where you’re going to put your other mitten. Your sister will tell you they are just ordinary rocks. But you know they are not ordinary.” Not only do their mom, dad, and sister have something to say about their choices, the child has ideas for what to do with each collected item. These vary but always include a way it can be used by the “fairies in the fairy ring.” The child also notes how each collection feels in their pocket: The rocks are “solid and cool,” the petals “mysterious and quiet and soft,” and the shells “familiar and strange” in a story with marvelous descriptive language and a warm, inviting tone. The narrative’s quiet yet playful sensibility is reflected in mixed-media illustrations showing appealing scenes of the child’s relationship to nature, family life, and imaginative play. Highly Commended, 2026 Charlotte Zolotow Award©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center