The hardest thing I ever had to do was to explain to my young daughter that sometimes bad things happen to good people, and we don't know why. Her life had been turned upside down by a medical condition that came out of nowhere and didn't want to leave. So Rocky was born. Rocky was like every other rock in his neighborhood. All the rocks had friends that would come and play, and talk about what's going on. When the nearby construction started, everyone was nervous but they were all in it together. That is until they dug up Rocky and found out he was different than all the others. Rocky was isolated from the rest and put away in a different spot where there were different noises and machines. It could be possibly how a child would view a hospital room or a new bedroom in a strange place. Rocky works his way through the ordeal and in the end realizes that things can be different, and still be good. The illustrations by John Quilter hark back to a simpler time when things moved a little slower and were a lot less complicated. We purposely wanted this story to have the feel of an age old classic, something that one could depend on every time it was read. I was pleasantly surprised when we received feedback from adults and how it was affecting them. Some were using the story to relate the loss of family, or a change in themselves to children they know. When going through economic changes, divorces, and veterans returning home, are when one could use a little help making the tough topics more understandable. I believe if you give Rocky a chance, you will find a friend that will always be around to comfort those who need a little guidance to find their place in the sunshine.

Charles P. Canavan lives in south east Connecticut working as an architect and teaching at a local community college. John Q. Quilter retired from F. Schumacher & Co. as Vice President of Design and now resides in south eastern Connecticut.