Kid Pickers: How to Turn Junk into Treasure

Gr 4–7—Fans of the History Channel's American Pickers will be pleasantly surprised by Wolfe's foray into writing for young enthusiasts. The author adopts an accessible, enthusiastic tone as he describes what "treasure hunters" do, how they do it, and the best places for childen to start collecting. For added veracity, each chapter features a young person and his or her area of interest. Wolfe encourages his readers to do the research behind their finds and to develop other skills, like bargaining, while they learn to discern both the personal as well as material value of an object. The usual items, like baseball cards and collector toys, are mentioned, but so are things like farm tools. This isn't a "get rich quick" book; instead, it focuses on helping kids learn about what they might find with a little digging and creativity. Many black-and-white photos and illustrations punctuate the text, and a collection of interesting facts is appended. A nice addition to any collection, especially for history (or television) buffs.—Carol Fazioli, Barth Elementary School, Pottstown, PA