Most people might describe an old bottle as garbage. But to your young treasure seeker, it’s a fantastic find. And in the new book “Kid Pickers,” by Mike Wolfe (with Lily Sprengelmeyer), he’ll meet folks who would agree.
When Wolfe, from the History channel show “American Pickers,” was young, he loved nothing more than “picking through junk.” His room, he says, was filled with “rusty gold.” He especially loved bikes and old comic books.
“I never thought of it as junk,” he says. “To me, this was treasure.”
Picking is fun, and becoming a Kid Picker is easy: having this book is a good start, and the tools children need are in their heads. Luckily for young treasure seekers, they shouldn’t even need a lot of money, because some of the best finds are free or cheap. All they have to do is start looking for things that interest them.
Neighborhood garage sales are great places to pick. They’re also great places to practice using bargaining skills, so kids can learn how to negotiate. Don’t be afraid to bargain down, because it never hurts to ask, right?
A Kid Picker will find a lot of great stuff at auctions, but that takes practice, lots of caution, and an adult’s help. He’ll need to keep his eyes open and know what he’s bidding on, or he could end up with something he’d never want in a million years!
Thrift shops are a picker’s paradise. Antique stores have tons of treasures. Flea markets don’t have real fleas, but they do have lots of goodies. He might also have good luck picking within his own family’s attic or barn. Then, no matter where he finds his prize, he should try to find out more about it. Who owned it? Where did it come from? Is it worth lots of money, or is it just cool?
And finally … what are you going to do with it?
Remember thinking you might strike it rich with something you dug out of a barn, a box, or a bucket of dirt when you were your child’s age? Give your kid those dreaming possibilities, too, by giving him “Kid Pickers” to read.
Wolfe speaks to the hearts of junkyard pups with a bit of biography and even more useful hints. I liked the encouragement that kids get here — including advice on picking their family history — and I loved the pictures. I also think the profiles of other young pickers are just plain fun.
Alas, the words “ask permission” are somewhat lacking here, so, before you send your kids out with this book, be sure to repeat them a few times. With that reminder fresh in their heads, 7-to-12-year-olds will find “Kid Pickers” to be a gold mine.
“Kid Pickers: How to Turn Junk into Treasure” by Mike Wolfe with Lily Sprengelmeyer. [114 pages, 2013, $12.99].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
