Finding Diamonds

Children, parents, teachers, rock hunters, naturalists, and therapists will love this adventuresome picture book!

Builds self-acceptance.
Connects children to nature.
Encourages conversations about a child’s hopes, dreams, losses and struggles.

If you find a giant diamond, are you as valuable as a giant diamond? A young boy hopes so! His sister “does everything great,” but he himself struggles to do his spelling, remember his homework, and find someone to play with. Even worse, his mother wants him to clean his room! So while his family sleeps, he does what he loves most—rock hunting, with hopes of finding a giant diamond. He thinks that maybe, if he finds a giant diamond, he will be important and valuable. The boy and his old dog step out the door in rural coastal Maine and the journey begins. He is knowledgeable and curious about his environment, finding all kinds of treasures. As he wanders, we hear about his hopes, his losses, his challenges, and most of all his joy in the natural world. This story illustrates the inner life of a young boy who has feelings that even older children and adults might find familiar. Don’t we all want to know we’re important and valued? His curious mind, his freedom in nature, and the power of loving relationships lead the way to his most important discovery.

Author Biography

Dr. Duffy is a psychologist, play therapist, and therapeutic storyteller. She lives in rural coastal Maine with her husband, two diamond hunters, and a flock of chickens and ducks. Finding Diamonds is her first picture book. Dr. Duffy is developing a nature-based therapy model for children. Most of Dr. Duffy’s therapeutic stories are written for the “theater” of the sandtray. This approach to storytelling gives children the chance to play with the story. She developed an 8-step approach to using stories in the sandtray called the Moving Stories Play Therapy Method. The approach with individual children is described in Cathy Malchiodi’s (editor) book, Creative Arts Therapy with Traumatized Children. Using Moving Stories with groups can be found in Stephanie Brooke and Charles E. Myers (editors) book, The Use of Creative Therapies in Treating Depression. Dr. Duffy’s therapeutic Moving Stories are available for download in the By The Sea Seminars Therapeutic Story Library. Dr. Duffy works with the Passamaquoddy tribe in Maine, providing outpatient therapy, assessments, and consultation for Head Start and schools. She is founder of By The Sea Seminars. Jane Woodruff Carroll has received numerous awards and exhibited in nationally juried shows, including the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society. Her extensive and distinguished career has included book design, art editing, portraiture, and teaching. Her works are in private and corporate collections throughout the United States.