{"id":218089,"date":"2025-07-01T08:50:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T18:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=218089"},"modified":"2025-07-01T16:03:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T02:03:48","slug":"uh-alumnus-publishes-first-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/01\/uh-alumnus-publishes-first-book\/","title":{"rendered":"From map maker to author: UH<\/abbr> alumnus publishes first children\u2019s book"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"The<\/p>\n

Gary Rockwood Jr., a University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa alumnus, released his first book, The Blue Jay Comes Home<\/em><\/a>. The children\u2019s book tells the true story of a blue jay returning to its rescuer.<\/p>\n

In 2022, Rockwood\u2019s cat carried an injured baby blue jay back to their house. Rockwood and his family cared for it before taking it to a local animal shelter 12 miles away for better care.<\/p>\n

After about a month at the shelter, the bird was released, and a few weeks later, Rockwood noticed a blue jay in his backyard. He and his family suspected this was the baby bird they rescued more than a month before, and named it Little Bird.<\/p>\n

“I couldn’t really believe it,” Rockwood said. “I don’t know how they found their way back to my place 12 miles away, specifically in my backyard.”<\/p>\n

Unexpected experience hatches nurturing story<\/h2>\n

After his experience, Rockwood sat on the story for about a year. But, knowing he had a fulfilling story to tell, he started drafting the first parts of the book in 2023, until it was complete the following year.<\/p>\n

“I never envisioned myself writing a book, but I just felt like I needed to tell this story because it was so interesting,” Rockwood said.<\/p>\n

Through his book, Rockwood wants readers to understand the importance of nurturing animals.<\/p>\n

“The message that I want for children is to take care of animals and nurture them,” he said. “If you take care of them, they\u2019ll take care of you.”<\/p>\n

Journey to UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa and beyond<\/h2>\n

Rockwood moved to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in the third grade, where he lived on Schofield Barracks and then in Mililani before graduating from Leilehua High School.<\/p>\n

\"Gary
Gary Rockwood Jr. with his book, The Blue Jay Comes Home<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, he studied geography and cartography, while also swimming for the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa men\u2019s swimming and diving team. In his senior year, Rockwood was voted as team captain.<\/p>\n

“Being at UH<\/abbr> was one of the best times of my life,” Rockwood said. “I had to balance being an athlete, but it helped that my teammates were like family to me.”<\/p>\n

After graduating from UH<\/abbr> in 1992, he started work as a cartographer in California and then settled in Chicago, where he and his family would eventually encounter the injured baby blue jay.<\/p>\n

Little Bird still visits the family\u2019s backyard to feed, but is now accompanied by three other birds, who Rockwood assumes are Little Bird\u2019s mate and two offspring.<\/p>\n

Inspired by the positive reactions he\u2019s getting from those who\u2019ve read his book, Rockwood is considering writing a second book about Little Bird\u2019s growing family that stills visits his backyard to this day.<\/p>\n

“I always knew this was such a fulfilling and intriguing story that needed to be told,” Rockwood said.<\/p>\n

—By Grant Nakasone<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Blue Jay Comes Home released in April 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[90,679,9],"class_list":["post-218089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t