Education experts publish children's book about virtues of San Joaquin County, CA | Community Spirit

Count Gary Dei Rossi and Sue de Polo are among those who get angry when they're asked, "You're from Stockton? What's there?"

It wasn't enough to tell them what was in Stockton, or, for that matter, San Joaquin County, since Dei Rossi lives in Manteca and de Polo in Linden.

The two are striking back with their best defense, a children's book called "San Joaquin County A to Z."

"The best way to show them is in beautiful pictures," said de Polo, 65, who took the photos, along with friends Helen Ripken and Judy Hackman. "People in this day and age have to see things to believe them. People who came here (before) believed and they came and saw. They believed they could be better (off here), and it came true."

The book delves into the rich history of those who came first, as well as its agriculture, its diversity and its recreational points of interest.