Patricia Polacco
Encyclopedia
Patricia Barber Polacco (b. July 11, 1944, Lansing, Michigan
) is the author and illustrator of numerous picture books for children.
She struggled in school because she was unable to read until age 14 due to dyslexia
; she found relief by expressing herself through art. Polacco endured teasing and hid her disability until a schoolteacher recognized that she could not read and began to help her. Her book Thank You, Mr. Falker is Polacco's retelling of this encounter and its outcome.
and Ukrainian descent on one side and Irish
on the other. The early years of Polacco's childhood were spent at her grandmother's farm in Union City, Michigan
, the setting for many of her published stories. She now resides on another farm in Union City, originally called The Plantation. Although Polacco's grandmother died in 1949, when Polacco was only 5, "Babushka," or grandmother in Russian, nevertheless appears in several of Polacco's books.
After her grandmother's death, the family moved to Coral Gables, Florida
, and then three years later to Oakland, California
. Polacco's parents had divorced when she was three, and she and her brother therefore spent their early life living in two places: school years with their mother in the bustling environment of Oakland, California
, and summers with their father and his parents on a farm in Michigan. Polacco was discouraged in school and did not learn to read until she was nearly fourteen. In junior high school, one of her teachers finally discovered that dyslexia
was the reason for her not demonstrating confidence. In high school, she became friends with Frank Oz
. Polacco wrote "When Lightning Comes in a Jar" as a tribute to her babushka, and to her Detroit Tiger cousin Billy. Patricia Polacco attended a University, majoring in Fine Art. She received her graduate degree and eventually received a Ph.D. in Art History. Patricia Polacco did not start writing and illustrating her first children's book until she was 41 years old.
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
) is the author and illustrator of numerous picture books for children.
She struggled in school because she was unable to read until age 14 due to dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
; she found relief by expressing herself through art. Polacco endured teasing and hid her disability until a schoolteacher recognized that she could not read and began to help her. Her book Thank You, Mr. Falker is Polacco's retelling of this encounter and its outcome.
Early years
Her family is of RussianRussians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
and Ukrainian descent on one side and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
on the other. The early years of Polacco's childhood were spent at her grandmother's farm in Union City, Michigan
Union City, Michigan
Union City is a village in Branch and Calhoun counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located mostly within Union Township in Branch County, it sits at the junction of the Coldwater and St. Joseph rivers; the Calhoun County portion lies within that county's Burlington Township. It is part of the...
, the setting for many of her published stories. She now resides on another farm in Union City, originally called The Plantation. Although Polacco's grandmother died in 1949, when Polacco was only 5, "Babushka," or grandmother in Russian, nevertheless appears in several of Polacco's books.
After her grandmother's death, the family moved to Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
, and then three years later to Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. Polacco's parents had divorced when she was three, and she and her brother therefore spent their early life living in two places: school years with their mother in the bustling environment of Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, and summers with their father and his parents on a farm in Michigan. Polacco was discouraged in school and did not learn to read until she was nearly fourteen. In junior high school, one of her teachers finally discovered that dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
was the reason for her not demonstrating confidence. In high school, she became friends with Frank Oz
Frank Oz
Frank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...
. Polacco wrote "When Lightning Comes in a Jar" as a tribute to her babushka, and to her Detroit Tiger cousin Billy. Patricia Polacco attended a University, majoring in Fine Art. She received her graduate degree and eventually received a Ph.D. in Art History. Patricia Polacco did not start writing and illustrating her first children's book until she was 41 years old.
Books
- Boat Ride with Lillian Two Blossom (19881988 in literatureThe year 1988 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Margaret Atwood - Cat's Eye*J.G. Ballard - Memories of the Space Age*Iain M...
) ISBN 0-399-21470-4 - The Keeping Quilt (19881988 in literatureThe year 1988 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Margaret Atwood - Cat's Eye*J.G. Ballard - Memories of the Space Age*Iain M...
) ISBN 0-689-82090-9 - Meteor!Meteor!Meteor! is a 1987 children's picture book by author Patricia Polacco. Polacco is well known for writing and illustrating novels depicting events from her childhood in Michigan. Meteor! was published in 1987 by The Trumpet Club, commonly known for publications of children’s books from grades PreK-6...
(19871987 in literatureThe year 1987 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Wolfe was paid $5 million for the film rights to his novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities, the most ever earned by an author, at the time.-Fiction:...
) ISBN 0-399-21699-5 - Uncle Vova's Tree (19891989 in literatureThe year 1989 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 24 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini places a US$3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.-Literature:...
) ISBN 0-399-21617-0 - Babushka's Doll (19901990 in literatureThe year 1990 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*J. K. Rowling gets the idea for Harry Potter while on a train ride from Manchester to London. She says "I was staring out the window, and the idea for Harry just came. He appeared in my mind's eye, very fully formed...
) ISBN 0-671-68343-8 - Just Plain FancyJust Plain FancyJust Plain Fancy is a children's picture book by Patricia Polacco. It was first published in 1990. It tells the story of Naomi and Ruth, two Amish girls. One day, they find a mysterious egg lying in the grass. They soon realize that this is a fancy egg. It is sparkly and multicolored and thoroughly...
(19901990 in literatureThe year 1990 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*J. K. Rowling gets the idea for Harry Potter while on a train ride from Manchester to London. She says "I was staring out the window, and the idea for Harry just came. He appeared in my mind's eye, very fully formed...
) ISBN 0-553-05884-3 - Thunder Cake (19901990 in literatureThe year 1990 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*J. K. Rowling gets the idea for Harry Potter while on a train ride from Manchester to London. She says "I was staring out the window, and the idea for Harry just came. He appeared in my mind's eye, very fully formed...
) ISBN 0-399-22231-6 - Appelemando's Dreams (19911991 in literatureThe year 1991 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Douglas Coupland publishes the novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularizing the term Generation X as the name of the generation....
) ISBN 0-399-21800-9 - Dream Keeper (19911991 in literatureThe year 1991 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Douglas Coupland publishes the novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularizing the term Generation X as the name of the generation....
) ISBN 0-399-22947-7 - Some Birthday! (19911991 in literatureThe year 1991 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Douglas Coupland publishes the novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularizing the term Generation X as the name of the generation....
) ISBN 0-671-72750-8 - Chicken Sunday (19921992 in literatureThe year 1992 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Ben Aaronovitch - Transit*Julia Álvarez - How the García Girls Lost Their Accents*Paul Auster - Leviathan*Iain Banks - The Crow Road...
) ISBN 0-399-22133-6 - Mrs. Katz and Tush (19921992 in literatureThe year 1992 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Ben Aaronovitch - Transit*Julia Álvarez - How the García Girls Lost Their Accents*Paul Auster - Leviathan*Iain Banks - The Crow Road...
) ISBN 0-440-40936-5 - Picnic at Mudsock Meadow (19921992 in literatureThe year 1992 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Ben Aaronovitch - Transit*Julia Álvarez - How the García Girls Lost Their Accents*Paul Auster - Leviathan*Iain Banks - The Crow Road...
) ISBN 0-399-21811-4 - Babushka Baba Yaga (19931993 in literatureThe year 1993 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Professor Stephen Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, becomes the longest running book on the bestseller list of The Sunday Times....
) ISBN 0-399-22531-5 - The Bee Tree (19931993 in literatureThe year 1993 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Professor Stephen Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, becomes the longest running book on the bestseller list of The Sunday Times....
) ISBN 0-399-21965-X - Firetalking (19941994 in literatureThe year 1994 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Kevin J. Anderson - Champions of the Force, Dark Apprentice and Jedi Search*Reed Arvin - The Wind in the Wheat*Greg Bear - Songs of Earth and Power...
) ISBN 1-878450-55-7 - My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother (19941994 in literatureThe year 1994 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Kevin J. Anderson - Champions of the Force, Dark Apprentice and Jedi Search*Reed Arvin - The Wind in the Wheat*Greg Bear - Songs of Earth and Power...
) ISBN 0-671-72751-6 - Pink and Say (19941994 in literatureThe year 1994 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Kevin J. Anderson - Champions of the Force, Dark Apprentice and Jedi Search*Reed Arvin - The Wind in the Wheat*Greg Bear - Songs of Earth and Power...
) ISBN 0-399-22671-0 - Tikva Means Hope (19941994 in literatureThe year 1994 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Kevin J. Anderson - Champions of the Force, Dark Apprentice and Jedi Search*Reed Arvin - The Wind in the Wheat*Greg Bear - Songs of Earth and Power...
) ISBN 0-385-32059-0 - Babushka's Mother Goose (19951995 in literatureThe year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea is opened by Jimmy Carter....
) ISBN 0-399-22747-4 - My Ol' Man (19951995 in literatureThe year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea is opened by Jimmy Carter....
) ISBN 0-399-22822-5 - Aunt Chip And The Great Triple Creek Dam Affair (19961996 in literatureThe year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
) ISBN 0-399-22943-4 - I Can Hear The Sun: A Modern Myth (19961996 in literatureThe year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
) ISBN 0-399-22520-X - Rechenka's Eggs (19961996 in literatureThe year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
) ISBN 0-698-11385-3 - The Trees of the Dancing Goats (19961996 in literatureThe year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
) ISBN 0-689-80862-3 - Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888 (19971997 in literatureThe year 1997 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Clancy signs a book deal with Pearson Custom Publishing and Penguin Putnam Inc. , giving him US$50 million for the world-English rights to two new books . A second agreement gives him another US$25 million for a...
) ISBN 0-698-11557-0; Author: Ernest Lawrence Thayer, Illustrator: Patricia dadadadas - In Enzo's Splendid Gardens (19971997 in literatureThe year 1997 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Clancy signs a book deal with Pearson Custom Publishing and Penguin Putnam Inc. , giving him US$50 million for the world-English rights to two new books . A second agreement gives him another US$25 million for a...
) ISBN 0-399-23107-2 - Mrs. Mack (19981998 in literatureThe year 1998 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 5 - Tennessee Williams' 1938 play, Not About Nightingales, receives its stage première....
) ISBN 0-399-23167-6 - Thank You, Mr. Falker (19981998 in literatureThe year 1998 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 5 - Tennessee Williams' 1938 play, Not About Nightingales, receives its stage première....
) ISBN 0-399-23166-8 - Luba And The Wren (19991999 in literatureThe year 1999 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*June 19 - Stephen King is hit by a Dodge van while taking a walk. He spends the next three weeks hospitalized...
) ISBN 0-399-23168-4 - Welcome Comfort (19991999 in literatureThe year 1999 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*June 19 - Stephen King is hit by a Dodge van while taking a walk. He spends the next three weeks hospitalized...
) ISBN 0-399-23169-2 - The Butterfly (20002000 in literatureThe year 2000 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published...
) ISBN 0-399-23170-6 - Betty Doll (20012001 in literatureThe year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is released to movie theaters...
) ISBN 0-399-23638-4 - Gracias, Sr. Falker (20012001 in literatureThe year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is released to movie theaters...
) ISBN 1-930332-03-3, with Teresa Mlawer - Mr. Lincoln's WayMr. Lincoln's WayMr. Lincoln’s Way is a children’s book written by Patricia Polacco published in 2001. It was published by Philomel Books in New York, NY. This book deals with the issue of racism and can be used as a tool to introduce diversity and tolerance in a classroom setting. It tells the story of a principal...
(20012001 in literatureThe year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is released to movie theaters...
) ISBN 0-399-23754-2 - Christmas Tapestry (20022002 in literatureThe year 2002 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 16: Authorities in Saudi Arabia arrested and jailed poet Abdul Mohsen Musalam and fired a newspaper editor following the publication of Musalam's poem The Corrupt on Earth that criticized the state's Islamic...
) ISBN 0-399-23955-3 - When Lightning Comes In A Jar (20022002 in literatureThe year 2002 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 16: Authorities in Saudi Arabia arrested and jailed poet Abdul Mohsen Musalam and fired a newspaper editor following the publication of Musalam's poem The Corrupt on Earth that criticized the state's Islamic...
) ISBN 0-399-23164-1 - G is for Goat (20032003 in literatureThe year 2003 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Peter Ackroyd - The Clerkenwell Tales*Atsuko Asano - No...
) ISBN 0-399-24018-7 - The Graves Family (20032003 in literatureThe year 2003 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Peter Ackroyd - The Clerkenwell Tales*Atsuko Asano - No...
) ISBN 0-399-24034-9 - John Philip Duck (20042004 in literatureThe year 2004 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Canada Reads selects Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Last Crossing to be read across the nation....
) ISBN 0-399-24262-7 - Oh, Look! (20042004 in literatureThe year 2004 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Canada Reads selects Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Last Crossing to be read across the nation....
) ISBN 0-399-24223-6 - An Orange for Frankie (20042004 in literatureThe year 2004 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Canada Reads selects Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Last Crossing to be read across the nation....
) ISBN 0-399-24302-X - Emma Kate (20052005 in literatureThe year 2005 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation....
) ISBN 0-399-24452-2 - The Graves Family Goes Camping (20052005 in literatureThe year 2005 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation....
) ISBN 0-399-24369-0 - Mommies Say Shhh (20052005 in literatureThe year 2005 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation....
) ISBN 0-399-24341-0 - Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare (20062006 in literatureThe year 2006 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Literature:*Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun*Chris Adrian - The Children's Hospital *Martin Amis - House of Meetings...
) ISBN 0-399-24531-6 - Something About Hensley's (200x) ISBN pending
Other media
- Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair. Video, Color, 23 minutes (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1996)
- Babushka's Doll. Audio Cassette (New York: Scholastic, 1995)
- The Butterfly. Audio Cassette (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1996)
- The Butterfly. Video, Color, 30 minutes (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1996)
- Chicken Sunday. Audio Cassette (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1992)
- Chicken Sunday. Video, Color, 14 minutes (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1992)
- The Keeping Quilt. Video, Color, 13 minutes (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1993)
- Meteor! Audio Cassette (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1999)
- Meteor! Video, Color, 13 minutes (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1999)
- Mrs. Katz and Tush. Video, Color, 29 minutes (Lincoln, NB: Great Plains National, 1993)
- Patricia Polacco: Dream Keeper. Video, Color, 23 Minutes (New York: Philomel, 1996)
- Parents, Kids & Books: The Joys of Reading Together. Video, Color, 30 Minutes (Dallas, TX: Kera Productions, 1993)
- Pink and Say. Audio Cassette (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1996)
- Pink and Say. Video, Color, 28 minutes (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1996)
- Rechenka’s Eggs. Audio Cassette (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1991)
- Rechenka’s Eggs. Video, Color, 11 minutes (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1991)
- Thank You, Mr. Falker. Audio Cassette (St. Petersburg, FL: Spoken Arts, 1999)
- Thank You, Mr. Falker. Video, Color, 23 minutes (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1999)
- Thunder Cake. Video, Color, 13 minutes (New Rochelle, NY: Spoken Arts, 1990)
- The Lemonaid club. book, 2007
Literary Awards
- 1988 Sydney Taylor Book Award for The Keeping Quilt
- 1989 International Reading Association Award for Rechenka’s Eggs
- March 10, 1990 Santa Clara Reading Council
- Author’s Hall of Fame
- Commonwealth Club of California Recognition of Excellence for
- 1990 Babushka’s Doll
- 1992 Chicken Sunday (Nov. 14th 1992 declared Chicken Sunday)
- 1992 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
- Golden Kite Award for Illustration for Chicken Sunday
- 1992 Boston Area Educators for Social Responsibility
- Children’s Literature and Social Responsibility Award
- Nov. 9th 1993 Jane Adams Peace Assoc. and Women’s Intl. League for Peace and Freedom Awards
- Honor Award for Mrs. Katz and Tush for its effective contribution to peace and social justice.
- Parent’s Choice Honors
- 1991 Some Birthday
- 1997 Video/Dream Keeper
- 1998 Thank You, Mr. Falker
- 1996 North Dakota Library Association Children’s Book Award for My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother
- 1996 Jo Osborne Award for Humor in Children’s Literature
- 1997 Missouri Association of School Librarians
- Show Me Readers Award for My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother
- 1997 West Virginia Children’s Book Award for Pink and Say
- 1998 Mid-South Independent Booksellers for Children Humpty Dumpty Award
Articles written about Polacco
- Vandergrift, Kay E. "Peacocks, Dreams, Quilts, and Honey: Patricia Polacco, A Woman's Voice of Remembrance," In Ways of Knowing: Literature and the Intellectual Life of Children. Ed. By Kay E. Vandergrift. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1996, pp. 259–288.
- Vandergrift, Kay E. "Patricia Polacco," in Twentieth-Century Children's Writers. ed. by Laura Berger. 4th ed. Detroit: St. James, 1995. 759–760.
- Author Profile & Book Reviews
- Interview in Time for Kids