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Patricia Polacco is a beloved American children’s author and illustrator: Patricia comes from a long line of storytellers as she tells it, "My fondest memories are of sitting around a stove or open fire, eating apples and popping corn, while listening to the old ones tell glorious stories about their homeland and the past." Her storytelling talents have served her well, with a vivid imagination for creating engaging stories about children and beautifully illustrating them, she is a favorite of children and parents alike.
Biography
Born in Lansing, Michigan, Polacco was of Russian/Ukrainian and Irish descent. Her parents divorced when she was 3 years old and she stayed the school months with her mother and the summers with her father. After their divorce, Polacco’s parents each moved in with their respective parents, so she was very close to all of her grandparents. She learned about her heritage by hearing tale after tale about her grandparent’s homelands. She was so inspired by her relationship with her elders, many of her books focus on a relationship between a child and an elderly person.
In school, Polacco was discouraged with her school work and didn’t excel due to what was later diagnosed as Dyslexia. She didn’t learn to read until she was 14. Her hardships didn’t impede her success as she went on to attend college and graduated with a degree in fine art and then received a PhD in art history. She worked in art restoration for years before dedicating her time fully to her two children. Polacco didn’t publish her first book until she was 41 years old. Since, she has become a prolific writer and illustrator publishing countless books.
• Patricia Polacco: Website all about Polacco
• Author, Patricia Polacco: Author biography
• Meet the Author: Find out more about Patricia Polacco
• Writer Finds Inspiration in the Midwest: Patricia Polacco a study in extremes
• Meet Authors & Illustrators: Meet Patricia Polacco
Interviews & Interesting Facts
In an interview with Reading Rockets, Polacco remembers a teacher who asked her to stay after school one day and wash blackboards. While cleaning the blackboards, he put on My Fair Lady and asked her to make numbers and letters with the wet sponge and she couldn’t do it. This is where the teacher realized she was Dyslexic. Patricia says, “I remember he came up to me. His hand went in the center of my back. And as I'm telling you this, I swear to God, I can still feel the warmth of his hands. And he slid down next to me and said, "Oh, honey! I think you have something that has a name." He said, "You feel dumb, don't you?"
Her teacher went on to help her at great lengths, and finally she was able to catch up with the rest of the students and overcome her disability. She notes her teacher changed everything for her.
• An Interview with Patricia Polacco: A video interview with Patricia Polacco
• Who-Files, Patricia Polacco: Interview with Polacco
• Dyslexia: Information about Dyslexia
• Patricia PolaccoVideo: Video interview with Polacco
• Patricia Polacco Alleges Censorship: McGraw-Hill accused of censoring Polacco opinions
Books
In the same interview with Reading Rockets, Polacco shared her thoughts about multicultural families that she learned from her own family. Patricia says, “Our family was multicultural. Even within our own household, we had people of different belief systems and different countries of origin. And then of course I grew up in a city, in Oakland, where my neighbors came in as many colors, ideas, and religions as there are people. So if this is a part of your life, and my case it was, I think it was pretty natural to write from that point of view.” Many of her books are written to explore commonalities amongst people and how those commonalities allow us to celebrate the differences in one another.
• A Woman’s Voice of Remembrance: Article discussing basic themes of Polacco’s work
• Information on Authors: A listing of Polacco’s books
• Choose a Story: A few of Polacco’s books read aloud by famous actors
• Patricia Polacco: Criticism of her books and bibliography
• The Keeping Quilt: A review of the book
• Author of Thank You, Mr. Falker: All books by Patricia Polacco reviews, descriptions and more
• Pink and Say: A book review
• Book Results for Patricia Polacco: Recommended multicultural books by Polacco
Author Study & Lesson Plans
Polacco’s books offer a wealth of learning materials for teacher to apply. Students can learn vocabulary words, enrich their reading skills and learn many of the lessons she teaches about love, acceptance and getting along with one another. There are many, many lesson plans and WebQuests available on the Internet.
• Children’s Author Patricia Polacco: Polacco book lesson plans
• Patricia Polacco Author Study: Author studies for children
• Strategies for Teaching the Value of Diversity: Teaching values using Mrs. Katz and Tush by Polacco
• Welcome Comfort: Welcome Comfort classroom activities
• Patricia Polacco: Patricia Polacco book lessons
• Lesson Plans for Chicken Sunday: Lesson plans for Polacco’s books
• Patricia Polacco, Author and Illustrator: Free lesson plan on Polacco’s books
• Patricia Polacco, a Favorite Author: WebQuest on Patricia Polacco
• How Do Writers Use Storytelling: Creating voice with storytelling
• Cooking Up Books: Opening your mind with Patricia Polacco
• Patricia Polacco, A Crafty Author: Lesson plans for use with Polacco’s books
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