F20CI452 Wiki:Patricia Polacco

=== "All stories are true, but it doesn't matter whether it really happened or not. It deals with a visceral truth. It almost doesn't matter what color you are, what background you come from. There's something in that story that rings true. If it rings true to you, you identify with it and you live it." - Patricia Polacco1 ===

 Biographical Information 

Patricia Polacco was born in Lansing, Michigan on July 11th, 1944. Her mother’s side is Jewish Immigrants from Russia and Ukraine, and her dad’s side is from Ireland. Storytelling was always a big part of her life, on both sides of her family, and many of these stories have found their way into her books. Patricia moved to Oakland, California when she was 10, as her parents divorced early in her life. She spent the school year in Oakland with her mom and summers in Michigan with her dad. Patricia struggled with reading growing up, and did not fully learn to read until she was fourteen years old. A teacher in Junior High realized she had dyslexia and began to help her learn to read. Living in Oakland gave Patricia the experience of living with and around people of many faiths, races and backgrounds. This helped shape her into the person she is today, and also became the inspiration of many of her books.

Patricia is a talented artist, and used her art as her way of expressing herself when she was struggling in school. She would go on to get multiple degrees in art from the United States, France, England, Russia and Australia, including a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from Monash University and a Ph.D. in Art History with an emphasis in Iconology from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

After University, she focused her life on raising her two children. Patricia did not start writing and illustrating books until she was 41. One of her first books (not published) was a wordless picture book for her 9-year old son, who had been diagnosed with diabetes, to teach him how to take care of himself. She is a member of the [https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/about/#:~:text=Who%20We%20Are,public%20participation%20in%20civic%20affairs. First Amendment Coalition] and has created an anti-bullying campaign. Patricia moved back to Michigan when she was 51 and still resides on the farm she bought in Union City, Michigan. To date, Patricia Polacco has written and illustrated over 115 children’s books.

 Themes/motifs  Patricia Polacco’s books cover a variety of themes. She often focuses on difficult topics in ways that children can connect and understand them, such as learning difficulties (Thank You, Mr. Falker), family (The Keeping Quilt), racism (Mr. Lincoln’s Way),  war (The Butterfly), and childhood illness (The Lemonade Club). Patrica Polacco also delves into many Jewish themes, based on experiences in her own family (The Blessing Cup). Her books also cover historical events (Pink and Say) and cultural traditions (The Keeping Quilt).

Her books are inspired from many of her own life experiences, along with stories she heard in her childhood, and some are complete fiction. A lot of her books focus on the underdog and show that love and good can triumph over injustices.

 Writing/Artistic Style 

Patricia Polacco’s writing style is very much intertwined with her illustrations. As she sees herself more as more of an artist than a writer, her text supports her drawings. Patricia’s writing is often narrative, pulling from her life experiences and the many stories she was told in her childhood. For her illustrations, Patricia works mostly in watercolor, pencil, and charcoal. One of the characteristics of her illustrations is the balance of pencil drawings on white backgrounds with bright colors and patterned backgrounds.

“The story always dictates the style. I have a style that's cartoon-like, one that is photorealistic, and another that is impressionistic. In some books, I draw in pencil and only put color where I want your eyes to go”- Patricia Polacco2

 Criticism 

Patricia Polacco’s book In Our Mothers’ House was banned and removed from elementary school libraries in Davis County, Utah. The reason it was banned was because the family in the story has two mother characters, and some parents believed it “normalizes a lifestyle we do not agree with”. Another mother worked with the ACLU to sue the school in order to put the book back into circulation3.

 Bibliography - (some of Patricia Polacco’s most well known books)

1998- Meteor!

1998- The Keeping Quilt 1988 Sydney Taylor Book Award

1990- Thunder Cake

1990- Some Birthday 1991 Parent’s Choice Honor

1992- Chicken Sunday 1992 Society of Children’s Book and Illustrators Golden Kite Award for Illustration 1992 Commonwealth Club of California Recognition of Excellence

1992- Mrs. Katz and Tush 1992 Boston Area Educators for Social Responsibility Children’s Literature and Social Responsibility Award '''1993 Jane Addams Peace Asoc. and Women’s Intl. League for Peace and Freedom''' 1993- The Bee Tree

1993 - Babushka Baba Yaga

1994- My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother

1996 North Dakota Library Association Children’s Book Award 1996 Jo Osborne Award For Humor in Children’s Literature 1997 Missouri Association of School Librarians Show Me Readers Award

1994- Pink and Say

1994 Parents Choice Award Best Book 1997 West Virginia Children’s Book Award 1998 Mid-South Independent Booksellers for Children Humpty Dumpty Award

1996- The Trees of the Dancing Goats

1998- Thank you Mr. Falker

1998 Parent’s Choice Honors 1999 Association of Educators of Dyslexic and Learning Disabled Readers, Best Book

1999- Welcome Comfort

2000- The Butterfly

2000 School Library Journal Book Review Stars; Cahners; United States 2001 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People; National Council for the Social Studies; United States

2001- Mr. Lincoln’s Way

2005 California Young Readers Medal

2003- “G” is for Goat

2004- Oh, Look!

2005- Emma Kate

2007- The Lemonade Club

2007- Parents Choice Citation - American Cancer Society

2009- In Our Mothers’ House

2010- The Junkyard Wonders

2012- Bully

2012- The Art of Miss Chew

2013- Blessing Cup

2015 Sydney Taylor Award 2015 New York Times Best Seller List

2014- Mr. Wayne’s Masterpiece

2015- An A from Miss Keller

2018- Holes in the Sky

2020- Sticks and Stones (expected October 2020)

 Other Information and Websites 


 * Patricia Polacco has dyslexia, dysnumeria, dysgraphia and failure of sensory integration. Due to her trouble with sensory integration4, she always writes in a rocking chair. For more interesting information on Patricia Polacco, please view the TeachingBooks interview with Patrica Polacco.
 * In 2013, The Library of Congress and the President of the US awarded Pink and Say one of the best books written for children in the past 100 years5
 * Patricia Polacco’s Website
 * An Educator’s Guide To Patricia Polacco - Patricia Polacco Read-Aloud curriculum lesson plans from Penguin Books.
 * Reading Rocket’s “Meet the Author” Interview with Patricia Polacco  - a must watch!
 * Patricia Polacco shares parts her new book- Sticks and Stones (different working title, as mentioned in the video)

'''References and Resources


 * 1) https://web.archive.org/web/20060814135835/http://www.childrenslit.com/f_polacco.htm
 * 2) https://www.teachingbooks.net/interview.cgi?a=1&id=68
 * 3) https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/community/articles/patricia-polacco-keeping-quilt
 * 4) https://www.teachingbooks.net/interview.cgi?a=1&id=68
 * 5) http://www.patriciapolacco.com/#books