Polacco, Patricia
June 11, 1944—
Place of Birth: Lansing, MI
Place of Principal Residence: Union City, MI
Biography
Patricia Polacco was born to Mary Ellen and William Barber in Lansing, MI on June 11, 1944. Beloved story teller Patricia Polacco may not have lived in Michigan for many years, but it has been a place that holds many dear memories for her. Right after her birth, Patricia soon moved to Union City, Michigan where she lived on her grandparents’ farm until 1949. Patricia’s heritage is Russian, Ukrainian, and Irish and growing up she was constantly surrounded by interesting stories and story tellers alike. In 1952, Patricia and her family moved to Oakland, California where she spent the rest of her childhood and most of her adult life. Even though Patricia grew up in Oakland, she spent summers with her dad in Michigan.
Growing up in Oakland, Patricia had a hard time in school. She did not learn how to read until she was fourteen due to her dyslexia. Her disability did not stop her from going on to obtain a higher education. Patricia attended the California College of Arts and Crafts, Laney Community College, Monash University and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. At the end of her college career, Patricia had earned a Ph.D. in Art History.
Patricia has enjoyed a very rich family life in many senses. Her diverse heritage has provided her with many ideas. Before she began writing, Patricia worked at a museum restoring religious icons and devoted her time to raising her two children. At the age of 41, Patricia started her writing career out of a love for her family and the desire to record the many inspirational tales she had heard all her life. Her first books were unpublished and hand drawn which she gave to her children. Soon after she started experimenting with different stories she went to New York and met with publishers.
Today, Patricia has published dozens of children’s books which reflect her background and life experiences in many ways. In Thank You, Mr. Falker Patricia writes about her teacher who helped her learn to read despite her dyslexia. Almost all of her books are about children interacting with older people because Patricia loved spending time with her grandparents. Patricia’s writing focuses on teaching children about other cultures through a wonderful and imaginative story as apparent in Chicken Sunday and Babushka Baba Yaga. Today, Patricia lives once again on her grandmother’s farm in Union City, Michigan where she continues to write and illustrates her books as well as hold writing workshops and children’s literature festivals.
Selected Works
- Meteor! (1987)
- Thunder Cake (1990)
- Mrs. Katz and Tush (1992)
- Chicken Sunday (1992)
- Rechenka’s Eggs (1993)
- My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother (1994)
- Pink and Say (1994)
- Babushka’s Mother Goose (1995)
- Babushka Baba Yaga (1999)
- The Keeping Quilt (2001)
- When Lightening Comes in a Jar (2002)
- Emma Kate (2005)
Awards
- 1988 Sydney Taylor Book Award: The Keeping Quilt
- 1989 International Reading Association Award: Rechenka’s Eggs
- Commonwealth Club of California Recognition of Excellence: 1990 Babushka’s Doll and 1992 Chicken Sunday
- Golden Kite Award for Illustration: Chicken Sunday
- Nov. 9th 1993 Jane Adams Peace Asoc. and Women’s Intl. League for Peace and Freedom Honor award to Mrs. Katz and Tush for its effective contribution to peace and social justice
- 1996 North Dakota Library Association Children’s Book Award: My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother
- 1996 Jo Osborne Award for Humor in Children’s Literature
- Show Me Readers Award for My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother
- 1997 West Virginia Children’s Book Award: Pink and Say
- 1998 Mid -South Independent Booksellers for Children Humpty Dumpty Award
Critical Reception
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For The Lemonade Club:
“Once again, Polacco works from a true episode, this time in her daughter’s friend’s life, to build a heartwarming and touchingly gentle story of
serious childhood illness and its hopeful, positive outcome through compassionate peer loyalty. Her signature expressive illustrations of children
and adults’ sadness, relief and gladness rendered in pencils and markers complete this sentimental yet poignant story that will surely trigger a
few tears for some and empathetic understanding for all.”
- Kirkus Reviews
For My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother:
“Polacco’s flair for storytelling shines in this tale filled to the brim with a family’s anecdotes. The text rings true with the authentic battling words
of childhood spats. Breezy, zestfully hued marking-pen-and-pencil artwork affords Polacco’s characters—familiar figures from some of the
author/artist’s other titles—an almostirrepressible energy.”
- Publishers Weekly
For ThunderCake:
“Although the book’s concept is good, it does not fulfill its promise. The story is poorly paced: the storm approaches rapidly, but does not break
for several pages as Polacco crams in details, including a lengthy pause while the cake bakes. The illustrations are less than appealing: both
characters’ faces are chalky white, draining them of life. Many of the barnyard animals are drawn out of proportion—Grandmother is almost the
same size as a cow she milks, geese are as tall as people. Considering how many children are afraid of thunder, it is a shame Thunder Cake is
not a stronger effort.”
- Publishers Weekly
For Chicken Sunday:
“Polacco’s tale resonates with the veracity of a personal recollection and is replete with vivid visual and visceral images. Her unique illustrative
style smoothly blends detailed line drawing, impressionistic painting, primitive felt-marker coloring, and collage work with actual photographs,
resulting in a feast for the eyes as filling as Miss Eula’s Chicken Sunday spreads. The palette is equally varied, while the application of color is
judiciously relieved by sporadic pencil sketches. An authentic tale of childhood friendship.”
- School Library Journal