Adri asked me to share with you one of my favorite authors. There are many that I love, but the first one that came to my mind was Patricia Polacco. Not only are her books original and inspiring, but so is her life! Ms. Polacco was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1944. Her parents divorced when she was three. She spent the school year with her mom in California, and the summers with her dad in Michigan. Her grandparents were Ukranian, Russian, and Irish, so she was surrounded with lots of rich culture. Ms. Polacco had a difficult time in school. In fact, it wasn’t until she was fourteen, that her teacher, Mr. Falker, discovered that she was dyslexic. He spent a lot of time with her and taught her how to read. She is a very gifted artist, in fact art is her first love. She majored in Fine Art, got her graduate degree, and then got a Ph.D in Art History. For a while she spent her time restoring ancient pieces of art for museums until she had her two sons. It only seemed natural for her to illustrate her own books, which she didn’t start writing until she was 41. She didn’t have to look very far for inspiration, because most of her stories are about her life, or the lives of her family members. Her first book “Meteor” is the true story of a meteor crash landing in the front of her grandparents farm in Union City, Michigan. Today, the meteor is the family headstone in the village cemetery. The farm, which was originally a plantation and an important stop on the Underground Railroad, was renamed Meteor Ridge Farm by Ms. Polacco where she now resides and continues her work as an author and illustrator. Her 48th book was published just this Spring. If you want to know more about her and get a complete list of her books, visit her website at www.patriciapolacco.com.
Although her books are “wordy”, and may take a night or two to read with your kids, make sure to have a box of kleenex handy. Here’s a list of some my favorite titles from her collection:
Happy reading!!
1 comment:
I do like Polacco as well. There is something that draws you in to her stories. Maybe the personal connections or fascinating story lines. Thanks for sharing a little bio on her. I have never seen a picture of her.
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