Patricia Polacco
Author of Thank You, Mr. Falker
About the Author
Patricia Polacco was born in Lansing, Michigan on July 11, 1944. She attended Oakland Tech High School in Oakland, California before heading off to the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, then Laney Community College in Oakland. She then set off for Monash University, Mulgrave, show more Australia and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia where she received a Ph.D in Art History, Emphasis on Iconography. After college, she restored ancient pieces of art for museums. She didn't start writing children's books until she was 41 years old. She began writing down the stories that were in her head, and was then encouraged to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. There she learned how to put together a dummy and get a story into the form of a children's picture book. Her mother paid for a trip to New York, where the two visited 16 publishers in one week. She submitted everything she had to more than one house. By the time she returned home the following week, she had sold just about everything. Polacco has won the 1988 Sydney Taylor Book Award for The Keeping Quilt, and the 1989 International Reading Association Award for Rechenka's Eggs. She was inducted into the Author's Hall of Fame by the Santa Clara Reading Council in 1990, and received the Commonwealth Club of California's Recognition of Excellence that same year for Babushka's Doll, and again in 1992 for Chicken Sunday. She also won the Golden Kite Award for Illustration from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for Chicken Sunday in 1992, as well as the Boston Area Educators for Social Responsibility Children's Literature and Social Responsibility Award. In 1993, she won the Jane Adams Peace Assoc. and Women's Intl. League for Peace and Freedom Honor award for Mrs. Katz and Tush for its effective contribution to peace and social justice. She has won Parent's Choice Honors for Some Birthday in 1991, the video Dream Keeper in 1997 and Thank You Mr. Falker in 1998. In 1996, she won the Jo Osborne Award for Humor in Children's Literature. Her titles The Art of Miss. Chew and The Blessing Cup made The New York Times Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/pr/polacco_2.jpg
Series
Works by Patricia Polacco
Associated Works
Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 (1888) — Illustrator, some editions — 1,456 copies
The Art of Reading: Forty Illustrators Celebrate RIF's 40th Anniversary (2005) — Contributor — 242 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Polacco, Patricia Barber
- Birthdate
- 1944-07-11
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Places of residence
- Union City, Michigan, USA
Coral Gables, Florida, USA
Oakland, California, USA - Education
- Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (MA|Ph.D|1978|Art History)
Monash University (BFA|1974)
Laney College
California College of Arts and Crafts
The Ohio State University - Occupations
- children's book author
illustrator - Organizations
- Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
- Awards and honors
- Michigan Author Award (2004)
Regina Medal (2012)
Commonwealth Club of California Award (1990) - Agent
- Edythea Selman
Members
Discussions
Children's Book Set In Future Where Books Are Used As Bricks in Name that Book (June 2014)
Reviews
Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco
Independent Reading Level: Grades 1-4
Lyla makes a friend on her first day of school, but when she joins the cheerleading team and a group of popular girls invites her to join them, her friend is left behind. she recognizes that those girls are bullies and decides to stop hanging out with them. But those girls do not take it so well.
This would be a good book for intermediate readers
This book is about an array of different students with a mix of different disabilities and home experiences
This would be a good read aloud book to spark up conversation, but should be read at older grade levels as there are heavy topics within the story.
This book is about an array of different students with a mix of different disabilities and home experiences
This would be a good read aloud book to spark up conversation, but should be read at older grade levels as there are heavy topics within the story.
"The Graves Family" introduces readers to a unique and eccentric family who loves everything spooky and supernatural. The Graves family lives in a peculiar house filled with bats, spiders, and even a pet alligator. They celebrate Halloween every day, delighting in frights and scares. The book's themes of embracing differences and finding common ground can spark discussions about diversity, inclusion, and the importance of respecting others' unique identities and interests. This book would be best suited for 2nd-4th graders to start learning about inclusivity.… (more)
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Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 82
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 45,490
- Popularity
- #356
- Rating
- 4.3
- Reviews
- 2,571
- ISBNs
- 481
- Languages
- 7
- Favorited
- 29
