Patricia Polacco By Alicia Fallaw & Jamie Martin.

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Patricia Polacco By Alicia Fallaw & Jamie Martin

Transcript of Patricia Polacco By Alicia Fallaw & Jamie Martin.

Biographical Information

• Born July 11, 1944 in Lansing Michigan and spent her early childhood on her grandparent’s farm.

• Her mother was Russian and her father was Irish. She wrote The Keeping Quilt that tells how her mother’s family came to America.

• Both sets of grandparents were captivating storytellers.

• She is a dyslexic, disnumeric, & disgraphic.

• Yet, she still managed to overcome her weaknesses and earn a Ph.D. in art history.

• She didn’t begin writing and illustrating children’s books until she was 41 years old.

• Before that she spent her time as a wife and mother.

• Patricia’s mother was a classroom teacher for 38 years. Patricia deems her mother as her inspiration as well as her hero.

• All of Patricia’s books begin as a thought that boils in her head as she rocks in her rocking chair and lets her imagination soar.

• She takes rocking so seriously that she has one or two rockers in every room in her house.

• Patricia states that drawing makes her “heart sing”. As far back as she can remember, she knew that drawing connected her somehow to the universe and maybe even to God.

Classroom Keeping QuiltAfter a Patricia Polacco author study

students are given a choice of their favorite Polacco book. They then write a short summary of the story and illustrate it. Summaries are backed on colorful paper and put together as a keeping quilt.

My Grandma’s Thundercake

Cream together, one at a time 1 cup cold water1 cup shortening 1/3 cup pureed

tomatoes1 ¾ cup sugar Sift together1 teaspoon vanilla 2 ½ cups cake

flour3 eggs, separated ½ cup dry cocoa (blend yolks in. Beat whites 1 ½ teaspoons baking

soda until they are stiff, then fold in). 1 teaspoon salt

Mix dry mixture into creamy mixture.Bake in two greased and floured 8 ½ inch round pans at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Frost with chocolate butter frosting. Top with strawberries.

Awards & Recognition•1988 Sydney Taylor Book Award

•1989 International Reading Association Award

•1990 Santa Clara Reading Council

•1992 Society of Children’s Book Writers and IllustratorsGolden Kite Award for Illustration

•1992 Boston Area Educators for Social ResponsibilityChildren’s Literature and Social Responsibility Award

•1993 Jane Adams Peace Asoc. and Women’s Intl. Leaguefor Peace and Freedom (Katz and Tush)

•Parent’s Choice HonorsAssociation Children’s Book Award

•1996 Jo Osborne Award

•1997 Missouri Association of School Librarians

•1997 West Virginia Children’s Book Award

•1998 Mid -South Independent Booksellers for Children Humpty Dumpty Award