Patricia Polacco

A “Fiery” Storyteller

A Portrait of Patricia Polacco• Born July 11, 1944 in Lansing, Michigan• Author and illustrator of various picture books• Dyslexic – struggled with school; began reading at 14

– Wrote Thank You Mr. Falker about these experiences• Lived on her grandparents’ farm until 1949 – “most magical times of my

life” • Heavily influenced by grandparents– “most inspirational people in my life”

– theme of young and old in all books• Called her grandmother “Babushka” -Russian for “grandmother”- and

included this term in the title of three of her books

Biography - continued

• Parents divorced at age 3 – school year with mother and her parents; summers with father and his parents

• Having relationships with both children and elderly – “Most valuable experience of my life.”

• Learned humility at young age and carried it with her into her adult years and in her writing

• Always eager to hear folk tales passed down – real curiosity for living a long life (more interaction with elderly)

• Father was a talk show host– Took part in “firetalking” which greatly influenced her writing

Babushka's Mother Goose

A Further Profile of Patricia

• Through humor , this quote illustrates her focus on the importance of family

• Setting for many of her stories is her Babushka’s farm in Union City, MI – much influence – storytelling, meteor (e.g. Meteor!)

• Lived in Oakland, CA for 37 years and now resides in Union City again – ethnic and religious diversity in CA –influenced

• Unknowingly dyslexic and teased until teacher (“hero”) figured it out and got her help – ended up with Ph.D. in art h.

“You’d have to go through at least four different hugs to get from the kitchen to the front room. Those relatives!”— Patricia Polacco, from Thank you, Mr. Falker

A Final Word on Ms. P• After her degree, worked restoring art at a museum and had

two children who became her main focus• Symptom of her dyslexia – very good artist – started writing

picture books at age 41• Irony – trouble reading into her teens then becomes

renowned author and illustrator• Family of storytellers - Russia, Ukraine, Ireland, Louisiana

– “When you are raised hearing stories, not seeing them, you become very good at telling stories yourself.” – Patricia Polacco

Literary Awards• 1988 – Sydney Taylor Book Award – The Keeping Quilt • 1989 - International Reading Association Award -

Rechenka’s Eggs• 1990- Santa Clara Reading Council Author’s Hall of Fame• Commonwealth Club of California

Recognition of Excellence– 1990 Babushka’s Doll– 1992 Chicken Sunday

• 1992 - Society of Children’s Book Writers and IllustratorsGolden Kite Award for Illustration– Chicken Sunday

• 1993 - Jane Adams Peace Assoc. and Women’s Intl. Leaguefor Peace and Freedom

• 1996 - Jo Osborne Award For Humor in Children’s Literature

Patricia’s Philosophies

• “Where do you get your ideas from?” – “The same place you do…my imagination.”

• Attributes her rich imagination to her storytelling experiences and lack of television

• Electronic screens drown out the “voice” that we all have for our passions – “turn off the T.V. and follow your voice”

• Currently: writing seminars, storytelling festivals, literature conferences, and other events that “celebrate children’s literature”

The distinctive work of P.P.

• Often became a student on the topic and culture she was writing about – Just Plain Fancy – studied the Amish and lived with them– The Butterfly – true story about family but studied Holocaust too

• Wrote her first book in 1988 (age 41) – Boat Ride with Lillian Two Blossom – followed by The Keeping Quilt that same year

• Responds to letters with hand-written reply– Does not own a computer

• Advice remains constant when speaking with children: “Turn off the TV and LISTEN...LISTEN...LISTEN.”

• “I am lucky…so very lucky! I love my life. Can you imagine doing what you love every day? . . . My thoughts boil in my head. They catch the air and fly. The images and stories come back with fury and energy. . . . My heart sings whenever I am drawing.”– Patricia Polacco, from her autobiography, Firetalking

Inspirations• Her family history influences much of her work

• e.g. The Butterfly – based on the lives of aunt and great aunt during the Nazi occupation of France in WWII

• “Firetalking” with grandparents – basis of many stories– e.g. Rechenka’s Eggs – friendship, miracles, and Ukrainian eggs

• Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit – enjoyed as a child (like most)• Favorite picture book of all time - The Tall Mother Goose by

Fedor Rojankovsky• Horton Hatches The Egg by Dr. Seuss• Artistic role model – Norman Rockwell

– “I don't believe that any living illustrator did not at one time or another scrutinize and emulate his style and vision.”

• Classical artists – Raphael– Much to teach any new artist today

Just Plain Fancy (1990)• Story of two Amish sisters who are tired of being so plain and

stumble upon an unusual egg in the field• The egg hatches and is different from the others – “Fancy”• Girls realize this is no ordinary bird, fear they will be shunned• The bird manages to escape and is out for the elders to see• But to their surprise, the adults praise the beautiful animal

and the two girls for raising it– “This is no plain chicken. This be one of God’s most beautiful

creations. He is fancy, child, and that’s the way of it.”

Just Plain Fancy (1990)

• Themes: – Don’t be quick to judge things different from you– Don’t be quick to make assumptions without proper

knowledge (e.g. they just assumed without asking)– Nearly everything is unique and should be valued– Be open-minded - learn to appreciate the little

things in life and the “just plain fancy” miracles – Be proud of your culture and your background –

every culture has its unique characteristics – balance is key - don’t take things for granted

The Butterfly (2000)

• True story about her great aunt who was a part of French underground and her aunt became friends with the Jewish girl living in their basement during WWII

• Nazis control Monique’s (Polacco’s aunt) French village• Thinks she sees a ghost one night but ends up being a Jewish

girl who has been living in their secret basement w/ parents• Develop friendship – “butterfly” - but one night are seen by

neighbor and both families must flee• Separated at train station but walks two miles back home and

are reunited – papillons at the end as sign she’s alright

The Butterfly (2000)

• Themes:– Story of real friendship and real bravery– Horrific events like WWII can lead to true acts of

courage– Butterfly symbolizes freedom – through friendship

the two girls have faith they will one day be “as free as the papillon”

– Turmoil of Nazi occupation and effect on families- parents had to lie to their children to protect them

– Overcoming obstacles – bravery and compassion of children and adults alike

Rechenka’s Eggs (1988) • Babushka, an impressive egg painter and animal fan

lived in solitude in a little house out in the country in Russia. When she was out one eve feeding the caribou, she saw a goose fall from the sky – wounded by a hunter’s gunshot. She took this goose into her care and gave it a name: Rechenka. The goose hopped on her working desk and knocked down all of her beautiful painted eggs. Rechenka laid eggs the next few days with the most intricate and beautiful patterns on them for Babushka. She took them to the fair and won a marvelous prize, however, the goose had finally recovered and Babushka knew it was time to release her back into the wild. Rechenka left Babushka one last gift: her child, born from one of her very beautiful eggs. Babushka and the goose lived together always.

Rechenka’s Eggs (1988)

• Themes:– Empathy: Babushka’s kind actions lead to the recovery

of the goose.– Civility: Though the goose destroyed Babushka’s eggs

by accident, she did not scorn her.– Fortitude: Despite her wound, Rechenka would live on

and recover.– Family: Though they did not know each other long,

they became like family, each caring for the other.– Efficacy: Babushka was proud of her award winning

eggs.– Life: The book shows a baby goose born from an egg;

the miracle of life.

A Summary of In Enzo’s Splendid Gardens

In Enzo’s Splendid Gardens was about a little boy who dropped a book when he saw a bee sitting on a tree which set off a chain reaction. After the boy dropped the book the waiter slipped on it and spilled a large drink on the matron, who caused the two women Foo- Foo and Shee- Shee to drop their tea cups and fall off balance, then they pushed a man into the dessert tray. This continues until the fire department comes and the boy realizes that he had caused all the chaos.

A Summary of G is for Goat

The book G is for Goat is a book all about the alphabet, except for that it is all about goats. For example one is “B is for Billy what boy goats are called”. It talks about what goats eat, what they do, what they like, what they dislike, what raising them is like, and how she raises them. She even talks about taking them to the vet.

Illustrations

• Inspired by Norman Rockwell and Classical artists

• Artistic style seemed to evolve over time but more dependent on the story’s plot and theme– e.g. Just Plain Fancy (1990) different from The

Butterfly (2000) but similar to G is for Goat (2003)

• Uses a wide variety of media (illustration techniques)– e.g. pentel acetone markers, acryllic paint, pencil, oil

pastels, actual photographs of people

• Various techniques to decide what her characters will resemble– e.g. live models, photographs, imagination

Writing and Illustrating Process• 1-2 months: write and re-write

– 32 pages-double sided: length of most children’s books– Perfectionist: rewrites many times until she and her editor are content

• 1 month: draw up the “dummy” (rough draft)– Then sent to NYC where art director edits and sends back

• 1-2 months: final color illustrations• 1 month: scan and color separate in NYC

– Then the films of the entire book are sent to Hong Kong to be printed– Most color books are printed in Hong Kong - the printing process takes about a month– Then the books are boxed and shipped back to the U.S. and stored in the publishers

warehouses. • Up to 6 months: books can remain in warehouses until publication date when

book is released for purchase• Approximate time for entire process: 10-12 months

Contributions: A quilt that’s worth keeping

• Storytelling (“Firetalking”) - multicultural views from ethnic grandparents had major effect on writing – open-minded– e.g. The Butterfly – realism and friendship

• Oral tradition – vast catalog of tales: most culture-specific– Storytellers have a dual role: historian and fantasist– Listened to family members as a child; then herself through literature

• Unity of community – various backgrounds coming together; accepting of each other’s differences– e.g. Just Plain Fancy – Amish don’t always have to be plain

• Historical accounts with important themes and morals– e.g. The Butterfly; Rechenka’s Eggs

• Multicultural/Interracial friendship– e.g. Pink and Say – Civil War account of young slave and Union soldier

A Brief Moment with Patricia• http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews

/polacco– Family stories – tradition; storytelling: how things

“were”– Role and influence of the storyteller – Babushka and

herself – “firetalking”– “Of course it’s a true story, but it may not have

happened.” – fantasist element of storytelling– Multicultural stories – “heart of humanity is the same”– Start with commonalities and “celebrate our

differences”– Hero/teacher “opened the world up” by discovering

her dyslexia– $2500 fee to have Patricia Polacco speak at an

event/school

Bibliography• Goodreads, Inc. (2010). Quotes by Patricia Polacco. Goodreads. Retrieved on February 22, 2010,

from http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/46688.Patricia_Polacco• Kumar, L. (2007) Something About the Author (Vol. 180). Farmington Hills, MI: The Gale Group,

Inc.• Polacco, P. (2003) G is for Goat. New York: Philomel Books.• Polacco, P. (1997) In Enzo’s Splendid Gardens. New York: Philomel Books.• Polacco, P. (1990). Just Plain Fancy. New York: Bantam Doubleday Publishing Group, Inc.• Polacco, P. (1988). Rechenka’s Eggs. New York: Philomel Books.• Polacco, P. (2000). The Butterfly. New York: Philomel Books.• Polacco, P. (2010). Who am I? Retrieved on February 20, 2010, from

http://www.patriciapolacco.com/author/bio/bio.html• Scholastic, Inc. (2010). Patricia Polacco Biography. Teachers: Where Teachers Come First. Retrieved

on February 20, 2010, from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3506• WETA. (2008). Featured Books by Patricia Polacco. Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers.

Retrieved on February 24, 2010, from http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/polacco/featuredbooks

• WETA. (2008). A Video Interview with Patricia Polacco. Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers. Retrieved on February 24, 2010, from http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/polacco