Praise for Patricia Polacco

Thank you, Mr. Falker (1998) was the first book I read by the amazing Patricia Polacco. This story is about a girl who has trouble learning to read. In first grade, “when Trisha looked at a page, all  she saw were wiggling shapes, and when she tried to sound out words, the other kids laughed at her.” Trisha was looking forward to learning to read, so it was heartbreaking when she found it so unbearably difficult. Layered onto this pain was the humiliation of being teased relentlessly by her peers. It was not until fifth grade that a teacher noticed her struggle and took the time to help and to defend her from bullying. This powerful story prompted me to pick up any book I came across written by Polacco.

One of the next books I found was Pink and Say (1994). Ouch! This is a brutal story of a friendship between teenage soldiers in the Union Army. One is Black and one is White. Much of the story takes place at the home of Pink as Say recovers from an injury. Here we get to know Polacco’s main characters in historical context. Interesting that she finds a way to include reading in the story. Pink’s master taught him to read “even though it was against the law”. Say never learned to read. In the end, Confederate soldiers capture both boys. Say lives to tell the tale.

All the Polacco books that I came cross addressed social issues without a hint of condescension. Emma Kate (2005) is vastly different from the others I read. This book has one sentence per illustration, making it a book for the very young. It’s a simple story of friendship between a young girl and a young elephant. It’s lighthearted. There are plenty of opportunities to smile. Again, Palacco finds a way to include reading, “Most of all we love to read together.” This may be the only children’s picture book with an ending that made me laugh out loud.

In the past few years, I’ve given away most of my children’s books. I enjoyed finding these treasures hidden in shelves stuffed with used books at library sales and thrift stores, but it makes more sense to get them back out into the world. I’m putting all my books by Patricia Polacco on the library book free shelf, except Emma Kate. I’m keeping Emma Kate.