Patricia Polacco
Patricia Polacco (born Patricia Barber on July 11, 1944, in Lansing, Michigan) is an acclaimed American author and illustrator of over 115 children's books, often drawing from her Russian, Ukrainian, Jewish, and Irish family heritage and her own childhood struggles with dyslexia. After earning degrees in fine art and a Ph.D. in art history in Australia, where she married Enzo Polacco in 1979, she began publishing at age 41 with works like Thunder Cake and The Keeping Quilt. Her stories celebrate family storytelling, intergenerational bonds, and cultural diversity, including the semi-autobiographical Thank You, Mr. Falker about overcoming reading difficulties.
Children's Literature
Picture Books
Ginger and Petunia
Sticks and Stones
Thank You, Mr. Falker
Bully
Junkyard Wonders
The Lemonade Club
Fiona's Lace
The Blessing Cup
The Blessing Cup
Emma Kate
In Our Mothers' House
For the Love of Autumn
January's Sparrow
Gifts of the heart
Mrs. Katz and Tush
The Art of Miss Chew
Gracias, Sr. Falker
Emma Kate
Babushka's Mother Goose (Picture Puffins)
Clara and Davie
Ginger and Petunia
Christmas Tapestry
Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother