Books by Patricia Polacco

I have read eight books for children, written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco, and I want to share them with you.

Do you know about Ukrainian Easter eggs? That's what Rechenka's Eggs (1988) is about. Babushka, known for her exquisite hand-painted eggs, finds a wounded goose, takes her home, and names her Rechenka. When the goose is ready to try her wings again, she accidentally breaks all of Babushka's lovingly crafted eggs, which were intended for the Easter Festival in Moscva. But the next morning Babushka awakens to a miraculous surprise, and for thirteen days Rechenka lays one marvelously colored egg a day to replace those she broke. On the last morning Rechenka leaves behind one final miracle in egg form before flying away with the other geese. Rated: 8/10, a very good book.

Mrs. Katz and Tush (1992) is a passover story about a cat with no tail, which leaves her tush showing. Larnel Moore, a young African-American boy, and Mrs. Katz, an elderly Jewish woman, develop an unusual friendship through their mutual concern for an abandoned cat. But I was most impressed that Polacco has this odd pair exploring the common themes of suffering and triumph in each of their cultures. Rated: 8/10, a very good book.

Pink and Say (1994) is the story of Pinkus Aylee (Pink) and Sheldon Curtis (Say) during the Civil War. The wounded Say is rescued by Pink, who carries him back to his Georgia home where he and his family were slaves. While the frightened soldier is nursed back to health under the care of Pink’s mother, Moe Moe Bay, he begins to understand why his new found friend is so adamant on returning to the war: to fight against "the sickness" of slavery. Moe Moe Bay is killed by the Confederate Army, and both boys are taken to Andersonville prison, where Pinkus Aylee dies. Say survives and passed along the story of Pink and Say to his daughter Rosa, Patricia Polacco’s great-grandmother. The book was written so Pinkus Aylee, the former slave, will be remembered. Rated: 10/10, couldn't put it down.

Chicken Sunday (1992) is a tale of friendship, delicious fried chicken dinners, and Miss Eula's hat. "When we passed Mr. Kodinski’s hat shop, Miss Eula would always stop and look in the window at the wonderful hats. Then she’d sigh and we’d walk on." The children run into trouble when they try to raise money to buy that hat for Miss Eula. What finally works is selling Ukrainian eggs! Rated: 9/10, an excellent book.

In My Ol' Man (1995) Polacco recalls the special summer spent in Michigan with her yarn-spinning father and a magic rock. When Da loses his job, her brother Ritchie is sure the magic rock will help them, and in a way it did. Da writes a story about the rock and submits it to the local radio station, which then hires him to write stories of magic, hope, and dreams to be broadcast on the air. The illustrations are especially good in this one. Rated: 9/10, an excellent book.

Thank you, Mr. Falker (1998) is Polacco's way of thanking the teacher who helped HER to read. She says, "This story is truly autobiographical. It is about my own struggle with not being able to read. ... I remember feeling dumb." And now this girl, who couldn't learn to read and was teased about it, now writes and illustrates books for children. She has always known that words had power, those on the page that she so wanted to unravel and those from a bully who made her fearful of going to school. Rated: 10/10, couldn't put it down.

Welcome Comfort (1999) is about a little fat boy who became Santa Claus. Let me back up a bit. One day the children were being mean to Welcome Comfort, and he ran back inside the school. There he ran into the janitor, another fat person, who assured the orphaned Welcome, that someday his "substantial" size would "come in real handy." He also told him, "Believing is seeing." And the book is all about believing. Rated: 8/10, a very good book.

Trisha can hardly wait for the relatives to arrive at her house for a family reunion. When Lightning Comes in a Jar (2002) tells us about something new that Gramma has planned for this year. And all the cousins take part in gathering lightning and putting it in a jar. Okay, you've figured it out by now, haven't you? Haven't you? "Every year, the family rituals are the same: A great feast with at least a gazillion different kinds of Jell-O, a croquet game (no one can ever agree on the rules), and best of all, storytelling time, when all the great aunts pull out the family photo albums and try to top one another with their fantastic memories." The illustrations are some of the best of Polacco's I've ever seen. Rated: 10/10, couldn't put it down.