4. Grampa took Mary Ellen inside away
from the crowd. "Now, child, I am going
to show you what my father showed
me, and his father before," he said
quietly.
He spooned the honey onto the cover
of one of her books. "Taste," he said,
almost in a whisper. . . .
"There is such sweetness inside of that
book too!" he said thoughtfully. "Such
things...adventure, knowledge and
wisdom. But these things do not come
easily. You have to pursue them. Just
like we ran after the bees to find their
tree, so you must also chase these
things through the pages of a book!
5. • Joy, family, learning
• Social Issues
• Child interaction
with an elderly
person
6. • Born in 1944, Michigan
• Parents divorced when she was
3 years old
• School Year with
mom/grandparents in Oakland, CA
• Summers with dad/grandparents
in Union City, MI
7. • Struggled in school.
• Teased.
• Teacher/Hero
• Learned to read when
she was 14 years old.
• Recounted this
memory in Thank You,
Mr. Falker
8. Just in Time, Abraham Lincoln * Bun Bun Button * The Junkyard Wonders
January's Sparrow * In Our Mother's House * Someone for Mr. Sussman
For the Love of Autumn * The Lemonade Club * Ginger and Petunia
Something About Hensley's * Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare
Emma Kate * Mommies Say Shhh * An Orange for Frankie
John Philip Duck * Oh Look! * The Graves Family
"G" is for Goat * Christmas Tapestry * When Lightning Comes in a Jar
Mr. Lincoln's Way * Betty Doll * The Butterfly * Luba and the Wren
Welcome Comfort * Mrs. MacK * Thank You, Mr. Falker
In Enzo's Splendid Gardens * The Trees of the Dancing Goats
I Can Hear the Sun : A Modern Myth * Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek
Dam Affair
Babushka's Mother Goose * Babushka's Doll * My Ol' Man
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother * Pink and Say
Tikvah Means Hope * Babushka Baba Yaga * The Bee Tree
Picnic at Mudsock Meadow * Mrs. Katz and Tush * Chicken Sunday
Some Birthday! * Appelemando's Dreams * Uncle Vova's Tree
Just Plain Fancy * Boat Ride With Lillian Two Blossom
Thunder Cake * The Keeping Quilt * Casey at the Bat * Rechenka's Eggs *
Meteor!
9. Polacco’s Stories
• A reflective autobiography of her life
• Children learn to respect others and care about people older
than themselves.
• Respect and Joy
• Multicultural
• Intergenerational
• Stories about the power of stories
10. Polacco’s Illustrations
• Warm and humorous
• Vivid palette of colors
• Mixed-media: acrylic, watercolors, pencils and even real
photographs of family members.
