Author/illustrator Patricia Polacco shares stories with Moorhead students
October 24, 2016
“I come from a family of storytellers,” said Patricia Polacco, describing her Russian and Irish background.
Polacco, the author and illustrator of more than 115 children’s pictures books, spoke to students at Probstfield Elementary, S.G. Reinertsen Elementary and Ellen Hopkins Elementary last month.
Polacco told students that since her family didn’t own a television, when she was growing up they would listen to and watch her grandmother — her “Babushka.”
“She used to tell us fabulous stories,” Polacco said.
Polacco shared with students the story of her great-grandmother Anna who came from Russia as told in her book “The Keeping Quilt.” The art in the book is done in black and white except for Anna’s dress and scarf. Once Anna outgrew her dress, her mother used that fabric and fabric from other family members’ clothing to make the keeping quilt. It was used as a tablecloth, at weddings and to wrap around new babies. The quilt was on Polacco’s bed when she was little.
Although the original quilt is now in a museum, Polacco showed students the replica quilt that her family made for her.
Polacco also talked to students about the challenges she had as a student.
“You’re looking at a learning disabled student who grew up,” Polacco said.
Polacco told students she couldn’t read until she was 14 because of dyslexia. She later graduated from college with a degree in fine art and earned a doctorate in art history. She was 41 when she published her first book.
“Every one of you is gifted. We all open our gifts at a different time,” she said.
Polacco described her first book “Meteor” to the students, explaining how her mother as a child witnessed the meteor landing in the yard. The house shook and the night glowed bright like day. Then they saw the glowing red hot piece of falling star in their yard.
People began to come see the meteor. Eventually someone touched the meteor, and the legend began that touching the meteor and making a wish would have your wish come true. Polacco told the students that if they wanted they could touch a piece of the meteor she had brought with her and make a wish. However she explained that wishes must be unselfish; they can’t be for money, toys or gadgets, or to change other people.
“The way you change other people is how you treat them,” she said. “When somebody is being mean you throw kindness back at them.”
Photo caption: Author/illustrator Patricia Polacco shows Probstfield Elementary kindergarten students her family’s keeping quilt, which was featured in one of her books.
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