Rescued And Rescuer

You would think after spending more than one-third of my life in the company of dogs nothing they do would surprise me, but I am continually amazed by their capabilities.  They know to accomplish a particular task, working together is better.  They also have huge heroic hearts ready to act individually if the opportunity presents itself.  Humans should take lessons on their unwavering loyalty and unconditional love.

In their minds every single day is to be savored with excitement.  Each day is full of possibilities for learning.  Remembering Vera (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, October 3, 2017) is the newest offering from renowned author illustrator Patricia Polacco. No one, least of all the serviceman who rescued her, knew what kind of dog the pup would become.

"What will the Ol' Man say?" one of the guys piped up.
"Davie, if the Ol' Man catches her in here, he'll order her to be taken to the pound, and you know what will happen to her there!" another said.
"Well . . . I'm a-keepin' her!" Davie Bunch said definitely.  "We're just gonna have to hide her and keep her hidden from the commander!" he insisted. 

As good as his word Davie kept the dog naming her Vera.  Vera was one of his favorite aunts.  This dog never left the guys; wherever they went, she went too.  Davie taught her tricks.  She would go after and bring back whatever he threw.

On a particularly windy day, a call for help came to the Coast Guard company.  A ship was taking on water and sinking.  To make matters worse a squall was added to the already windy day.  As the men raced to help, you should know readers, Vera was on board.  And today, so was the commander, the Ol' Man.

The seas were so rough the Coast Guard cutter could not get near the other boat.  Each time they tried to shoot a line to the frantic people, it missed.  Then the Ol' Man noticed Vera and bellowed out his surprise.  Davie stepped up offering a solution.  Vest-wearing Vera could carry a line to the sinking boat.  It was a tense time for the men on that cutter watching Vera dive into the water.  Soon they lost sight of her in the wind and waves.  She made it!

On that day a canine hero was born, spending a great deal of time with the commander for the rest of her days.  It was the first of other rescues giving her star status.  After another spectacular deed nearly ending her life, Vera was given a medal for valor and made an honorary member of the United States Coast Guard.  It was at the close of her life, the immense love the men held for her was revealed.


In the hands of storytelling master Patricia Polacco two events in her life more than forty years ago, years apart, provide the impetus for this narrative.  Her gift for getting at the soul of a story forms the dialogue, the descriptions of the intense rescues, the bonds Vera forms with the men and their dedication to her.  Each sentence carefully builds our emotional attachment to the dog and her place in the United States Coast Guard.  Here is a sample passage.

Vera paddled with fierce determination toward the wrecked sailboat.  It was as if she knew that she was the last hope that those people had!  Everyone, including the Ol' Man, was cheering her on.  Time after time the waves would hide Vera in a trough.  She'd disappear only to surface again, paddling ever nearer the distressed boat.  Suddenly she vanished beneath the waves.  Everyone fell silent.  All that could be heard was the howling of the wind.


A single glance at a book illustrated by Patricia Polacco will tell you she is the artist.  The familiar loose lines, expressive facial features and the meticulous care given to detail are her signature attributes.  The emotion of a moment shines from her pages.

On the matching opened dust jacket and book case, the beaming face of the Ol' Man next to a happy Vera clearly defines their relationship and her eagerness to do her job.  To the left, on the back, an interior image from her first rescue is displayed.  You can see the shock and relief on the faces of those people in distress.  You can also see the intense pride on Vera's face at her achievement.

The red color used in the title text covers both the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page Vera is in the center, sitting in front of the United States Coast Guard symbol.  Rendered in

two and six B pencils and acetone markers

the pictures throughout this title span two pages with the exception of two single page images and a series of smaller visuals when Vera is a playful puppy.  Depending on the point in the story Patricia will alter her perspective, bringing us close to the characters or giving us a more panoramic view.

One of my many favorite pictures is on a single page.  Vera has successful taken a line to the stranded sailors.  She is now back on board the US Coast Guard cutter.  The Ol' Man is holding her in both his hands so she can face him.  A towel dripping with water is wrapped around Vera.  The emotion on both their faces is love at first sight and sheer happiness at Vera's success.


Remembering Vera written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco will have readers laughing and crying at the heroics of this determined dog.  Her willingness to serve is apparent on every page.  Based upon true facts, when this book is finished and your listeners ask if this really happened, you can say yes.  For those who have a special place in their hearts for animals and dogs, this book will resonate with them.  It is a great read aloud title from a storyteller extraordinaire.  Patricia Polacco has notes at the beginning and ending of this book relative to the circumstances inspiring this story.

To learn more about Patricia Polacco and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images. There is an interesting article about Patricia Polacco at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library in the state of Virginia.  Please enjoy this video with Patricia talking about this book.

Gifted At Birth

With the number of books being published each month in a given year, it's an overwhelming task to read all those which may interest a reader.  It's a good problem to have but sometimes it may take months before you read a title.  You shuffle books on and off your purchase list.  You move volumes from top to middle to bottom of your to-be-read stack and back to the top again.

Finally a book makes its way into your home.  And then a day comes when you know you have to read it; it's calling to you.  The Mermaid's Purse (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, October 4, 2016) written and illustrated by beloved Michigan author illustrator Patricia Polacco is one of those books.  When such a book fills your heart with joy and your eyes with tears, you know the saying of "a story chooses you" is completely true.

A clap of thunder roared at exactly the moment my grandmother came into the world during a raging storm in 1883 on her parents' farm in Locke Center, Michigan.  She was the first of nine children.

At this baby's birth the midwife declared

"God's blessing and gifts will fall upon this child like spring rain."

This precious girl, given the name Estella, was born in a Mermaid's Purse, a protective sac.  From that moment forward she was living proof of the midwife's prophecy.

Her affinity for predicting storms was uncanny.  It was astonishing how early she learned to speak and read.  As she grew older she saved every penny earned to purchase books.  Her collection grew larger and larger to the point her father volunteered to build her a library.

One fine day a group of her father's friends gathered and constructed a perfect little library for her.  One, Fred Barber, an apprentice, could not take his eyes off of Estella.  Another, cranky Pig Ears Lonsberry thought the whole thing was total foolishness.  As the last stack of books was carried from house to library, a storm rolled into the area.  Right then and there Estella named her library the Mermaid's Purse.

Estella decided to start taking books in a cart from farm to farm, giving the men and their families who had helped her a chance to enjoy the benefits of a book.  Local children came to the Mermaid's Purse for storytelling.  It wasn't until a book actually helped a farmer on the verge of losing an entire herd of sheep, that Estella's books demonstrated their purpose.

Storms in all seasons came and went with Estella knowingly warning those around her.  More than one life was saved.  It was a terrible event though, a twister, destroying everything this generous spirit held dear which truly portrayed the admiration the community felt for Estella and her Mermaid's Purse.


Gather close readers.  When Patricia Polacco writes it's as if she is within the same space as you are, softly telling you a tale, sometimes true, casting a spell to bring you into that remarkable world.  She is a master at creating a true sense of place and making the characters fully alive.  There is an emotional impact in her stories touching on those things all people believe are valuable.  She invites and unites us with her words.  Here is a sample passage.

She swam to a large rock in the center of the pond.
She no more than scrambled up on it when she
heard a low rumbling off in the distance.  The
sky was darkening and the clouds glowed
with shards of lightning.
"Get out of the water!" she warned the boys.

All scrambled out but one.  Moon Eyes Fred.
"Fred!" she shouted.  "Thunderstorms are something I know about.  That lightning  is closer than you think."
No sooner had she said those words than there was a bright flash of light and Fred disappeared beneath the surface of the water. Stella jumped in and pulled him to shore. 


From the moment you hold the matching dust jacket and book case in your hands, you know another Patricia Polacco jewel will be added to the treasure on your bookshelves.  Who is the girl reading on a pile of books? What is a Mermaid's Purse?  To the left, on the back, this same girl is handing a book from a cart full of books to a dubious farmer?  The opening and closing endpapers are pale sky blue with darker blue vertical stripes.  With a page turn an image of a midwife holding a newborn announces the introduction describing Estella's birth.

Rendered in pencils and markers each illustration created by Patricia Polacco, in full color, spans two pages.  Although she painstakingly portrays the settings, inside and outside homes, it is the depiction of her characters which reaches out to readers.  Clothing, quirky traits and personalities reflected in faces and body postures bring her people to life on the pages.  We sincerely connect to her people.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the clouds burst with rain on the day they move all of Estella's books from her home to the Mermaid's Purse.  On the left of the two-page picture she is standing in the rain, legs spread as she runs and arms open wide.  Her head is lifted to the sky as she names her library.  On the left several of the workers, including Fred Barber watch astonished outside the library.  You will find yourself feeling as though you are standing in the middle of the storm, rain pelting your body and laughing with happiness along with Estella.


If ever there was a book depicting the power of books, reading and libraries, The Mermaid's Purse written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco is that book.  You find your heart swelling with gratitude for the soul of this girl.  This is a true story based upon the life of Patricia Polacco's grandmother.  On the last page she includes several photographs of Estella at different points in her life.  Stella eventually donated her collection of books to the Williamston Public Library in Michigan where she taught school,

...where books from it still remain today.

To learn more about Patricia Polacco and her other work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  She is holding an open house on July 22, 2017 at her home in Union City, Michigan.  Patricia Polacco is interviewed on video at Reading Rockets.  Patricia Polacco is active on Facebook.

On The Fourth Day Of The Week

We can all agree life is wonderfully unpredictable.  We make plans only to have them change repeatedly; sometimes they disappear altogether as priorities shift.  Every single day we wake up, we know there will be ups and downs.  At times it seems there may be more downs than ups but without being aware we may suddenly think to ourselves things are happily stable.  We savor those times.

In fact we may have a particular saying to get us through those tougher days and another one to remind us to be grateful for our good fortune.  If we are facing an event with a specific outcome in mind, we may wear certain clothing or carry a good luck charm.  Because of Thursday (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, October 18, 2016) written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco follows the life of one woman whose happiness stems from the fourth day of the week.

Thursdays had always been lucky for Annie Fetlock.
She was born on a Thursday.
She won her first cooking contest at the age of eight on a Thursday.
She met the love of her life, Mario, on a Thursday.

For Annie and Mario and their two sons, Thursdays were the best day of the week.  At their diner Annie would create her signature cuisine on Thursdays, a pasta salad called Poke Salad.  Over time Poke Salad at the diner brought people from everywhere who wanted to taste this flavorful blend of ingredients.  As you might expect the diner kept this little community humming with activity.

The two boys grew into fine young men who became lawyers practicing law in larger cities but they always stayed in touch with their parents visiting whenever they could.  One day Mario did not feel well.  It was not a Thursday.  Bad news from the doctors was followed by the passing of Mario.  Neither happened on a Thursday.  When the love of your life goes, sometimes the flame in your heart dims and fades away.

Poke Salad Thursdays at the diner were not the same.  People stopped coming.  Eventually Annie simply closed the doors for good.  It was a sad day for the once bustling town.

If you walked by Annie's house you could see her sitting alone on her porch until one very special Thursday.  On this day, Annie made a discovery near the butter churn on her porch.  A tiny boy kitten was wrapped in a dish towel.  Stitched on the outside of the cloth was the word---Thursday!

Of course Annie named the cat Thursday.  Like that special day of the week, this cat worked wonders in the life of Annie, the neighbor children, their parents and other community members.  That cat was nearly magical in its gymnastic talents.  It was those very talents which worked another miracle in Annie's and the community members' lives.  It's astonishing how wonderfully unpredictable life...and Thursdays can be.


Inspired by her cat Thursday, Patricia Polacco has written an original tale of love lost and love found again.  Her storytelling skills are masterful in that the narrative unfolds as if we are learning about someone in our neighborhood and in our town.  Her people are as real and right as rain but there is also a hint of folktale in her stories.  Patricia Polacco writes about what she knows bringing the rich experiences of her lifetime to the printed page.  Here are two sample passages.

People came from far and wide just to taste it.  After one bite they devoured it, almost in a single gulp, then wanted more!  Annie called it Poke Salad, because the more you poked at it, the more scrumptious, succulent, delectable surprises you'd find hidden in, under, and around the pasta.  As a matter of fact, everyone called Annie...Poke Salad Annie.

As the years passed, Poke Salad became an institution in that little town.  People came from other towns, then other cities, then other states, and even other countries.  It was almost as if Poke Salad cast a spell on anyone who ate it so they'd just keep coming back over and over again!


There is sheer joy in both images on the opened matching dust jacket and book case.  The lively animation seen in the characters and the cat leave no doubt as to steadfast spirit of this story.  The facial expressions and color palette are pure Patricia Polacco.  Those two big bowls of pasta on the front hint at the narrative about to unfold.  To the left, on the back, Annie is resting in her favorite chair, eyes closed and smiling as she holds a happy purring Thursday.  Next to them on a table is a picture of Mario.  A vibrant reddish orange seen on the front in the hue of the boy's sweater covers the opening and closing endpapers.

On the initial title page we see a smiling younger Annie surrounded by cooking pots, utensils and ingredients wearing a chef's hat and a big blue ribbon.  On the two-page picture for the more formal title page we are guests at the wedding of Mario and Annie.  It is a garden scene with a gazebo and groomsmen and bridesmaids holding cooking utensils in the air, making an arch.  Cooking utensils are placed in all the floral bouquets.

In the sixteen double-page illustrations throughout this title rendered in two and six B pencils and acetone markers Polacco fills them with life's details; the baby boys in carriers as their parents serve customers in the diner, a bird's eye view of the diner's outside patios and people walking along the street, the heartfelt affection shared between Annie and Mario, and the look of surprise more than once after the arrival of Thursday the cat.  One thing Polacco does is to connect two separate scenes in one illustration.  Two different moments in time are tied together even if the perspective changes.

One of my favorite illustrations demonstrates this technique.  On the left Annie is sitting on the porch of her farmhouse in a pink flowered dress and her pink fuzzy slippers.  In the background her car sits in a garage.  On the porch readers can see the rolled towel next to the butter churn.   Continuing the design of the porch we move to the right with a close-up of Annie's face, wide-eyed with surprise.  She is lifting up the towel and has seen the kitten.  We can see one tiny paw.


Because of Thursday written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco is uplifting and hopeful.  It reminds us how fragile and strong life can be.  It's a book about luck, love and the blessing an animal can bring into human's lives.  This book will invite discussions about those very things.

To learn more about Patricia Polacco and her other extensive work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  At the publisher's website you can view six interior illustrations including my favorite one.  I have written about other Patricia Polacco books, Bun Bun Button, The Art of Miss Chew, Gifts of the Heart and The Blessing Cup.

To Family, To Life, To Love

Our homes, no matter their size, not only accommodate the people and creature companions living there but all the objects gathered over the years.  Most of us realize those things are not the real treasures; if they are lost or damaged they can usually be replaced.  Even so, all of us do have items more valued for the memories attached to them than the worth of the keepsake itself.

This brings to mind the custom in Africa of a storyteller carrying or wearing a string or a vine with tiny tokens attached to it.  Each of these represents a tale.  Listeners will point to one, a payment may be exchanged and then the yarn spinning will begin.

In 1988 Patricia Polacco presented readers with her cherished title, The Keeping Quilt.  When Patricia Polacco's Great-Gramma Anna came to America, an outgrown dress, her babushka and other family members' clothing were used to create a quilt; like the storyteller's tokens, each piece of fabric represented a person and their story.  Generation after generation the quilt was used in commemoration of life events.

In August of this year, a companion title, a prequel to The Keeping Quilt, The Blessing Cup (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) was released.  It begins with Anna's family in Russia.  It begins with a tea set.

When my great-grandmother Anna was a little girl, long before she came to America, she lived in a small shtetl with her mother, papa, and baby sister, Magda, near Tver in Russia.

Their life is filled with fear of the czar's soldiers.  In fact the opening pages show them hiding in the goat shed.  When safety is assured for the time being and Anna's father comes home, the family gathers for the Shabbat, the sun is down on a Friday.  

Anna's mother brings a family heirloom to the table, a tea set she and her husband received as a marriage gift.  At Anna's urging her mother tells the story of the tea set's arrival at their village and of the special note enclosed.  From an aunt Rebecca it speaks of the magic to those who drink from the cups; five promises always kept.

That night as the family sleeps snug and cozy in the warming bed on top of the brick oven, they are awakened by cries and shouts filled with fear.  The temple in the village is burning.  Soldiers are carrying out the czar's orders; all Jews must leave their homes, they must leave Russia.

They are only allowed to take those things they can carry themselves or in carts.  The only hope for Anna's family is to find a way to get to America.  Anna's papa has a cousin there.

Across Russia the family travels for many, many months.  With only room for Anna, her younger sister, Magda, now walking, and her mother to sleep in the cart at night, her papa becomes ill from countless nights of sleeping on the ground and from pulling the cart.  On the outskirts of a small town, he falls to the ground unable to walk another step.

Yevgeni Vladimorovich Puskin is the doctor Anna's mother finds.  Yevgeni Vladimorovich Puskin keeps his promise to heal Anna's father.  Yevgeni Vladimorovich Puskin is the miracle this family needs to rest and recover; finding sanctuary in his home.

Trouble finds the family again but unsolicited gifts are given by all.  A single cup from the tea set journeys with Anna's family.  One fragile piece of china, giving strength as it is passed from mother to daughter over and over.  As promised in the original note from aunt Rebecca, its magic can't be shaken, even by an earthquake.  It truly is a blessing cup.


How easy it is to fall under the spell of the storyteller when reading a book authored by Patricia Polacco.  From the first page you become a participant in the telling of the tale.  You feel like a member of the family; knowing their happiness, fears, sadness, struggles and triumphs.  Her inclusion of memorable family sayings and notes further bind us to the characters.  Here is a sample of her writing from this book.

"Across a vast sea...So you must help me now and be brave."
"I don't want to leave," Anna cried softly.
"None of us do," her mother whispered as she packed.
"Why don't they want us here?" Anna finally asked.
"Because we are different from them...They are afraid of what they don't
understand," Anna's mother said, wrapping the beautiful tea set in soft clothing. ...

When I reread The Keeping Quilt (my copy is the tenth anniversary edition), true to form, I removed the jacket to see what the cover is like underneath.  It's red with a matte finish; a large cream border surrounds the spine.  In the center of the front cover is a tiny embossed heart.  It's a dark cream color, almost golden when held up to the light.

Removing the jacket of The Blessing Cup readers see a darker sky blue with a wide red border along the spine.  In the center is a tiny golden cup, embossed to create a different texture.  Patterned on the opening and closing endpapers are designs from the cup, several cups and the teapot.  A gorgeous image of the cup sets beneath the opening title page. Edge to edge the verso on the left and the formal title page on the right feature a drawing of Anna, happily standing in the doorway of the goat house, the village stretched out to her left.

Rendered in two and six B pencils and acetone markers the illustrations in this book are not unlike looking through a photograph album.  All of the pictures extend across two pages.  They are nearly all in black and white with spot color added for emphasis.

When the family is seeking shelter in a barn among the straw, wrapped in coats and quilts, drinking from the four cups with the teapot off to the left side, is one of my favorite illustrations.  Even in the midst of their painful struggle to exist, they continue with what is important to them.  The promises of the blessing cup sustain them.  Another illustration you have to see to appreciate its true beauty is an evening with the doctor prior to their leaving where Anna's mother explains the teapot and cups' significance.


Patricia Polacco shares her family's story so we readers can know the richness life holds for us; how faith, family and believing can make the impossible come true.  The Blessing Cup in words and pictures is quite simply beautiful.  Each time I read it my heart is filled with love, the human magic found in the memories of a single family keepsake.

Please follow the link embedded in Patricia Polacco's name to her official website.  At this link to the publisher's website you can view several more illustrations from the book including one of my favorites.  Here is a link to an interview on NPR Books, 'The Blessing Cup': Polacco and Her Family of Storytellers

Open To Giving

When you recently acquire the twenty-sixth title written and illustrated by the same individual it might be for a variety of reasons.  Perhaps it's a signature illustrative style, full of animated characters, lively colors and charming warmth, bringing richness to each book.  It could be because within each narrative the line between truth and fiction becomes blurred; the stories reach out, surrounding you, touching your heart and becoming a part of you, always to be remembered.  Possibly it's due to the beautiful blend of the illustrations and the writing; readers knowing one more special piece to the puzzle known as this extraordinary person's life are being shared.

How fortunate for we readers author illustrator Patricia Polacco has released another seasonal title.  Gifts of the Heart (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.) is a story of a Christmas past not soon to be forgotten.  When you least expect it, but need it the most, magic happens.

Richie and I huddled together and pressed our faces into the cold glass of the Hudson's store window.  Everywhere we looked was a dazzling array of wondrous toys for Christmas.

We stand with two children peering into a display window, their minds sending Christmas wishes to unseen ears.  After this single page introduction preceding the title pages, the story begins as they ride down a country road with their Grampa in his Model A.  They see a woman standing by the back door to their farmhouse.

They are expecting someone from the Agency to come to care for the children since their Mom has taken a teaching job away from home.  Their beloved Gramma has recently died.  The farmhouse...will be sold in the spring.

The woman's accent and demeanor suggest she is not from the North.  Her name is Kay Lamity.  Yazoo, Mississippi is her home.  She aims to be the best housekeeper this family has ever seen.  Grampa, Momma, and Trisha welcome her immediately but Richie is feisty and not a little bit rude.

She has a talent for making children, even those rude ones, fall under her spell.  It's when they are putting up the Christmas tree and hanging ornaments, that a most interesting conversation takes place.  Kay Lamity believes

"You know, they's gifts, and they's gifts."

Both children are surprised to hear this.  It's a favorite phrase of their late gramma.

A shopping trip to the village, Santa Claus handing out Hershey bars and an outburst by Richie at home, threaten to take away a little girl's Christmas joy.  Nighttime chats and a star-studded sky do much to heal.  Cornstalks, a woman's creativity, and open hearts are the right ingredients for making perfect gifts.

On the way home from the town's parade on Christmas Eve those in Grampa's car see an astounding sight.  Bells, thumps, and bumps in the night and treats under the tree, send spirits soaring.  Images in the new-fallen snow and a surprising discovery make a memory which will last a lifetime.


Every time you open a cover of a Patricia Polacco book, you can feel a sense of anticipation and peace settle over your soul.  With her words she spins tales of wonder, delight and truth, the kind which take you into their space, leaving an imprint on your reader's heart.  As surely as her artist tools make pictures to see, so do her words.  She can take you to unforgettable places meeting people you will never forget.  Here are a couple examples of her writing.

Our warm breath made misty clouds on the window.

"Boy," she said, "where I come from, we cook yard-long night crawlers in green bugger gravy! And fer dessert, blister-pus puddin' with black widow garnish."
Richie looked up from his pillow.

I wept silently as we chugged down Dunks Road on our way home to our farm.   "I didn't see him," I said, sniffling.
Kay Lamity turned and looked at me. "Baby dear, can you see the wind as it blows?  Can you see how a flower smells in the springtime?  Can you see how much your momma and grampa love you?"


Using markers and pencils, Patricia Polacco welcomes us into the story of a Christmas Trisha and Richie will never forget.  On the matching jacket and cover she introduces us to Kay Lamity, her warmth and comfort for the children radiating outward.  In the introductory text we see the children, eager and excited from the perspective of inside the store.  Polacco continues on the two title pages with the same scene but this time we are on the outside looking inward; we are seeing the back of Trisha and Richie, the toys spread out on display.

All of the remaining pictures cross the gutter as two pages visuals, with the exception of one.  Her illustrations create an added atmosphere, an accompaniment for the text.  Fine details on her characters' faces make us feel as though we've known them for longer than this book.  One illustration which truly captured my heart is of Kay Lamity and Richie looking upward out his bedroom window at the night sky.  Behind them through the open doorway we can see the crackling fire and the tree aglow with lights.  Their facial expressions, the layout and design of the illustration with the text are beautiful.


Gifts of the Heart written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco will be placed on the shelf next to Welcome Comfort, Christmas Tapestry, and An Orange for Frankie; a Christmas title to be cherished for the magic spell is casts.  I consider Patricia Polacco to be an extraordinary storyteller.  Her books are gifts of the heart.  We thank you Patricia Polacco and we wish you the best, most marvelous time during this Christmas season.

To Really See...

After a rainy beginning the sun was shining in the middle of a Saturday afternoon.  Errands had been run and the yearly splurge on annual flowers had commenced.  Feeling happy but wanting a break I decided to read the newest title by one of my favorite authors and illustrators.

I read the front jacket flap, the story, the back jacket flap and promptly started to cry; touched to the core.  From our first to last breath people will come in and out of our lives making their mark for better or worse.  The Art of Miss Chew (G. P. Putnam's Sons) written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco is a loving tribute to a teacher who saw what needed to be seen.

During a summer spent with her grandmother, an artist, and father in Michigan, Patricia discovers her natural talent for drawing.  Excited to take art next year at school in California, she is disappointed to discover no such class is offered; only art on a cart for a short while each week.  But Patricia's new teacher, an Irishman, Mr. Donovan notices her artistic talent as well as her struggle with test taking.

Knowing her command of the subject matter but her slowness with reading, he simply gives her more time.  But Mr. Donovan's real surprise is to recommend Patricia for a special art program for younger students taught by Miss Chew, the head of the high school art department.  Tuesdays and Thursdays spent in the company of Miss Chew will change everything for this young woman.

Miss Chew breezed into the room that first day changing Patricia's name to Theresa, said with a Chinese accent.  Thin and tall Miss Chew began to teach her students the language of art.  Light, shadow, how the pressure of a pencil changes line, image size, position and patterns all figured in their sketches.

Carrying her sketchbook with her always Patricia even sketches a picture of Mr. Donovan's "da" from a photograph in the classroom.  By the next class she has twenty drawings to show Miss Chew who realizes Patricia sees negative spaces first.  Some weeks later the bubble of happiness bursts when Mr. Donovan's father dies, he leaves for Ireland and Mrs. Spaulding, a substitute teacher a-la "Viola Swamp" comes into the classroom.

No more extra time for test taking.  In Mrs. Spaulding's opinion the art classes are pure fluff; her goal is to end them for Patricia.  Determined to keep Patricia in her class, Miss Chew realizes when Patricia reads she sees letters as she does her art and  recommends her to a reading specialist friend.

For Patrica those people championing her cause rise to the top.  A meeting, a return and a special event open up a future of possibilities for Patrica.  The language of art became the language of her life; seeing as Miss Chew would have her see.

Told in an intimate conversational first person narrative, readers recall along with Patricia Polacco this defining year in her life.  We are acutely aware of the range of emotions felt by a younger Polacco through word choice and dialogue. 

I loved drawing.  Sometimes when I was drawing, I'd forget to breathe!  I danced on air all the way home that day.  I couldn't wait to tell my mother.

Beginning and closing endpapers picture a collage of sketches done in white and a rich, rusty, soft brown; the sepia tone alluding to the past.  Most of Polacco's luminous illustrations brimming with color and life span across two pages throughout this narrative.  Her technique of combining pencils and markers create sharp visuals giving us a realistic glimpse into her memories.

A particular style of  facial expressions and gestures by Polacco are what give her illustrations a distinction as being hers and hers alone.  Use of space gives the precise perception necessary. Readers are in the moment experiencing as did the persons pictured on her pages. 

The Art of Miss Chew written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco speaks to all the needs of all children; how each sees the world in their own incomparable manner.  How fortunate for Patricia Polacco that school year included Miss Chew.  How fortunate for we readers she choose to share this story with us. 

To see more illustrations from this title follow the link attached to Patricia Polacco's name above.

Precious Prolific Polacco

With more than fifty titles to her credit, Patrica Polacco has penned a new tale that highlights her strengths as a memorable author and illustrator, Bun Bun Button.  Polacco states that this book was inspired by a young visitor at one of her presentations; a visitor that presented her with the gift of a much loved stuffed bunny.  Seeing stories in the everyday is Patricia Polacco's gift to her readers; raising our awareness and appreciation, bringing our attention to the little details in life.

Paige Elizabeth Darling adored her gramma.

So begins the narrative of Paige's many helpful visits to her Gramma; baking soft sand cookies, making beds and feeding the household cats and dogs.  At day's end the two cuddle and read in the Old Blue Chair, something they cherish.  In fact all the critters crave that chair, even Gramma's pet squirrel and goldfish.
Gramma believes Old Blue Chair absorbs so much love from those in the house that it surrounds whoever sits there with that love.

Sitting in the chair one day, Paige vocalizes her realization that she does not have a toy to hold; the cats, dogs and squirrel do though.  Gramma finds the perfect piece of fabric to stitch together the sweetest, stuffed bunny with a little button nose.  Bun Bun Button is what the pleased Paige names her.  Given a small pocket in her right ear by Gramma for Paige to place her finger when Bun Bun Button is snuggled next to her face makes this a very extraordinary friend.

The two are naturally inseparable; until Bun Bun Button takes an unscheduled flight one afternoon as the biggest, reddest balloon that Gramma could buy takes her up, up and away.  Inconsolable, Paige is reassured by Gramma that the Darlings have always been lucky.

A high flying adventure is a huge treat for Bun Bun Button; bouncing on the breezes, rollicking through rain, soaring beneath a moon sliver starry sky and tangling with feathered flocks.  Much to her surprise the next morning her trip is cut short as she suddenly tumbles toward the ground.  Landing in the lowest limb of a certain willow tree picked up by a certain squirrel, she is dropped at the feet of a very special Gramma.

Using pencil and markers Patricia Polacco masterfully presents a portrait of a grandmother, her granddaughter and a treasured toy.  The soft night speckled with stars as a backdrop for the cheery, yellow, flowered Bun Bun Button big red balloon tied about her wrist, is not typical of Polacco who usually has light covers colorfully covered by her characters.  Endpapers sporting Bun Bun Button in various poses across stark white is a delightful contrast.

The joyful exuberance that all characters feel for one another in Gramma's abode is evident in expression and gesture.  Even the goldfish gets in on the action leaning on the edge of the bowl or jumping in the air when events warrant such displays.  The two page spreads with some or all of the characters, Paige, Gramma, the two Scottie dogs, five Siamese cats, pet squirrel and goldfish, exude welcome warmth.

Some of my favorite illustrations are Gramma finding the cloth in her calico chest laughing as all are gathered around her, Paige nestled in bed at night next to an open window showing the moon and stars holding Bun Bun Button with the dogs, cats and squirrel surrounding her like love, and all of them sitting in Old Blue Chair.

READS Homework Helper is hosting a Twitter Book Party on December 6, 2011 at 7pm and is free to all participants.  This virtual conversation with Patricia Polacco will be about Bun Bun Button.

Bun Bun Button is a priceless, pleasurable piece of life sure to deliver delight at each reading; a treasure in every sense of the word.

Priceless Polacco

 Time and time again her characteristic, artistic style will catch your eye.  Time and time again her words will make a mark on your heart.  Time and time again her message will give you pause.  It will change the way you think. There is no illustrator or author quite like Patricia Polacco.

Just In Time, Abraham Lincoln is her third book that gives readers a window into the American Civil War.  It was preceded first by  Pink and Say and followed by January's Sparrow.  Each of these tales has a distinctive approach as to what readers will take away regarding the events of this time in history.

In this newest book Polacco introduces us to Michael and Derek riding the Amtrak Limited on its way to Washington, D. C. with their Grandmother.  During a stop at Harpers Ferry they meet a good friend of hers, a Mr. Portufoy, director of the Civil War Museum.  After trying on Union uniforms he invites them to walk through a door into a game.

They are going to Antietam just after the battle.  Everything they encounter will be as if real.  They are not to tell anyone about who they really are or the time period from which they come.

 Mr. Portufoy gives them a gold watch cautioning them to return to the door one hour after the watch chimes before sunset.  They are swept into this historic game as assistants for the studio of renowned photographer Mathew Brady.   Before long they are gazing across the battlefield horrified by the pall of death which stretches as far as their eyes can see.

Realizing that somehow they have traveled back in time and this is real, the two boys are overwhelmed by fear and sadness.  It is President Lincoln that lends them comfort.  For this gesture of kindness they break a promise offering the President hope for a better future by producing a treasured keepsake from a pocket.

True to her gift as a storyteller, Patricia Polacco adds just the right twist at the end along with a letter to her readers offering more explanation about this Battle at Antietam.  I love your books, Patricia Polacco.  You feed your readers' souls.

Follow her web site above to gain further information about all her books and the upcoming Meteor Festival 2011 in Union City, Michigan.  This event most assuredly will be informative, interesting, inspiring and just plain fun.  Road trip!