Patricia Polacco

Pink and Say, My Rotten Redhead, and Babushka Baba are just a few of over 50 books by a Michigan author that has touched the hearts of adults and children around the world. Patricia Polacco, the Gwen Frostic Award recipient, states that the relationships with her grandparents have greatly influenced her life and her work. As she points out, almost every book she writes is about a very young person interacting with an elderly person.

What many people do not know is that Patricia was not a good student in elementary school. She shared that she had a terrible time with reading and math. She did not learn to read until she was 14 years old. “I thought I was dumb,” she says. When she was 14 she learned that she was dyslexic. One of her heroes, a teacher, found out what was wrong with her, and got her the help she needed. She knows that people with learning disabilities are not DUMB at all, but are actually GENIUSES!

When people ask her where she gets her ideas, she says, “I get them from the same place that you do … MY IMAGINATION.” Her advice to writers is to listen to the “voice” inside of you. Turn off the TV, it drowns out the voice!! She has moved back to the farm in Union City, and says, “This place was so magical to me that I have never forgotten it.” This is the place she first heard all sorts of wonderful stories. We are all fortunate that Patricia has shared her amazing stories with us.