Beloved American storyteller, author, and illustrator Patricia Polacco is visiting Hathaway Brown on Monday, November 3, 2014. HB is the first stop on Polacco's rare grand tour of Northeast Ohio, organized by HB's Early Childhood & Primary School Librarian Kathy Englehart. Other schools and organizations on Polacco's itinerary through November 11 include Hawken, Laurel, University School, Cleveland Schools Book Fund, Gesu, and Bryden School.
"We're extremely excited about this opportunity for our younger students," Englehart says. "For us, the idea of having the children meet with a real author and illustrator is very powerful. Our business is the business of literacy. Spending time with the person who created some of the students' favorite books allows them to see, hear, and understand that writing and art are very key elements in all that happens in our world. At the same time, they are learning about the importance of storytelling in our culture."
Polacco is the author of dozens of children's books, including some HB favorites such as Chicken Sunday, The Keeping Quilt, and Thunder Cake. Englehart and her Primary School colleagues have included these works and others in their curriculum for many years. The themes of family and heritage are extremely prevalent in Polacco's writing. A gifted artist, she spent her childhood expressing herself through art. Remarkably, she did not learn to read to read herself until she was 14 years old, having lived with undiagnosed dyslexia to that point. She began her career as a storyteller, and her first book was published when she was 41.
"She's incredibly inspirational," Englehart says.
Polacco's own family heirloom quilt that inspired The Keeping Quilt now is on display at the Mazza Museum at the University of Findlay, which houses the world's largest collection of original artwork by children's book illustrators. In preparation for Polacco's visit, HB Primary School students created their own "Keeping Quilt" out of fabric and felt. The girls are looking forward to sharing their masterpiece in the school's Prime Library during special grade-level storytime programs with Polacco on November 3.
Another fun way that the school is marking this visit is by serving "Thunder Cake" during lunchtime. The recipe for this Devil's Food cake was inspired by a day of baking Polacco shared with her grandmother during a Michigan thunderstorm when she was young. The cake contains a unique surprise ingredient, and recipe cards will be available for the girls and their teachers to take so they may try their hands at baking Thunder Cake at home. Before she leaves HB, Polacco also will spend time with HB faculty during an informal reception.
All grade-level programs during Polacco's visit will take place in the Prime Library. Parents are invited to join their daughters for each 45-minute reading. However, space constraints dictate that younger siblings cannot be accommodated for the November 3 programs. Several of Polacco's well-known titles featuring signed book plates will be available for purchase as well.
For additional details about this exciting event, please contact Early Childhood & Primary School Librarian Kathy Englehart at kenglehart@hb.edu or 216.320.8096. To learn more about Patricia Polacco, please visit patriciapolacco.com.