January's Sparrow

Born Patricia Ann Barber in Lansing, Michigan, to parents of Russian and Ukrainian descent on one side and Irish on the other, Patricia Polacco grew up in both California and Michigan. Her school year was spent in Oakland, California, and summers in her beloved Michigan. She describes her family members as marvelous storytellers. “My fondest memories are of sitting around a stove or open fire, eating apples and popping corn while listening to the old ones tell glorious stories about their homeland and the past. We are tenacious traditionalists and sentimentalists…. With each retelling our stories gain a little more Umph!”

Patricia Polacco lived on her grandparents’ farm in Union City, Michigan, until she was five. This period, with her mother and grandparents, she recalls as the most magical time of her life. Her Babushka (grandmother) died in 1949, prompting the family to leave Michigan.

Her parents divorced when she was three, and she spent school years with her mother and summers with her father. She felt deeply influenced by her grandparents, noting that a young person interacting with an elderly person is a recurring theme in her books.

After leaving the farm, she lived in Coral Gables, Florida, for nearly three years with her mother and brother, Richard. They then moved to Oakland, California, where she lived most of her young life and into adulthood, residing in the Rockridge District on Ocean View Drive. She cherished the diversity of her neighbors.

In Oakland, she met her best friend, Stewart Grinnell Washington. Patricia struggled with reading and math in elementary school, not learning to read until she was almost fourteen and later diagnosed with dyslexia. She credits a heroic teacher with helping her overcome this learning disability.

She went on to university, earning a Ph.D. in Art History, and worked as a restorer of ancient art for museums. She became the mother of two children, Steven and Traci.

Patricia Polacco began writing children’s books at age 41. She attributes her artistic abilities to her learning disability and has always been involved in drawing, painting, and sculpture. Coming from families of incredible storytellers from Ukraine, Russia, and Ireland, and also influenced by the storytelling traditions of her extended family from Louisiana, she developed strong narrative skills. She began writing down and illustrating stories at 41.

She believes her imagination is fertile due to her upbringing with storytelling and the absence of a television. She encourages listening to one’s inner voice rather than being drowned out by electronic screens.

Now living back in Union City, Michigan, she plans to open her home for writing seminars, storytelling festivals, and events celebrating children’s literature.

Patricia Polacco has studied in the United States and Australia, earning an M.F.A. and a Ph.D. in art history, specializing in Russian and Greek painting and iconographic history. She is a museum consultant on the restoration of icons. She has traveled extensively in Russia and other former Soviet republics, supporting programs that encourage Russo-American friendships and understanding. She is also involved in inner-city projects in the U.S. that promote peaceful conflict resolution and encourage art and literacy programs.

The mother of a grown son and daughter, Patricia Polacco currently resides in Michigan on an old farm.

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