Mommies Say Shhh!

Born Patricia Ann Barber in Lansing, Michigan, 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, with fond memories 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.

Polacco 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 has worked as a museum consultant on the restoration of icons and has traveled extensively in Russia and other former Soviet republics as a participant in many citizen exchange programs for writers and illustrators. She continues to support programs that encourage Russo-American friendships and understanding, and is also deeply involved in inner-city projects in the U.S. that promote the peaceful resolution of conflict and encourage art and literacy programs.

The mother of a grown son and a daughter, Patricia Polacco currently resides in Michigan, where she has a glorious old farm that was built during the time of Lincoln. She did not begin writing children’s books until she was 41, a career that grew from her lifelong passion for art and her family’s rich storytelling traditions.

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