http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K3_f7KxI9jM/VBXKHMhfrpI/AAAAAAAAHCQ/u1gpvsTINYM/s1600/PatriciaPolacco.jpgWell known children’s author Patricia Polacco to visit Logan County in October

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[October 01, 2016]  LINCOLN - Well known children’s author and illustrator Patricia Polacco will be visiting in Logan County on Tuesday, October 4th through Friday, October 7th. Polacco is the author and illustrator of many children’s books, including perhaps her best-known book, “The Keeping Quilt.”

Polacco’s visit is being made possible through the West Lincoln-Broadwell School Board, and the generosity of the Woods Foundation. According to WLB School Board member Robert Henderson, having a noted author come to the Lincoln and Logan County Schools was a goal that he set for himself and his school board when he became a member. Soon Henderson will be going off the board, but he is very pleased that through the work of the board, and the support of the Woods Foundation, that goal will come to fruition.

Henderson said that in addition to visiting WLB, arrangements had been made for Polacco to visit a number of schools, and he is still working on the final list of appearances. To date, arrangements had been made for Polacco to appear at District # 27 elementary schools, West Lincoln-Broadwell, Zion Lutheran Schools in Lincoln and Mount Pulaski, Chester-East Lincoln, and will also appear at the Lincoln Public Library.

Henderson said he was pleased to see so many schools interested in having the author visit and deliver a one-hour assembly for all students. In addition, Polacco’s appearance at the LPL will open the door for home schooled children and parents, as well as any other elementary student families who wish to attend.

There will be no cost to children or families at any of these events, including the meeting at the Public Library, which will be held on Thursday, October 6th, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Library Annex.

Henderson said that a grant received by the Woods Foundation, in honor of Robert and Joan Jarrett Woods would pay the lion’s share of having Polacco visit area schools. However, donations to cover the balance of the cost are being accepted. Anyone who wishes to donate may do so by visiting West Lincoln-Broadwell School, or donations may be made out to WLB #92 and mailed to West Lincoln-Broadwell District 92 in care of Robert Henderson, 888 1750th Street, Lincoln IL 62656.

He also noted that if the donations exceed the need, the left over money will be divided and distributed to the libraries of the participating schools.

As a child, Polacco was 14 years old before she learned to read well. She went through her early years suffering from dyslexia, a condition that prevents children from seeing letters in their correct order and direction. For years she faked her way through school but gained the reputation of being a poor reader. Her efforts were often met with teasing and ridicule.

Because she didn’t have access to words as many children her age did have, she turned to art as a means of expressing herself.

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When she was 14, an astute teacher realized that Polacco was struggling because she had a reading disability. That teacher, worked with Polacco to identify and overcome the problem.

Her first book, “Thank you, Mr. Falker,” is the telling of Polacco’s story and a personal message to the teacher who recognized her problem.

Summary of The Keeping Quilt
Taken from Scholastic.com

When Patricia's Great-Gramma Anna came to America as a child, the only things she brought along from Russia were her dress and the babushka she liked to throw up into the air when she was dancing. Soon enough, though, Anna outgrew the dress, and her mother decided to incorporate it and the babushka into a quilt. "It will be like having a family in backhome Russia dance around us at night," she said. And so it was. Together with her Uncle Vladimir's shirt, Aunt Havalah's nightdress, and an apron of Aunt Natasha's, Anna's mother made a quilt that would be passed down through their family for almost a century. From one generation to the next, the quilt was used as a Sabbath tablecloth, a wedding canopy, and a blanket to welcome each new child into the world.

The Keeping Quilt, Patricia Polacco's signature piece, was first published in 1988 and won the Sydney Taylor Book Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries. This edition has been expanded to include Patricia's two children, who have also been able to share in the family tradition by using the quilt for birthdays and at play. Now a new generation of readers will come to cherish this heartwarming story of one family's special symbol of enduring love and faith in family.



[Nila Smith]

 

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