Firetalking

Firetalking

by Patricia Polacco, Lawrence Migdale (Photographer)

An autobiography of the well-known author and illustrator.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, Cultural, Autobiography, Multicultural Literature

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

Patricia Polacco is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator with around seventy beloved and award-winning books to her credit, including The Keeping Quilt, Pink and Say, The Blessing Cup, Chicken Sunday, and Thank You, Mr. Falker. She resides in Michigan.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, it’s hopeless! I feel like Pavlov’s dog. I open up a Patricia Polacco book and I start to cry!

I’ve been reading through Polacco’s children’s picture books, many of them for children older than the typical targeted audience for children’s picture books. This is the 34th Polacco book I’ve read, and it’s an autobiography, one written for children. I’m thrilled. This author includes so much biographical and family information in all of her books, and they seem to be a very multicultural family, so I’ve been very curious about her life.

So far, I’ve read 33 of her books (in addition to this one) and have 3 more at home to read, 9 more on reserve at the library, 3 more to reserve at the library, and 2 or 3 more that don’t seem to be available. I’m reading through these books at a very quick pace because I just love (most of) these books.

This biographical work did answer some of my questions. There’s a photo of the author on the front cover and many, many photos inside of the author, her family, friends, neighborhood, work environment, etc. She refers to some of the picture books she’s written and illustrated and reveals how they pertain to her actual life. Unfortunately, this book was written in 1994, fairly early in her career. So, I’d like to have another, updated, autobiography published. I’d also love to read a more in depth book about this woman. When this was written, she was still living in Oakland, California, very close to me, in a neighborhood I know well. I know she’s now living back in Michigan and I’m sure many things have changed, not the least of which are all the true stories behind the many picture books she’s written and illustrated over the last decade and a half. I really enjoyed how she tells about constructing the books she creates.

This book appears to be part of a series called Meet the Author, the authors all being people who write books for children and young adults. It’s a wonderful idea to have these books, and I recommend this one to all Patricia Polacco fans. Not much will be a complete surprise to readers of her other books given that she includes so much personal information in them, but a couple of mysteries got cleared up for me.

It really touched me when she explained why she uses the pen name Polacco (also her married name) as the name on her books.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prolific picture-book author Patricia Polacco, whose work is always somewhat autobiographical, turns to actual autobiography in this non-fiction title for younger readers. Fans will be unsurprised, of course, at the many ways in which Polacco's art has intertwined with, and built upon her life experiences, but even they will learn a little something new, and will enjoy seeing photographs of some of the real-life people who have featured in her books.

Firetalking, a title derived from the word Polacco's Ukrainian babushka would use to describe their storytelling sessions, is an engaging and informative autobiography for younger readers, giving them a little insight into the life of a popular artist and author. This is the second entry in the Meet the Author series I have read - the first being Verna Aardema's A Bookworm Who Hatched - and overall, I think it a very worthwhile collection. Recommended to all young Patricia Polacco fans, and to any young student who must write a report on an author.

[Children's Literature Project · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade Level Equivalent: 3.9

Summary: In this autobiography, Patricia Polacco welcomes children into the early years of her life and what inspired her to become a writer. The book tells of the difficulties faced by Patricia, from a learning disability to the difficult divorce of her parents. Children will be able to learn to cope with these turbulent circumstances, as Patricia did with her expressive release in writing.

Lesson Integration: Children can use this book to explore challenges posed by external factors and ways to cope with them as Patricia did. Students could also write about a difficult situation in their own lives and how they overcame that obstacle.

[Arsenio Richardson]

Like many of the other biographies I enjoyed this one because I was familiar with the author and read some her books previously. With art in this book was interesting because Mrs. Polacco used a combination of cartoon depictions and actual photos of her life. I thought that showed her range of character. It is important to me, to be able to put a name to a face helps out a lot when reading books by an author. Also, in this book I found out many of the author interests and inspiration behind writing and illustrating children’s book.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author: Patricia Polacco
Photographer: Lawrence Migdale
Genre: Autobiography
Grade Level: 3.9
Lexile: 770L

Summary: This autobiography gives the reader an inside look at author Patricia Polacco’s life. She discusses growing up and how she became an author. She also explains where her inspiration for writing comes from. This is an awesome resource for teachers trying to show students the writing and creating process.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs. Polacco visited my daughter's school in 2016 and has since become her favorite author. She was hungry for more information about her and even though this book is out of print I managed to find it on ebay. My daughter devoured the book in less than 30 minutes and then went around asking family members, "Did you know" facts about Mrs. Polacco.

[Inhabiting Books]

A kid-friendly biography about Patricia Polacco.

[lunarlibrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weeding final.
I did like the response to the question: "Is that a true story?" The answer is, "Of course it's true... but it may not have happened."
There's lots of truth in that statement.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series about children's lit. authors, and this selection did not let me down. I enjoyed the photos and learning the background that lead to the books I love.

[Morgan]

This is a great book to bring in for a lesson on how to write a biography. This is the story of Patricia Polacco and how she lives her life.

[Alexandra Cotter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is an autobiography of Patricia Polacco, in this book she shares the many different aspects of her life to give the readers a look into who she is as a person.

[Brittney Cayford]

This book captures and explores themes of family, heritage, and bonds of love. Jessie and her Granny share a connection through their Native American heritage. Firetalking is a technique of ancient art, a traditional practice of communicating through smoke signals passed down through generations.
This book transports readers to the Pacific Northwest and immerses them in the rich cultural traditions of the Native American community. This book celebrates the importance of preserving heritage and passing down traditions from one generation to the next. It offers a window to the world of Native American culture and traditions while delivering a message about family bonds and the human spirit.

[Kiersten Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an autobiography written by the author Patricia Polacco. She writes of her upbringing and stories she would listen to from her grandparents which they called "firetalking." She tells of her struggles with school growing up, about her family including her husband and children, and the vast cultures they all share. As many children read her stories that she has written, it would be interesting to read this story to the children as well for them to know more about the author of what they are reading.

[Vanessa Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book about how the author showed different strategies she had for the different aspects of her books. I thought it was interesting that she talked about how every morning she rocks and that she writes every day I think that that is fascinating. I liked this book and I think that it would make a great read-aloud after we have read some of the books that she talks about in the story.
Author: Patricia Polacco
Photographer: Lawrence Migdale
Publisher: Richard C Owen Pub January 1, 1994

[Mariah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good biography of an author for second-fourth graders. It is more of a biography than it is a explanation of author's craft. A biography of a living person requires additional electronic research, particularly for a biography written 24 years ago. In the book, Polacco talks about cats, etc. that surely are long dead now, but I'd wager that she has other sweet cats now.

[Sydney Huntington-Strohm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives insight into Patricia Polacco's life. It talks about when she was a child into what influenced her to be a children's literature author. The pictures in the book are real-life photographs from her time period as a person. They are nice and colorful. I would use this to help people understand the life of a person from another culture.

[Keann Moncrieffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was one of the first children's books I have read that is a biography, and I thought it was terrific. It was about her writing career and struggles, from learning disabilities to her parents splitting up. I thought this book would be great when showing children how to get through tough times and how writing can be a coping mechanism. Overall, I thought the book was great!

[Heather Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

FiretalkingPatricia Polacco I feel like this is a really good book. I like how she writes in the book.

[Emily St. Cyr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting book about Patricia's life. I love that her family sat around the fire and told stories. I also liked that she talked about her struggles throughout school because of her troubles with possessing and that in the end she was successful despite her struggles. I think it would be a great inspirational book to read to kids!

[Alyssa Doughty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this autobiography. I liked the story of Patricia Polacco and what challenges she went through with her learning disability and what she went through during her parents divorce. This can show many students that they are not alone in dealing with these issues.

[Abbie Kane]

This book is a look on the authors life, it was about her family and everything that she has dealt with in her past. there are different times when she mentions her grandparents. I think this would be a better book for older student, the younger students would no understand the book.

[Chloe Bolduc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading about this author's life story, she has so many great books, many with very important messages. Her book Thank You Mr. Falker is one of my favorites. I think that it is great for kids to get to hear about her backstory.

[Olivia McCorrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good nonfiction book, and I loved the different pictures on each page. It would be a good way to teach students about traveling and different parts of the world. Overall, I enjoyed reading this.

[Hailey Licata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great, and entertaining, biography of Patricia Polacco. I enjoyed the fact it was about her whole life until where she is now, rather than just a blip of her life. She keeps it short and sweet, but hits all the main points. Great books.

[Tori Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Firetalking" by Patricia Polacco is a heartfelt and deeply personal memoir that offers readers an intimate glimpse into the author's life and creative journey. Through candid storytelling and vibrant illustrations, Polacco shares memories of her childhood, family, and experiences that have shaped her identity as a writer and artist. From her struggles with dyslexia to the inspiration she draws from her multicultural heritage, Polacco's narrative is both poignant and empowering. "Firetalking" is more than just a memoir; it's a celebration of resilience, creativity, and the power of storytelling to connect us to our past and inspire us for the future. With its blend of humor, warmth, and wisdom, "Firetalking" is a must-read for fans of Patricia Polacco and anyone who believes in the transformative power of words and art.

[Devynn Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did't really get into the text because I wish it was more lively but it is a biography about a great person!

[Alissah Paquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great biography about a great person. I like the mix of illustrations with actual photographs.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about Patricia Polacco’s felling storiesnabout her childhood. Great book that explains some of the other stories she has written. Wonderful story!

[Lauren Hay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very child friendly book about Patricia Polacco! It talks about her multicultural influences and other difficulties she has overcome in her life, to become the author she is today.

[Alexis Vashon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally did not enjoy, might just be because I didn't like the genre.