Thunder Cake

Patricia Polacco was born in Lansing, Michigan, in 1944. She spent her early childhood on her grandparents’ farm in Union City, Michigan, a time she remembers as magical. Her grandparents and the stories they told significantly influenced her life and her work.

Her parents divorced when she was three, and she split her school years between her mother in Oakland, California, and summers with her father in Michigan. She describes her Oakland neighborhood as a vibrant mix of cultures and ideas.

Polacco struggled with reading and math in school, not learning to read until she was nearly fourteen. She discovered she had dyslexia, a learning disability, and with the help of a supportive teacher, she learned to overcome her challenges. This experience fostered a deep empathy for children and the elderly, which is a recurring theme in her books.

She went on to earn an M.F.A. and a Ph.D. in art history, specializing in Russian and Greek painting and iconographic history. She worked as a museum consultant specializing in icon restoration and traveled extensively, promoting Russo-American understanding.

Polacco began writing children’s books at the age of 41, drawing on her family’s rich tradition of oral storytelling from Ukraine, Russia, and Ireland. Her background in art, which she discovered she excelled at despite her academic struggles, naturally led her to illustrate her own stories.

She is the mother of two grown children, Steven and Traci. Patricia Polacco now resides in Union City, Michigan, on a historic farm. She plans to open her home and community to host writing seminars, storytelling festivals, and other events celebrating children’s literature.

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