Author Talks Meteor Wishes, Family Stories

It was called the “Wishing Rock,” and it sat in her grandparents’ front yard for years, with people coming from far and wide to touch it and make a wish.

And years later, that meteor that fell in Michigan was the basis of a book by author and illustrator Patricia Polacco, who held a presentation at Thursday in an annual program the PTOs hold each year.

Throughout the week, Polacco also visited , and others to read from her books and tell stories to the students.

“This was the best presentation I’ve seen from an author,” said fourth grader Jaclyn Lenox. “She brought cool items like the meteor. It was really hard to pick my favorite story.”

Aside from reading from her books, Polacco brought a piece of the meteor that fell into her yard and allowed students to make their own wishes. And she told stories about her family’s journey to America and the quilt they made of items her family had had.

“I do personal narratives,” Polacco said. “Some are autobiographical, some are pure fantasy. Most are about heart and home.”

Polacco was 41 years old when she began writing, about 27 years ago.

“I came from storytelling,” she said. “I made books for friends, and I called them fat cards.”

Her family didn’t have a lot of money, Polacco said, so when she was invited to someone’s house, she would make up a wordless story about the host, bound it and sew it, then present it to the friend.

“Then my son was diagnosed with diabetes, and he had material he had to read,” she said. “I made him a wordless book to get him through one day.”

Polacco said she has always loved to draw, and she just put the two together in her stories.

“Wordless books are totally visual, and easy to skim through,” she said. “When you are writing text, it needs as much as the illustration and has to be carefully thought out.”

Polacco said she loves giving presentations to students, and tries to do them in the fall and spring, as often as she can.

“I love being around kids,” she said. “I dread when I will be too old for it. I can’t imagine not going to see them.”

Polacco’s afternoon presentation for kindergarten through second graders at Crim Thursday featured the story of the meteor that fell in her family’s yard, and she offered the students the chance to touch it and make a wish as well. But, she said, there are three rules to remember about wishes, namely that they cannot wish for money, they cannot wish to change someone and the first wish has to be for someone else.

Polacco said she feels strongly about making a wish for someone else, particularly because she was one of those students who did not have many friends when she was young.

“I couldn’t read until I was 14,” she told the students, saying that kids often laughed at her. “I felt dumb, I felt stupid. My worst nightmare was reading in front of the class.”

“I believe you are all gifted, but humans don’t open their gifts at the same time,” she added.

Polacco—who told students she suffers from dyslexia, dysgraphia and other learning disabilities—encouraged them to not make fun of others just because they are different.

“Being different is an asset,” she said. “No one wants to be like everyone.”

“People need to know they will land on their feet and they are not alone,” she added.

After a total of 80 stories published, and with five on the way, Polacco also answered questions from students about publishing and her favorite stories.

“I just love telling stories, and I love presenting the notion of things that are not likely,” she said.

And students loved the stories she had to tell.

“She was funny,” said second grader Anika Nowakowski.

“I got to touch the meteor,” said second grader Sarah Walker proudly.

Polacco said she loves the work she does, and writes for all ages.

“I write for me,” she said. “I always have ideas, but I don’t think of the ages of the readers.”

Polacco said she hopes students do get something out of her presentations.

“I hope the kids take that kindness matters,” she said. “They are authors too, the only difference is that I sell the stories to a publisher.”