Annotated Bibliography of Important Works by Patricia Polacco

Babushka's Doll. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
A demanding little girl named Natasha learns a valuable lesson after her grandmother’s doll comes to life. 

The Butterfly. New York: Philomel, 2000.
A historical fiction about two girls, Monique and Servine, who form a friendship in Nazi-occupied France. When a neighbor sees the girls playing Monique must help Servine and her family find a safe place to hide. 

Chicken Sunday. New York: Philomel, 1992.
Three friends want to buy a hat for their “gramma” but when a misunderstanding occurs between the children and the shopkeeper, the children must find a way to prove their innocence.

Just Plain Fancy. New York: Bantam, 1990.
Two Amish sisters find an exotic egg and nurture it until it hatches into a bird. They worry that the bird will be shunned in their community because it is so ‘fancy’ and take care to hide the new bird until it is finally revealed. 

The Keeping Quilt. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988.
A book about Polacco’s family history, this is the story of how her great-great-grandmother first came to the United States from Russia and the quilt that has been passed down from generation to generation in her family.

Meteor! New York: Dodd, 1987.
Polacco’s first published book for children, based on the true story of a meteor that fell into her grandparents’ yard and how that event affected their small town.

Mr. Lincoln’s Way. New York: Philomel, 2001.
The story of how a much-loved principal, Mr. Lincoln, reaches out and helps a disrespectful and racist bully of the school learn to love people who are different from him. 

Mrs. Katz and Tush. New York: Bantam, 1992.
A long-lasting friendship develops between a young African American boy and an elderly Jewish woman after he gives her an abandoned cat.

Pink and Say. New York: Philomel, 1994.
When a young African American soldier saves the life of a young white soldier during the American Civil War, they develop a close bond as they teach one another about bravery and sacrifice.

Rechenka's Eggs. New York: Philomel, 1988.
Babushka, who is famous for her beautiful hand-painted eggs, takes care of Rechenka, a wounded goose that has fallen into her yard..

Thunder Cake. New York: Philomel, 1990.
A young girl is frightened of an approaching thunderstorm but learns that she is braver than she thinks with the help of her beloved grandmother.

When Lightning Comes in a Jar. New York: Philomel, 2002.
A tale from Polacco’s own childhood, the story of a large family reunion and when her grandmother showed her how to catch “lightning in a jar.”