| Books and reading -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Libraries -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Community life -- Michigan -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Storms -- Juvenile fiction. |
| JUVENILE FICTION -- Books & Libraries. |
| JUVENILE FICTION -- Nature & the Natural World -- Weather. |
| JUVENILE FICTION -- Social Issues -- Friendship. |
| Michigan -- History -- 19th century -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Picture books. |
Available:*
Audience | Shelf Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Current Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kids/Juvenile | Picture books | Book | E POLACCO | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Young Stella loves books so much, her books begin to take over the farmhouse. "Why, Stell, you need your own library to hold those books," her pa tells her, so he and the neighbors build her one! She calls it "the Mermaid's Purse," since the midwife said Stella was born in one. Stella opens the Purse to her neighbors and travels around the countryside, sharing her books door-to-door. Not everyone gives them a chance at first, like grouchy Pig Ears Lonsberry. But farmer Dunkle sure changes his mind when information in a book saves his sick sheep. Eventually, everybody comes to love the Mermaid's Purse-so when a tornado destroys it, scattering Stella's precious books far and wide, the whole community rallies to help.
Author Notes
Patricia Polacco was born in Lansing, Michigan on July 11, 1944. She attended Oakland Tech High School in Oakland, California before heading off to the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, then Laney Community College in Oakland. She then set off for Monash University, Mulgrave, Australia and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia where she received a Ph.D in Art History, Emphasis on Iconography.
After college, she restored ancient pieces of art for museums. She didn't start writing children's books until she was 41 years old. She began writing down the stories that were in her head, and was then encouraged to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. There she learned how to put together a dummy and get a story into the form of a children's picture book. Her mother paid for a trip to New York, where the two visited 16 publishers in one week. She submitted everything she had to more than one house. By the time she returned home the following week, she had sold just about everything.
Polacco has won the 1988 Sydney Taylor Book Award for The Keeping Quilt, and the 1989 International Reading Association Award for Rechenka's Eggs. She was inducted into the Author's Hall of Fame by the Santa Clara Reading Council in 1990, and received the Commonwealth Club of California's Recognition of Excellence that same year for Babushka's Doll, and again in 1992 for Chicken Sunday. She also won the Golden Kite Award for Illustration from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for Chicken Sunday in 1992, as well as the Boston Area Educators for Social Responsibility Children's Literature and Social Responsibility Award. In 1993, she won the Jane Adams Peace Assoc. and Women's Intl. League for Peace and Freedom Honor award for Mrs. Katz and Tush for its effective contribution to peace and social justice. She has won Parent's Choice Honors for Some Birthday in 1991, the video Dream Keeper in 1997 and Thank You Mr. Falker in 1998. In 1996, she won the Jo Osborne Award for Humor in Children's Literature. Her titles The Art of Miss. Chew and The Blessing Cup made The New York Times Best Seller List.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Polacco tells a story based on her grandmother's early years in 19th-century Michigan. Stella was born in a Mermaid's Purse, otherwise known as a caul, and that meant that she was born blessed. More than anything, Stella loves books. She reads anytime she can and saves up all her money to buy books, too. Eventually she owns so many that her father and other men from town build her a library, and she names it the Mermaid's Purse. Stella's collection soon comes in handy as she uses it to help a farmer save his sheep from dying of bloat, keep her future husband from drowning, and prevent another farmer from losing his water rights. However, her books can't stop the Mermaid's Purse from being destroyed by a tornado. Stella grows despondent, and it isn't until farmers from all over the county find her books scattered around and return them to her that she is finally happy again. The art is done in the muted tones and style that are without a doubt Polacco's trademark. This is the type of family tale that the author/illustrator is known for. The story is lovely, with the message that books can teach anyone about everything. The title also features pictures and tidbits about the real Stella's life after the narrative is over, which is a nice touch. VERDICT A terrific library read-aloud that is also suitable for one-on-one and small group sharing.-Paige Garrison, Augusta Richmond County Library System, GA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Through lyrical writing and expressive images, Polacco (The Blessing Cup) returns to recurring themes from her books: the importance of family, community, and reading. Polacco again draws on her family history-basing her heroine, Estella, on her own grandmother-while also giving this down-home tale a mystical undertone. When Estella is born during a thunderclap, protected by a caul or "Mermaid's Purse" ("a birth membrane to some, a miracle to others"), a midwife predicts that she will be showered with God's blessings "like a spring rain." As it turns out, Estella is "drawn to storms, and storms to her." An insatiable reader, the precocious and charismatic girl saves a herd of sheep and the life of a friend using knowledge gleaned from her vast collection of books, housed in a library that neighbors build for her. The community again unites to bring about a satisfying finale after a tornado destroys Estella's home and library. Robust pencil-and-marker illustrations bridge the narrative's fluctuating moods, portraying Estella's triumph and heartbreak with assurance. Ages 5-8. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Fans know that Polacco writes family stories that often tell of kindness, courage, and, sometimes, sacrifice. To read one of her books is like visiting with those dear to her, and this warm and inspirational story about her grandmother's love of books and its impact on her community is no exception. Much is expected of young Stella, and she does not disappoint, transforming her love of books into a mission: she travels around the country, sharing her books with others. This is message heavy, but the assertion that children and books can make a difference is a valuable one. The story is enhanced by powerful illustrations that focus on the faces and emotions of the characters. Even on those pages where devastating events occur, people are depicted in each other's arms, comforting each other as the effects of a disaster are observed. The book concludes with a brief family history and photographs. Pair with Monica Brown's Waiting for the Biblioburro (2011) for another story about the impact of libraries and books.--Ching, Edie Copyright 2016 Booklist