It is a book that is full of surprises. The biggest, most interesting surprise is when Natasha uses her grandmother's doll. It came to life and the doll was mean to Natasha. I loved the drawings. This story could be a lesson for us not to be mean to our mothers...

I like the book because it's not real but it seems like it could have happened in real life. It taught a lesson to Tasha. The lesson was you should realize what you're doing before you do it. Tasha didn't understand why she always had to wait for everything.

This book is an excellent book!!! It is about Pat and her doll come to life. I don't want to have to review all her books, but I just want to say that all of her books should have a 1,000,000 star.

I love Patricia Polacco's books and this one is no exception! This story is great to use both in and out of the classroom. It is great for reading outloud to children or for them to read to you. I have used it in my lesson plans as a teacher to introduce lessons on different ways people celebrate holidays around the world and in the US. I have students grades K-5 and it has been a favorite with all of them...then again all of Patricia Polacco's books seem to be favorites with any child!

Set in Russia, this book tells the story of Babushka, a old grandma who is painting Easter eggs for the big contest in Moscow. She works all winter on her eggs, and also feeds the wild animals that live around her. One day, some hunters shoot a goose; she takes it in and nurses it back to health. She names the goose Rechenka. Quite by accident, Rechenka ruins all of Babuska's beautiful eggs, but she gives the woman magically painted goose eggs in their place. Babushka goes to the contest and wins first prize with Rechenka's fabulous eggs, and when she comes home, she discovers one more very special gift from Rechenka.

Told very simply with large, colorful illustrations, this story is enjoyed by 6-9 year olds. It stresses kindness and gratitude, as well as showing a little about Russian customs. The ending is quite poignant and heartwarming. It's a beautiful book!

This delightful story touched my heart and made me smile . . . It is truly a tale of unfailing loyalty between an unlikely pair: Babushka, an elderly woman and a wounded goose she befriends. The kindness that both show for each other is an important lesson told in the simplicity of Ms. Polacco's writing. A sweet, sweet story that children and adults will both love.

Wonderful, loving book that helps children see their actions through another's eyes! My students gasped with delight at the conclusion of the book. Many have been the victim of not being with the 'in crowd' at school. Through this book they have been given hope and love.

What can friendship, compassion and a little bit of magic do for a "substantially-built" foster child, teased relentlessly by his classmates? After meeting Mr. Hamp, the equally "substantial" school janitor, Welcome finds his life changed forever. Don't want to give away any details, but I wanted to buttonhole every child in the store and read it to them. Appealing to all ages. Makes your heart glow... like Santa!!! The illustrations are equally beautiful. Read it for yourself, read it to your children. It just might become a family tradition!

One of the most heartwarming holiday stories in a while. A true classic

Adapting her tale from homilies she has heard author/illustrator Patricia Polacco relates a touching story of two families and two faiths brought together by chance - or, was it?

Jonathan Jefferson Weeks is an unhappy boy because his father is appointed to a new church in Detroit,Michigan, and the family has left their home in Memphis. Jonathan has never seen a place like this: the church is all but falling down and the parsonage is right next door. Now, everyone will immediately know that he's a preacher's kid!

His sister, Beth, shares his feelings, but both children try to help make the dilapidated church into a place of beauty. As autumn arrives there is a noticeable improvement. School begins, and they make new friends.

Then, after months of hard work and planning the Weeks family is looking forward to their first Christmas in their new church. They're sure it will be a beautiful and happy holiday.

What they hadn't planned on was Michigan winter weather. The worst snow storm in 25 years hits Detroit causing a leak which ruins the sacristy wall. Discouraged but still determined to make the best of things Jonathan and his father go out to buy Christmas decorations. Looking in the window of an antique shop they see a beautiful piece of cloth, just large enough to cover the stain on the wall.

But, the cloth is so much more than a lovely tapestry as is revealed by an elderly Jewish woman who is befriended by Jonathan and his father.

Patricia Polacco has given us a lovely Christmas story filled with friendship and faith.

- Gail Cooke

"There are those who say there is no balance in the universe and that all things happen randomly...without purpose. Take, for instance, one Jonathan Jefferson Weeks. He was most upset that his family came all the way from Memphis, Tennessee, when his father accepted the position of pastor at the New Baptist in Detroit. Even though their new home was on the outskirts...it was still Detroit! Nothing like Tennessee! What possible good reason could there be for leaving home and coming here?" Jonathan and his family work all summer and fall to get the church cleaned up and repaired so that it will be perfect for Christmas. But as they complete their work, ice damages the sacristy wall and plaster falls, leaving a big ugly hole. Jonathan is devastated. He just doesn't understand God's plan. First they have to leave their home and come to Detroit, and now the church is ruined after all their hard work, right before Christmas services. What else could happen? Because of the frigid cold, the car won't start the next morning, and Jonathan and his father have to take the bus into the city to pick up their holiday decorations. As they pass an old shop, Jonathan spies the most beautiful piece of cloth he's ever seen, all gold and red, perfect for covering the ugly hole in the wall. They have very little money left, but the shopkeeper says it's enough to buy the cloth. While waiting at the bus stop to go back home, father and son, with packages and the treasured Christmas tapestry, meet a lonely old woman who shares her hot tea and cookies, and tells them her sad story of love and loss..... Based on an often told homily, master storyteller, Patricia Polacco, has woven a heartwarming tale that celebrates a real, modern day Christmas miracle. Her eloquent, gentle text is filled with joy and magic, and complemented by captivating and evocative illustrations. Together word and art paint an inspiring portrait of love, faith, and the true spirit of the holiday season. Perfect for youngsters of all ages, The Christmas Tapestry makes a wonderful read aloud the entire family can share, this year, and in the many years to come. "Jonathan Jefferson Weeks thought his heart would burst at the pure joy of the season...and the wonder of all the events that had taken place. Now he knew exactly why they moved to Detroit exactly when they did. He knew why the plaster fell, why the car didn't start...why it was so bitter and cold that he and his father had shared tea with a lonely old woman. It was all so seamless, woven so perfectly..."

The theme of this moving story can be summed up in the last two paragraphs. "I'll send them home with full bellies, tired bones and flickering jars in their laps. Their hearts will be overflowing. Full of lightning, put there by folks who loved them even before they were born. Gramma knew this well.
She also knew that someday they would tell their children about all of us, and of the magic nights when we caught lightning in a jar."
Inspired by another of Polacco's real life memories, she writes about a family reunion, after a forty-one-year gap. Her grandmother organizes all the children, teaching them how to catch fireflies. The children put these fireflies in a jar and then there is magic! Childhood memories are the ones that sustain us through our adult life. And often, we will pass these memories on to our own children and grandchildren. This is a precious book that will leave all readers with a warm fuzzy feeling.

"Today is the family reunion! I can hardly wait. My dad's side of the family will come soon. It's been ages since I've seen them all..." And as Trisha anxiously awaits the arrival of all her relatives, she remembers the last family reunion at Gramma's house, so many years ago. First all the wonderful food, including about a zillion meatloafs, each made by an auntie from a different recipe, and a gazillion different Jello salads shaking and shimmering on the table. Then there were the games, baseball, croquet, potato sack races, and watermelon spitting contests. Next, all the kids were carefully measured on the side of the milk shed, and Trisha remembers looking at the marks of her gramma and aunties when they were just girls. And last, out came the old photo albums and stories of walking seven miles to school and seeing "the first-ever flying machine in the state of Michigan." And as the day ended and night fell, "small bursts of starlight puffed up out of the grass", and all the children ran to catch lighning in a jar..... Inspired by her own childhood memories, and "the real-life experience of hosting a large reunion after a forty-one year gap between family gatherings", Patricia Polacco's evocative, heartfelt text is full of imagery and magic as she draws the reader into her large and boisterous family for an enchanting day of fun. But it's her expressive artwork that really brings the story to life, and each two-page, water-color and pencil spread is filled with nostalgic, joyous detail. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, When Lightning Comes In A Jar makes a marvelous read aloud the entire family can share and enjoy together, and is a treasured slice of history told with great insight, wisdom, humor, and love. "I'll send them home with full bellies, tired bones and flickering jars in their laps. Their hearts will be overflowing. Full of lighning, put there by folks who loved them even before they were born. Gramma knew this well. She also knew that someday they would tell their children about all of us, and of the magic nights when we caught lightning in a jar."

When I first purchased this book it was because of the cute short story and captions. When I read it to my son I was so excited to see a story in it about the golden child. You see I adopted my son from Russia and his caregiver had nicknamed him the golden child. I was so happy to see the story behind his nickname. This book is perfect for bedtime stories and is great for learning about tales of his heritage.

As a maker of cloth dolls, I am always on the lookout for books with wonderful illustrations. Imagine my delight when I also found a book with a sweet, simple story. The best kind for small children and the children's heart within adults. I will definitely buy more of her books to add to my collection.

Polacco's book is a time honored theme, this retelling from the Ukraine. When Luba saves the Wren's life her parents insist she return to ask for a favor. The parents never seem to be satisfied and send Luba back time and time again. In the end the parents are returned to the happy couple they were when they started.This book can be successfully compared with any of the many available versions of the Fisherman and His Wife but also contains elements from The Stonecutter -- another tale available in several versions. Sometimes those with seemingly little power/wealth think other situations would make them a different person or happier. And when they do obtain power their humility is lost. Satisfaction seldom comes when one has not earned that power or wealth. Polacco's wonderously beautiful watercolors brings this theme into the full vision of readers. A delightfully new twist on a classic tale.

Anansi is lazy and he likes to play tricks! This time, turtle outsmarts Anansi. Anansi does all of the work while turtle gets tired. The kids in my class ask to listen to this book and the other Anansi tales, retold by Eric Kimmel, over and over again. This one takes a little bit more thinking to figure out what the tricks are.

I'm a speech-language specialist who is very picky about which books I use in therapy sessions. Polacco's books draw kids into the very identifiable characters. We spent 3 weeks on the story, reading it, retelling it and drawing a story map about it. Great around Halloween! Highly recommended for grades 2-5.