This is a beautiful story of two boys during the American Civil War, one white and one black. This book brings me to tears every time I read it. In my opinion, it should have received the Newbery Medal the year it was published. Patricia Polacco's best book ever

This book is great for all ages. It is funny and colorful. It is the best out of all his books, it is defently worth buying!!!!!!! Kim grover

This book is about Patricia Polacco's Christmas traditions. I think this book will teach you a lot about Patricia Polacco. This book would interest elementary kids the most. I really liked this book.

In the town of Triple Creek, television is the only source of entertainment and information. In fact, the teachers have even been replaced with educational programming. The library was torn down to make way for a television transmitter. For fifty years, the town has not read a book, but has instead used them to prop up buildings and fill in potholes. So long they have been without books, that they have actually forgotten to read.

When Eli begins visiting his Aunt Chip, she teaches him to read. The most wonderful gift in the world. His enthusiasm spreads and soon all the children are begging to have Aunt Chip teach them to get stories from a book. When the adults learn of what is happening they respond at first in fear and anger, but eventually want their children to teach them to read.

Why 5 stars?:
Polacco has a wonderful way of making her characters a little zany, but still real enough to be believable. The watercolor illustrations give the soft feeling of her words. Most importantly, the message of the importance of books and reading is something that purveys through most of Polacco's works. This book deserves to be a part of your home, school or classroom library. Read it to, and with your child. Let him or her know that you value reading and they will too.

In Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam affair, Patricia Polacco teaches you that you shouldn't watch more t.v. than read. I thought this book was excellet. I recommend this book to people that like t.v. because maybe this will teach them a leason to STOP WATCHING T.V.! My favorite part of this book is when they destroyed the t.v. tower.

This book is a wonderful story about what happens when people no longer read. It has great imagery--books being used for table legs and to prop open doors, even as a dam. I used it in my seventh grade language arts class, following it up with a discussion of why reading is important. Even though it's a picture book, my seventh graders really got into it.

"The honey is sweet, and so is knowledge, but knowledge is like the bee who made the honey, it has to be chased through the pages of a book."

Young Tricia, a fictionalized version of author/illustrator Patricia Polacco, struggles with reading, while enduring the teasing of her classmates from kindergarten through 5th grade, hoping to realize her grandfather's proverb in her own life.

This emotionally gripping story about a child who deals with what is now called dyslexia is the true story of many children throughout the years. My wife, like Patricia Polacco, attended school in an era when this learning disability didn't have a name. She was like Tricia when the caring Mr. Falker said, "But, little one, don't you understand, you don't see letters or numbers the way other people do. And you've gotten through school all this time, and fooled many, many good teachers!" My wife finally made sense of all those "wiggling shapes" on the page in the 6th grade, and she hasn't stopped reading since.

This is just to say this is a TRUE STORY for many children. And it's told (and illustrated) in a manner that will enable other children understand and empathize with the struggles, the feelings of loneliness and rejection, and the ultimate joy of victory (not to mention the warmth and security of loving grandparents)!

I have read "Thank You, Mr. Falker" to many first and second grade classes in our elementary school library, and in every case you could hear a pin drop by the time we got to the third page! This book should be required reading for every teacher, and should be a staple in every elementary school library. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

As an elementary counselor I read this book to all my students. There is pertinence for every age group. "Thank You, Mr. Falker" is the story of a little girl who can't read. The other children constantly tease and make fun of Tricia. Eventually Mr. Falker, Tricia's 5th grade teacher discovers the child hiding during recess (to escape the constant taunts). He realizes that Tricia has a learning disability and tutors her after school. There is a post script to the story ending decades later with a chance meeting between Mr. Falker and the adult Tricia (Polacco). I use this book to help my students with self-esteem problems because of their own learning difficulties. But, I predominately read this book for all the bullies! Following Tricia's despair is very humbling. And trust me, I am not the only one in the room with tears running down my cheeks (and I've read this book dozen's of times). Teachers and student teachers should read this book--what we do in the classroom has an everlasting and lifelong effect on our students. I love this book and you will too.

I applaud Patricia Polacco for her outstanding book, Thank You, Mr. Falker. She tells a story that happened to her as a little girl which will encourage children everywhere who are learning to read or struggling with the idea. When I read this story to my eight year old nephew he smiled and said, "maybe I will learn to read better."
The main character of this book, Trisha, goes through something that many young children go through. They will be able to relate to the situation and maybe learn from her. Learning to read is quite a task to master, especially if you have a learning disability like the author of this book did.
When little Trisha was in fifth grade she had a teacher, Mr. Falker, who opened up the word of reading to her. He set out to prove to her that she can and will read. He works with her for weeks and one day she does just that. This story will encourage children. I wish I had a book like this when I was struggling to help regain my confidence. It also inspires me to thank the teacher that made a huge impact in my life.
Patricia used folk art style in her pictures. They are very detailed and colorful and fit the text very will. The pictures will really jump out to readers and entertain their imagination.
Thank You, Mr. Falker is a wonderful book. I recommend this to any child that is beginning to learn to read. I hope teachers will make sure that kids hear this encouraging story about a "real live author." They will be able to relate, learn, and gain confidence from the story.

This book is Polacco at her best. This is the story of two union soldiers, one black and one white, who accidentally find each other after a battle. The two boys quickly become friends as they sort through their feelings about the war. After some time spent healing injuries from the battle, they both must make a dangerous journey across Confederate lines to rejoin the Union troops. They are caught and sent to Andersonville where they are separated. The ending is so moving that you will have to try hard to fight back the tears that will want to force themselves out. At the very end of the book Polacco tells the readers that this is based upon a true story that has been passed down through generations in her family, and there is a refrain that she has the reader say aloud to remember Pinkus Aylee (the black soldier) who died shortly after arriving at the Confederate prison.

Pink and Say is appropriate for all readers, children and adults. I read it to my third graders and cry every time. It is a true story of a beautiful interracial friendship which is considered to be too complex and harshly realistic for young readers by some people. However, it is much more appropriate than what many children view on television and, in this day and age, I feel the emotions it evokes are extremely valuable as is the civil war/slavery history lesson it contains. Congratulations to Patricia Polacco for telling the story like it is. It's a shameful history but it happened and kids of all ages need to understand just how aweful it was. I say it's about time we stop sweeping these shameful parts of our history events under the rug. Thank you Ms. Polacco for giving it to us honestly. Every teacher should have this book on his/her shelf.

A marvelous story! The best book your children will read on The Civil War. A heartwarming true story of two young boys, Pink and Say, who are of different color in a time where color matters most, found themselves fighting on the same side of a brutal war. These two boys helped each other live on: Pink carrying Say into saftey and Say retelling Pink's story over and over and over so that he is not forgotten. His memory lives on! The book is so well written and the illustrations are so engaging you won't put the book down.

I was very impressed that the author was able to take a subject that was terrifying to adults and retell it for children in a way that was gripping and real, but not sensationalistic or horrific.
The illustrations and story moved me to tears.

This is a good book. It is about a boy who watches a riot on his street. I like when the firefighter returns the two cats. I recammend this book to people who would like to know whats right and wrong.

The book is about a family who has a cat named Tikvah. Tikvah is very small so she could get lost very easily. Then Tikvah gets lost when something bad happens to the family. Read this book to find out if the family finds Tikvah. I recomend this book to kids who like cats.

This story is about a boy who dreams. The pictures in his dreams land buildings when it rains. All the people started to yell at him. His friends weren't mad. His dreams help his friends.

Patricia Polacco caputres the desire of every child to be accepted for who she/he is regardless of their abilities. Once again, the child with a 'difference'who doesn't seem to fit into the society he/she lives in, is supported in a positive way.

I saw this book displyed on Reading Rainbow, Actress Michael Learned read it, Appelemondo creates good things in his dreams, Just what a little boy would dream of. You can that the character really loves fantasy land's. It was a very nice book.

The story takes place in the summer in Michigan on a farm. It is summer storm season and the grandmother has her grandaughter over. The grandaughter is afraid of thunder, so the grandmother bakes a cake to take away her fears. They quickly got all the ingredients and made the cake. If you make the cake before the storm hits, you made thunder cake. I highly recommend this book for children 4 and up. This is a humorous book by Patricia Polacco.
Eric C.

A Grandma and little girl were together. There was about to be a thunder storm and the little girl was afraid of thunder. Together they made a thunder cake. If they didn't finish in time it wouldn't be a real thunder cake. I recommend this book to 1st graders. Joy G.

This story was really cute! My step-sister loved this book and when we made the cake, everyone gobbled it up, despite the interesting secret ingredient! Everyone always loves this yummy cake, and this cute story!