Patricia and Fredrick McKissack are a writing duo that got their start when they decided they wanted to do something about the lack of children’s stories about African Americans. In this exclusive interview with Reading Rockets, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack talk about finding inspiration for their writing, their favorite books, their commitment to writing African American stories, and the power of reading to children.
Patricia Polacco tells warm family tales drawn from her own childhood among an extended immigrant family of grandparents and cousins. In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, Patricia Polacco talks about writing and illustrating and the passing down of family history whose themes resonate with readers of all backgrounds.
Meet J. Patrick Lewis, the author of more than 80 books of poetry for children, on every topic under the sun — from celebrations of Civil Rights heroes (and she-roes) to riddle-filled math puzzlers to poems about amazing animals and iconic buildings from around the world. For decades, Lewis has been sharing his delight for poetry with school kids — and hoping to inspire new lovers of language. He served as our third Children’s Poet Laureate from 2011 to 2013.
