Thank You, Mr. Falker

Acclaimed children's author and artist Patricia Polacco draws on her own youthful experience with dyslexia in this autobiographical picture-book, perfectly capturing both the anguish of a young person who wants to learn, and is made to feel stupid because of her disability, and the incredible difference an understanding teacher can make to a struggling student. Taught to revere books, and the stories they contain, young Trisha looks forward to the day when she too learns to read. But when she finally gets the chance, she discovers that the letters move before her eyes, "wiggling" in such a way that she cannot make them out. Soon, she has fallen far behind her peers, and starts to believe their taunting claims that she is dumb. It is show more only after many years, when fifth-grade teacher Mr. Falker comes into her life, that Trisha finally gets the help she needs...

Polacco has done it again with Thank You, Mr. Falker, creating an incredibly moving book, with visual and textual narratives that complement one another perfectly. The illustrations here really capture Trisha's embarrassment, frustration and shame, drawing the reader into her experience. I found myself choking up while reading this, and given the number of times this happens with Polacco's books, I'm starting to wonder if I should stop reading her books on the commuter train! In any case, this is one that I highly recommend to all young children who have a learning disability, and to the adults and children in their lives. Truly, an outstanding book! show less

This book was an effective story because it displays reading in a positive light. In the beginning, the grandparents poured honey on the cover of a book and recited a saying about the importance of knowledge and reading. This imagery reappeared at the conclusion of the story. The recurring imagery of reading and honey served as a reminder of how powerful the message was. Trisha developed the skills throughout the story to read and her life was altered as a result, reinforcing the belief that knowledge and reading are essential. The fact that Trisha repeated the saying and poured the honey on her own book shows that the message stuck with her and guided her in the pursuit of education.
I liked how the book dealt with the issue of show more dyslexia. While dyslexia was never outwardly announced as the problem Trisha encountered, it can be assumed that this was the issue because she was mixing up letters and had a reading specialist work with training her eyes to respond to stimuli. Dyslexia is a learning disability that occasionally goes untreated for many years because it is not an obvious disability. I think it was beneficial that this story featured many teachers that overlooked the disability because that is a common problem. Children who are having trouble reading could connect to this story and change their self image from a bad student to someone who just struggles a little. Dyslexia is not typically addressed in children’s books so the fact that Polacco touched on the issue makes this story an important read.
The main idea of this story is that teachers can make a large impact on a child’s life and students are worth putting extra time into helping. While Trisha could have been easily written off and sent through school without ever getting help, Mr. Falker knew that his assistance was greatly needed and made a large impact. Teachers are essential in shaping student success and helping children achieve their maximum potential. Thank you, Mr. Falker not only showed a teacher helping a student learn to read but also how they handled bullies. The two major issues that were overcome with the help of a teacher, dyslexia and bullies, bolstered the main concept of teachers as life changing influences in the lives of children. show less

As someone with dyslexia, this book made me feel seen. So often students that are high functioning get overlooks. No one sees their struggle because they work hard to hide it. Patricia Polacco shows us that it takes just one person to really see those students and change their lives. My hope is that this book is also a reminder to students that are struggling that they are normal and safe sharing their struggles.

This is a widely known and beloved children’s book, and it is so for a reason. This book describes so well what many children who struggle with reading go through- they feel stupid and worthless, like their entire sense self is judged on their ability to read. The fact that the main character, Tricia, is so easy to identify with is one of the main things that makes this such a wonderful book. Another thing I love about this book is the fact that it is a personal story of the author. This makes the entire thing that much more realistic. My favorite thing about the book however, is the ending, where Patricia Polacco writes about meeting Mr. Falker again many years later. She tells him how inspirational he was to her and how he inspired show more her, and that she is now a children’s author. This gives the reader a sense of validation. I think the main idea of the book is that a good teacher can make all the difference. This is especially important to me as a future teacher. I look to Mr. Falker as a role model of the kind of teacher I hope to be someday. show less

Thank You, Mr. Falker, a popular work by Patricia Polacco, is commonly known as an inspirational book for children with disabilities. The story centers around a young girl, named Trisha, who is great at drawing, but not so great at reading or writing. She is constantly teased until she comes across a teacher who is dedicated and determined to help her overcome her disability. I loved this book because of its realistic plot and appreciation for teachers’ dedication to students. The story shows how large of an impact a teacher can have on a student. For example, Mr. Falker explains to Trisha that if she wants to acquire knowledge, that she is going to have to chase it, sort of like a bee making honey. After this, she is motivated to show more overcome her disability and keep learning. Not only is this book inspirational, but it is also autobiographical. Patricia Polacco even admits on her website that this book is about her own experiences learning how to read and having dyslexia as a child. I assume the girl’s name ‘Trisha’ came from the name ‘Patricia.’ This fact makes the book even more special because the girl who couldn’t read or write in the story ends up writing the actual book! show less

This book is such a great example of the impact a teacher can have on a student's life. Patricia had Dyslexia and Dysnumeria and was unable to read or write numbers and letters. Well, not until she met Mr. Falker.
I would use this book with fellow teachers, or with students. Teachers can discover how much impact they can have on the students within their classroom, while students can realize they aren't dumb. Even if they cannot read or write, students need to realize that they are amazingly created and that even if their friends cannot read, it's no place to make fun of them. It could be used to address bullying as well.
I sought this book as a mentor text, however I think what I found is a text that mentors. By that, I mean I wouldn't show more use it to mentor writing, but I would use it to mentor a persons character. show less

This book is one of my all time favorites. It tells the story of a young girl who wants to learn how to read, but struggles. She makes in many grades faking it, getting bullied and frustrated until a teacher takes notice and helps her get her learning disability diagnosed. This book beautifully portrays Trisha's story, not shying away from telling of the cruelty she endured or of the death of her grandmother, an important figure. The plot is so well developed- weaving in the family values of Trisha, her relationship with her grandmother and her death, and her struggles reading all together seamlessly. The part where Trisha's grandmother talks about holding onto the grass or else youd go to the stars was a beautiful set up for explaining show more that she let go of the grass (passed on.) The author also drew the illustrations, watercolor, darker colored, and detailed. The emotion on her character's faces is so well depicted. The metaphor, like the letting go of the grass and the knowledge being sweet like honey are lovely. Love this book! show less