Thank You, Mr. Falker

Written and Illustrated by Patricia Polacco

"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."

Thank You, Mr. Falker, is an autobiographical narrative of Patricia Polacco's personal struggle with dyslexia in primary and elementary school. In Thank You, Mr. Falker, a kind-hearted fifth grade teacher discovers that Trisha cannot read, and so with determination sets out to help her do just so- and she does. Thank You, Mr. Falker is a personal thank-you to a teacher who truly cared and to all teachers alike who continue to change the lives of children.

Storytelling Style

Patricia Polacco's personal struggle with dyslexia is told through the eyes of young Trisha in a poignant and reflective manner. The storytelling style is quite effective as the narrative begins with a sense of hopefulness in the promise of a young girl learning to read. As the story of Trisha's struggle with reading and mathematics unfolds, the setting and events which are to follow allow children to relate to the main character. Just as Trisha had felt despair in her struggle with learning to read and was ridiculed and teased by fellow classmates, readers can relate to negative feelings expressed as a result of difficulties in school. A sense of hope and promise is instilled in readers when Trisha finally learns how to read, with the help of one special teacher.

The Main Character

The main character, Trisha, is a believable character whom children can relate to. Trisha is described as a young girl who loves school because it is a place where she can express herself through art. Trisha's weakness is reading and as a result, is teased and ridiculed by her peers because she lags behind in reading development. Trisha literally hides herself away from the cruelness of her peers until she meets one truly special teacher, Mr. Falker. Mr. Falker does everything in his power to help Trisha learn to read and she does, resulting in great pride. Children can relate to Trisha's character in the sense that they experience most, if not all of what Trisha experiences in the narrative. Children can relate to being in a school setting where teasing, fear and loneliness is present and can therefore feel empathy for Trisha when she is ridiculed by her peers. Children can also relate to the relationship shared by Trisha and Mr. Falker in the one person that they look up to- their hero.

Illustrations

Polacco's illustrations were created using either acrylic paint or oil pastels which give the images a textured look. The colors often run one into the other, which focuses and highlights areas of lightness and areas of darkness. Most effectively, Polacco uses color to convey mood from the text. For example, when Polacco speaks of Trisha's grandmother and grandfather letting go of the grass and passing on, dark green colors are used to reflect a somber mood. When Polacco described how Trisha and her family moved across country, Polacco used bright orange to convey the mood of enthusiasm and happiness. The illustrations therefore give effective meaning to the text.

Personal Feelings

After reading Thank You, Mr. Falker, I felt a sense of admiration for all the compassionate teachers who made a difference in a child's life. The book enabled me to reflect on my own experiences in school and to think of all the wonderful teachers who I believe represent Mr. Falker. I thought about how I related to the character of Trisha in the sense that we both struggled with aspects of school; for Trisha, it was the curriculum, for me it was a struggle with feeling like an outcast. I had plenty of friends and always someone to talk to but I was different. I grew up in a broken home in a social housing development with my mom and brother. I connected to Trisha in feelings of loneliness and thoughts of being a failure. I felt empathy for Trisha. Yet, the book inspired me and gave me a sense of hope in knowing that my plans in life were true- to one day become a remarkable teacher like Mr.Falker. Reading Thank You, Mr. Falker was like looking into a window of memory and having my own image reflected back. I thought about those teachers, who like Mr. Falker, never gave up on me. The teachers who took me for face value and did not just look at my family life or situation. The teachers who did not judge me for what I came from but who challenged me for what I would become. Thank You, Mr. Falker did more than just instill in me a sense of happiness and contentment, Thank You, Mr. Falker made me forget about the stresses and anxieties of life and allowed me to truly reflect on my one true purpose in life- to teach.