I Can Hear the Sun [Hardcover]

Patricia Polacco (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Fondo, who lives in a settlement house, is befriended by the park animal keepers, so, when the settlement house decides to send Fondo away, he, with the help of a blind goose, manages to escape, renewing everyone's faith in miracles.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"It started that summer two years ago, the one that steamed into Oakland like a thief in the night"?Polacco's (Pink and Say; Tikvah Means Hope, see p. 133) use of language is characteristically fluid, and her emotion-suffused illustrations are equally compelling. But her "modern myth" is problematic: the conflict is modern and realistic while the resolution is mythic and supernatural, and the effect is jarring. The story unfolds in a park where a homeless boy, Fondo, befriends a blind goose, two homeless adults and the park keeper, Stephanie Michele. Their relationships deepen, and Fondo shares with them his belief that "we all could fly once.... We just forgot how. If we'd think hard enough, we'd remember." Near the end of the story, when social workers come for Fondo, he flies away, led by the blind goose. "I know this is a true story because, you see, I know Stephanie Michele," the narrator says as the text concludes, compounding the uneasiness in Polacco's mix of gritty problems and miraculous solutions. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-Polacco introduces an unusual cast of characters in this modern myth. Stephanie Michele works in the park caring for the wildlife, and, unofficially, for the homeless folks who live there. A boy, Fondo, shows up one day and seems to belong. Stephanie and Fondo share a sensitivity to nature that others can't comprehend or appreciate. Then, they learn that the people at the settlement house where Fondo lives plan to send him away because he is a special-needs case. He runs away and accepts an invitation by the geese to fly away with them. The park "family" vow to keep his disappearance a secret, but readers are let in on this "true story" because Polacco knows Stephanie Michele personally. This picture book that points up the need for acceptance of all sorts of people is filled with graceful language and deftly rendered multimedia artwork done in predominantly earth tones. The artist places her subjects center stage on the white pages and does an expert job of capturing their poses and expressions with an economy of line and touches of color. This title is similar to Polacco's Boat Ride with Lillian Two Blossom (Philomel, 1988; o.p.) in the suspension of reality, yet her writing always seems somehow, magically, to make anything possible.
Sharon R. Pearce, San Antonio Public Library, TX
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel; First Edition edition (September 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039922520X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399225208
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,079,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born Patricia Ann Barber in Lansing, Michigan, to parents of Russian and Ukrainian descent on one side and Irish on the other, Patricia Polacco grew up in both California and Michigan. Her school year was spent in Oakland, California, and summers in her beloved Michigan. She describes her family members as marvelous storytellers. "My fondest memories are of sitting around a stove or open fire, eating apples and popping corn while listening to the old ones tell glorious stories about their homeland and the past. We are tenacious traditionalists and sentimentalists.... With each retelling our stories gain a little more Umph!"Studying in the United States and Australia, Patricia Polacco has earned an M.F.A. and a Ph. D. in art history, specializing in Russian and Greek painting, and iconographic history. She is a museum consultant on the restoration of icons. As a participant in many citizen exchange programs for writers and illustrators, Patricia Polacco has traveled extensively in Russia as well as other former Soviet republics. She continues to support programs that encourage Russo-American friendships and understanding. She is also deeply involved in inner-city projects here in the U.S. that promote the peaceful resolution of conflict and encourage art and literacy programs.The mother of a grown son and a daughter, Patricia Polacco currently resides in Michigan, where she has a glorious old farm that was built during the time of Lincoln.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a book that really can reach your heart., November 11, 1999

By 

Pamela J. Chandler ([e-mail]) (Redding, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Can Hear the Sun (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

I use this book in my classroom where I work with kids who have ADHD and other learning diabilities. I first discovered this book while searching for another by the same author. My daughter and I sat in the floor and read it. She is a child who has never felt like she fits in. She said that Fondo was like her. When Fondo miraculously finds his place in life I told her that all of us have a place in this world, it just takes some of us longer to find it. The other day I read this book to my class, sharing the same message with them. I noticed a girl crying afterwards. She raised her hand and said, "This book tells me that there is hope for me. I can belong somewhere." Now, there is no way that the kids in my class see her as they did before. They have reached out to her. This book has an important message for us all.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, Stephanie is real in all ways., May 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: I Can Hear the Sun (Hardcover)

As an elementary school librarian, I had the pleasure ofintroducing this treasure to many classes the last few years. All ofthe above reviews are valid for me. While discussing how unique each person is, I always get asked about Stephanie. I promised the students I would go to Lake Merrit and look for her, see if she truly exists and if so, if she's still there. Yesterday (5/22/00) was the magic day. She and Ms. Polocco have been close friends for years, and it was right that the author write about the warmth of Stephanie's character. I could not have been welcomed more graciously, and Stephanie, on her own time, will be meeting with the students at my school. I also learned that the other main character, Fondo, is connected with Ms. Polacco's nephew to whom the book is dedicated. If you can take only one fiction (?) book with you on a desert island, each time you reread this, you will have new joy in your heart.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for literature circles, December 11, 1999

By 

Peter D. Duckett - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Can Hear the Sun (Hardcover)

This book is a great book for starting discussions in literature circles. It pairs nicely with other picture books like Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting and Way Home by Libby Hathorn (unfortunately out of print). Paula Fox's chapter book "Monkey Island" also connects nicely.