Shy young Tricia, a voracious reader and writer, has trouble speaking in public in this heartwarming autobiographical picture-book from author/illustrator Patricia Polacco. When her English teacher encourages her to join the Drama Club, she is skeptical, but kind Mr. Wayne allows her to work behind the scenes, painting scenery and becoming the play's line prompter. Then disaster strikes, and the star of the play disappears, leaving Tricia as the only person who knows the lines. Can Mr. Wayne help her overcome her stage fright...?

Much like her Thank You, Mr. Falker, which paid tribute to the teacher who helped her learn to read, despite her learning disabilities, or The Art of Miss Chew, which described the two important teachers who helped her to become an artist, Mr. Wayne's Masterpiece is another picture-book from Polacco that draws upon her youthful experiences with an inspirational educator. As is so often the case with this creator's books, I found myself getting a little teary at the end, as Tricia overcomes her fear and becomes one of Mr. Wayne's masterpieces. The artwork here is vivid, using a somewhat more dramatic palette than is usually seen in a Polacco title. I appreciated the use of color, and the scene in which Tricia performs, with its dark background. Recommended to all young children who struggle with speaking and/or performing in public, as well as to anyone seeking children's stories about the difference a good teacher can make. ( )

Speaking in front of an audience is one of my biggest fears. I could completely relate to how Patricia felt in the beginning of this book. I love how her English teacher Mr. T recognized her fear of speaking in front of people and had a brilliant idea of getting her out of her shell—Drama class. Patricia was given a place in her comfort zones, behind the scenes, painting the scenery. While behind the scenes she managed to memorize every line of the play. After the star unexpectedly moved; Patricia became the lead. Patricia was able to overcome her fears with the help of her drama teacher; something I would never be able to do. I’d use this book as an example of courage to show students people can overcome their fears. ( )

Okay so I thought this book would be about disabilities because someone in class recommended it to me and said they were pretty sure it was but... it wasn't. BUT what it was about was fear, which can be a big thing to overcome sometimes, too. The book told a story of a little girl who was terrified to read aloud in front of her class, and how she fell into the lead role of a play whose set she had been working on and FLOURISHED! It was about courage and overcoming difficulties and I really enjoyed reading it, ( )

Patricia Polacco tells a story from her own childhood experiences. I did some research on Patricia Polacco and found that this story was actually true. This is what makes the book so good. This story shows how a teacher changed her life and brought something new out of her. She was so afraid of performing in front of people but she faced her fear. She is now a wonderful author and does speeches in front of big crowds all of the time. I think that this book can be very inspiring for many kids. ( )

This book is about Patricia Polacco and a glimpse into her childhood. This book is about her drama teacher when she was younger, when she was struggling with speaking in front of people. Patricia, or Trisha, froze whenever she would get in front of people to talk. So, one day, her English teacher introduced her to Mr. Wayne the drama teacher. He told her that they would work on her presenting skills and she would be comfortable speaking in no time. She would paint the scenery for the play they were preparing, and she eventually knew everyone's lines. One day, when the cast didn't know their lines Trisha would blurt them out! Mr. Wayne was impressed and asked her to be the human teleprompter. Whenever an actor would blank on their lines, Trisha would save the day. It wasn't until the lead of the play moves away that Trish truly saves the day. She is the only one who knows the lines well enough to take her place and she is forced to overcome her fear of talking in front of a crowd.

I thought this book was beautifully written and illustrated. I believe many young people have a fear of speaking in front of a crowd and this would be a great book for them to read. Sometimes it just takes that one teacher to help a child overcome a fear and that is why I am in this profession! I also love Trisha's character development throughout the book and how she overcomes her fear. I also liked that the adults around her weren't forcing her to perform in front of people, they just encouraged her and she ultimately chose what she wanted to do. ( )