Chris Barton's Blog: Bartography, page 45

More (from me, and from my host) about last week

So, a little more about last week’s Twitter chat…

Librarian Colleen Graves has written about the chat from her perspective. Here’s a bit of that —

I loved, loved, loved being able to take teachable moments while Chris was typing to talk with students about what he was saying. At one point, the students asked Chris, “What do you do when you don’t know what to write?” To which he so eloquently said, “Pay attention to what you can’t stop thinking of.” So while he was typing up his next response,...

My Twitter chat with an 8th grade class

I’ve done in-person school visits and Skype presentations, but this past Friday School Librarian of the Year finalist Colleen Graves and I tried something new: a Twitter chat between me and a roomful of eighth graders needing some help transforming their research into a story:

Students always get stuck after research when it comes to writing. Why not ask an expert? We will Fri w #lamarchat & @Bartography 12:40 pm!

— Colleen Graves (@gravescolleen) May 1, 2015

How did it go? I thought it was...

A is for Awwww…

Some friends enjoying Attack! Boss! Cheat Code! : A Gamer's Alphabet by @Bartography They love the caveman pic. pic.twitter.com/1Bo6UHfmQe

— Crystal Brunelle (@librarygrl2) April 29, 2015

Thanks for sharing this, Crystal!

Good company for John Roy Lynch

The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch is featured on the Children’s Book Council’s April 2015 “Hot off the Press” list.

“This unique online bibliography features anticipated bestsellers, either recently released or forthcoming, published by CBC members.”

I do like the sound of that, and I love the looks of this excerpt from the full list:

Bartography Express for April 2015, featuring Anne Bustard’s Anywhere but Paradise

This month, one subscriber to my Bartography Express newsletter will win a copy of Anywhere but Paradise (Egmont USA) by Anne Bustard.

If you’re not already receiving Bartography Express, click the image below for a look. If you like what you see, click “Join” in the bottom right corner, and you’ll be in the running for the giveaway at the end of this week.

Encouraging words and recommended reading

I’m pausing just a moment to catch my breath between last week’s whirlwind (my first school visit for The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch —

— the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival, and the San Antonio Book Festival) and this week’s excitement of the Texas Library Association annual conference here in Austin.

While I’m pausing, I’m happy to share a few things published elsewhere recently either about my new book or written by me, starting with this generous review by Margie Myers-Culver a...

Austin authors’ efforts on behalf of diverse books

My local kidlit community — including not only authors and illustrators, but librarians and booksellers as well — shines quite nicely in this weekend’s article in the Austin American-Statesman:

As librarians across the state are set to gather in Austin next week for the annual Texas Library Association conference, it’s worth noting what a difference a year makes: There’s a national festival devoted to children’s diverse books planned for next year in Washington, D.C., and a writing award wit...

See you in San Antonio this Saturday?

The San Antonio Book Festival is this Saturday, and Don Tate and I will be there to share The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch.

From her perspective as a parent, San Antonio blogger Inga Cotton has written a thoughtful post about our book, the festival, and the Reconstruction era in general:

How do I talk to my kids about that era of history? By focusing on the amazing story of John Roy Lynch—in ten years, transformed from teenage slave to U.S. Congressman—illustrator Tate and author Chris Bart...

Speaking of things that are amazing…

…you have got to take a look at the outstanding site Mapping Occupation: Force, Freedom and the Army in Reconstruction, especially if you’re an educator, history buff, or lover of great design.

For me, it’s fascinating to see how the presence of the U.S. Army grew and dwindled in the South — especially in John Roy Lynch’s Mississippi — during the era that Don Tate and I cover in The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch. And it’s a reminder of how much more there will always be for us to learn about...

See me, Don Tate, and John Roy Lynch in Hattiesburg, MS, this Wednesday

I’m excited to be returning this week to the fantastic Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival this week at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.

Much of the festival requires registration, but the Hattiesburg American reports that there are exceptions, and my session is one of them:

First panel open to the public: Chris Barton, Don Tate and Kathleen Merz discuss “The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch,” a picture book biography of the Mississippi slave-turned-congressman, 11:30...