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Bartography Express, October 2016
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Hey there!
Let’s start things off this month with a close look at the cover of my next picture book,
Mighty Truck: Muddymania!, which comes out on March 28, 2017:
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If you know a kid who likes
Mighty Truck and will be glad to know that illustrator Troy Cummings and I have more on the way, best have them buckle up, because there are also four
Mighty Truck “I Can Read” coming out starting next fall.
And speaking of things being mighty, I'm mighty honored and excited to be the first guest author in the newly remodeled Cozby Library and Community Commons in Coppell, Texas. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 1, I’ll be there (177 North Heartz Road) reading
Mighty Truck and guiding the audience through the making of their own original superhero stories.
The following weekend, November 5-6, Jennifer and I will both be participating in the Texas Book Festival here in Austin.
See the full schedule for yourself, and look for us at these times:
Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Jennifer will moderate the “Twice Upon a Time” panel --
featuring Danielle Paige, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Jonah Lisa, and Stephen Dyer -- at YA HQ (Congress & 10th St).
Saturday, 3 p.m.
I’ll be at the Writers’ League of Texas booth for a toast to the WLT Book Awards winners and finalists. Then then I’ll be sticking around for a diverse-books celebration that will include giveaways of
The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch and
Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions as well as titles from Cynthia Leitich Smith and Natalia Sylvester.
Sunday, 12:30 p.m.
I’ll read
Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions at the Children’s Read Me a Story Tent (10th & Congress).
Sunday, 2 p.m.
In Capitol Extension Room E1.026, I’ll be on the “Big Dreamers Are World Changers” panel with authors Donna Janell Bowman, Reyna Grande, and Cynthia Levinson, moderated by Liz Garton Scanlon.
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If Vivien Thomas' name is familiar to you, it may be because you saw the 2004 HBO movie Something the Lord Made, starring Mos Def and Alan Rickman. Now, younger audiences -- and STEM/STEAM enthusiasts -- have a new opportunity to learn the story of this surgical innovator.
I'm happy this month to share with you Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas (Lee & Low Books), the new picture book from author Gwendolyn Hooks and illustrator Colin Bootman.
From Booklist's starred review of Tiny Stitches: "In addition to the challenges facing any medical researcher, Thomas also endured such obstacles as the economic devastation of the Great Depression, unequal treatment as a black research assistant, the challenge of finding housing in the Jim Crow South, and the failure to be recognized for his monumental contributions to the field of neonatal heart surgery. It is the work Thomas achieved, however, in spite of these enormous challenges, that will pique reader interest as they learn about his design of tiny operating tools and his role guiding surgeons through neonatal operations."
This month, I'm giving away one copy of
Tiny Stitches to a Bartography Express subscriber residing in the US
.
I
f you'd like that winner to be you,
just say so in a reply to this email before midnight on October 31, and I'll enter you in the drawing.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Gwendolyn and Colin.
Chris: What was it about Vivien Thomas' life that you found the most compelling, that made this project one you wanted to take on?
Gwendolyn: Several years ago, a friend loaned me
Something the Lord Made. It was the story of Vivien Thomas and it marked the beginning of my fascination.
Who was Vivien Thomas? Why had I not heard of him? Were there were others like me who didn't know his story?
Vivien Thomas was a young African American who did everything right. He studied hard in school, saved his money, and prepared for college. Then his life fell apart. The Great Depression hit and his bank locked its doors. He could have given up. He was angry enough. But Vivien got a job in the research laboratory at Vanderbilt University and found a career. His career led him to Johns Hopkins. There he developed a surgical technique allowing doctors to operate on tiny babies born with tetralogy of Fallot, a four-part heart defect. This was an amazing accomplishment because before Vivien, there was not a cure.
It was decades later before he was acknowledged for his work. I talked with a surgeon who studied in Vivien's lab while a resident at Johns Hopkins. He remembered Vivien's generous personality, always ready to share his knowledge with others. During those years, Vivien's dedication to his profession and to the patients never wavered despite the ugliness of working in a segregated environment. That strength of character is what convinced me to share the Vivien Thomas story.
Colin: Like Gwendolyn, I was not familiar with the details of his life. I vaguely remembered [
Something the Lord Made]. Shamefully, I do admit that I did not watch the entire film. However, I recall being a bit disturbed that the gist of the HBO production was about another black person who was overlooked, brushed aside and not acknowledged for their contribution to our world. This was the common practice in Vivien Thomas’s era. Though, after reading Gwendolyn’s wonderful manuscript, I wanted to know more about Viven Thomas. So, I purchased the HBO movie and downloaded the PBS documentary
Partners of The Heart. I even went to Johns Hopkins Research Center to gather as much information as I could about him. I found that he was a remarkable man!
As Gwendolyn expressed, some of the challenges Vivien Thomas faced probably would have made many others give up. As a creative person, I was moved and inspired by his resolute passion for artistry and genuine desire to help others. I am truly honored to be a part of this very important book project. This project allow words and pictures to be added to media that highlights the accomplishments of this exceptional individual.
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Author Gwendolyn Hooks (l.) and illustrator Colin Bootman (r.)
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Chris: What do you think your own elementary-school self would have made of this book, and of Vivien Thomas' story?
Colin: So, by the time I would have been able to read this story I was already an avid comic book collector. I would have been impressed by the illustrations and would have thought Vivien Thomas a hero. I would want to read and know more about him. I would probably try to copy one or two of the illustrations...
Gwendolyn: I read mostly fiction in elementary school, so a nonfiction book would really have to stand out for me to notice it. If
Tiny Stitches was shelved face-out, I would have been happily surprised to see a book about an African American man.
Even then, I was a curious little girl and would have wondered why he rated a book. Of course, I’d have to satisfy my curiosity and read it. I think my reaction would be very similar to those of the students I’ve spoken to about Vivien. They are amazed at what he accomplished with only a high school education and all the obstacles he had to overcome. There’s a faraway look in their eyes as if they are seeing their future. I think they are imagining all the possibilities life has to offer. I might have thought, "Maybe I could be a scientist. It seems like a pretty cool job."
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One more thing. Or two. Maybe three. OK, four, but...
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Before we’re done with October 2016, though, I should point out the significance of this month. It’s an anniversary, of sorts. Ten years ago, in October 2006, I got the ideas for two different -- very different -- books.
Can you guess what they were?
At the schools I’ve visited this fall, kids have often asked, “Are you writing another book right now?” The simple answer is always “Yes,” but the more honest answer is that lately it seems I’ve been doing more waiting than writing. I have several projects that I’m eager to get moving on, and I’m waiting to see which one(s) will get a green light so that I can tell you about them. Jennifer is in a similar situation. I was going to say “in the same boat,” but boats don’t get green lights. So, maybe Jennifer and I are in the same car. Or in different cars but at the same intersection out on Highway 9, ready to race off into the night when the light changes. Anyway, stay tuned.
(Also, the direction that last paragraph took might possibly indicate my interest in receiving the new Bruce Springsteen autobiography,
Born to Run, for Christmas. So, Mom, if you’re still reading…)
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There's lots you could have been reading these past few minutes, so thank you for spending that time
with Bartography Express.
A
nd thank you, especially, if you also take a moment more to post, tweet, email, or otherwise share this month's news with other readers you think might be interested.
I'll be back in touch soon,
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