I love that my books continue to reach new readers years after publication — many thanks for that to all who have a hand in creating new readers!

But it’s a much less common thing for those older titles to be given the sort of thorough analysis that The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2015) recently received from librarian Tom Bober in this article for Knowledge Quest.

(If you’re not familiar with KQ: “Published bimonthly September through June by the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association, Knowledge Quest is devoted to offering substantive information to assist building-level school librarians, supervisors, library educators, and other decision makers concerned with the development of school libraries and school library services. Articles address the integration of theory and practice in school librarianship and new developments in education, learning theory, and relevant disciplines.”)

Here’s how Tom begins:

Recently I was working with a group of elementary and classroom teachers in Florida. I was tasked with helping them incorporate effective instruction with primary sources around the topic of Reconstruction. Of course, I wanted to focus one activity on the pairing of primary sources and picture books.

The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch by Chris Barton and Don Tate was a powerful choice. It is the story of a formerly enslaved man who would eventually be elected to the US Congress. It is a compelling story that is unknown to many students. The story also is primarily set during Reconstruction and does an exceptional job of showing the strengths and downfalls of the time period through the words and illustrations.

Please read the rest here, and please join me in thanking Tom Bober for his efforts!