A Fantastic Finish to a Fantastic Day: The YHBA Banquet with 2013 Winner Chris Barton (ToolKit B for 671)

Author Chris Barton and Me on November 18, 2014 at the ILF Annual Conference

After a wonderful day of learning and connecting with librarians from all over Indiana, I attended the YHBA banquet to wrap up the day with a fun and fancy bow.

First off, the dinner was tasty and I got to talk shop during the meal with some school librarians who have many years of experience in the field.  What I learned is that my situation, while not ideal because it lacks a flexible schedule, isn't nearly as challenging as the situation of some of my colleagues.  Like some of our guest bloggers, these librarians worked in smaller districts where they are required to preside over all the libraries in the district.  We commiserated about budgets, schedules, and collaboration or the lack thereof while we ate.  After dinner, Chris Barton, who won the YHBA  award for picture books in 2013 for Shark vs. Train, let us into his brain with a presentation about the award winning book.

Chris told us how he got the idea for Shark vs. Train while out for a run.  He explained that he runs without headphones on or music playing because it's in those solitary moments that he gets many of his book ideas.  His advice for writers included always carrying a notebook and also joining the Society of Children's Book Authors and Illustrators in order to network, bounce ideas, and get feedback on ones writing.

Also, Chris shared some of his ideas for Shark vs. Train (including illustrations projected on a movie screen) that didn't make it into the book.  Interestingly, he worked very closely with Tom Lichtenheld, the illustrator, during the creation of this book which is atypical of the publishing process.  Normally, he noted, authors and illustrators hardly meet or talk,  Authors send the manuscript and the illustrator decides what to discuss.  This is not how he and Tom worked and he is the first to admit that the book is better due to their close collaboration.

Of course, I couldn't leave without an autograph, and Kids Ink had copies of his books available for purchase after the meal, including his brand new book Attack! boss! cheat code! : a gamer's alphabet
I was one of the final stragglers in the autograph line and Chris was still gracious and funny.

When I got home that night I noticed that he had responded to the tweet I made during his speech.
What a guy!