Press Room
Publicity Photos
- Oliver K. Woodman Photos(56 KB Zip file)
- Darcy Pattison Photos(377 KB Zip file)
Bio
Published in 8 languages, Darcy Pattison is a children’s book author and writing teacher, with four picture books, one middle grade novel and two writing books for adults to her credit. She has written about writing for Writer’s Digest, SCBWI Bulletin, Children’s Writers & Illustrators Market 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2009, Children’s Writer, and Children’s Book Insider, and Scholastic Instructor magazine. She has written non-fiction for children for Kids Wall Street News and fiction for Clubhouse Magazine.
Darcy served as Arkansas Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Bookwriters and Illustrators from 1991-96. From 1991-2004, she served as Director of the AR-SCBWI “Writing & Illustrating for Children Conference.” For six years, she was the Children’s Book Reviewer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. In 1999, Darcy created the Novel Revision Retreat, which she teaches nationwide. She taught creative writing at the University of Central Arkansas for six years. She is a member of the Author’s Guild. She is the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Art Award for Individual Artist.
Darcy has a B.A. from the University of Arkansas and an M.A. from Kansas State University. For more biographical information see Something About the Author, Vol 72, 194-196.
Also see Darcy’s website, DarcyPattison.com
Press Releases
Full text of May 5, 2009 Press Release:
Geotagging: A Social App for Geography Fun for Photographers, Parents, Teachers and Kids
Summary: Geotagging, tagging photos with location information, is the basis for a mapping project for elementary students. Parents, teachers, photographers and kids are encouraged to take a paper cutout of children’s book character Oliver K. Woodman on their summer travels and share photos on his Flickr Group site (www.flickr.com/groups/oliverkwoodman). All geography lessons should be this much fun.
Little Rock, AR May 5, 2009- As reported recently by the Washington Post, US lawmakers are considering a bill called, Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act, designed to combat the low performance of U.S. students in geography. “We are now in a world where we have to compete globally,” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the bill’s sponsor. “It’s important for American students to understand the geography of the world they are living in.”
Already on the front lines of encouraging student interest in geography, children’s book author Darcy Pattison (www.darcypattison.com) is celebrating the paperback release of The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman with an interactive mapping project designed to encourage excitement about geography in elementary students.
“The project is launching just in time for summer family vacations and travel,” Pattison said.
The Oliver K. Woodman Map Project (www.oliverkwoodman.com/map-project) encourages parents, teachers, photographers and kids to take a paper cutout of the main character, Oliver K. Woodman, on their summer travels and take his photo at landmarks or favorite places. The key is to geotag the photos and upload them to a Flickr group site: (www.flickr.com/groups/oliverkwoodman).
Geotagging is marking a photo as belonging to a specific spot on a map. While smart phones can geotag photos automatically, you don’t need that technology to participate. In fact, Flickr’s method of geotagging – you simply drag-and-drop a photo onto a map – is more educational for kids. To correctly geotag, a student must accurately locate a place on a map.
Interactive: Photos + Maps = Better Learning
With over 35 million photos already on Flickr and even more on Google Earth, the other major online photo-geotagging site, isn’t it enough just to send students to view those photos? No.
“Geotagging photos is a great interactive tool for learning geography. When a student geotags a photo he or she made, it means more than looking at 100 tagged by someone else,” Pattison said.
Linking the activity to a favorite children’s book character like Oliver K. Woodman just adds to the fun. Teachers can use the FREE Lesson Plans (http://www.darcypattison.com/PattisonLessonPlans.zip) available with the project to teach an integrated unit of language arts, math, social studies, art and more. The Oliver K. Woodman Map Project is a small step towards improved geographic knowledge through social apps and is perfect for the elementary school student.
Published in eight languages, author Darcy Pattison (www.darcypattison.com) has traveled to 32 states and seven countries. Besides two starred reviews, The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman was named a 2003 Best Book of the Year by Child magazine and Nick Jr. Magazine; the paperback version is available in May, 2009.
*Glod, Maria. World Class Knowledge: Annual Geography Bee Tests Student’s Grasp of the Globe. Washington Post, May 4, 2009.
###
Media: Contact Darcy Pattison (darcy at darcypattison dot com)
Honors & Awards for The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman
Reviewed in PW, SLJ, Booklist, and Horn Book.
*Starred reviews in Kirkus and BCCB.
Autumn 2003 Children’s Booksense 76.
Child magazine Best Books of the Year 2003.
Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Books of the Year 2003.
2003 BCCB Blue Ribbons book list.
2003 Kirkus Editor’s Choice List.
2003 Bank Street College Diversity List for Children.
2003 Wilde Awards: Best Picture Book Voice in Word and Art.
CCBC Choices 2004 list.
2004 Irma S. and James H. Black Picture Book Award Honor Book.
2004 Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts.
2004 Children’s Literature Choice list.
Nutmeg Media Children’s Picture Books on Video, June 2005.
2004 Kentucky Summer Reading Program.
2004-5 Missouri Show Me Reader’s Award Reading List.
2004-5 Book List Alabama Emphasis on Reading Program.
2004-5 Indiana Read-Aloud Books Too Good to Miss list.
Tumblebooks E-book.
2005 Read Across America, featured book in Minneapolis MN
Nutmeg Media Children’s Picture Books on Video, June 2005. 2006 ALA Notable Video
Featured Book, 2008 Books to Bridge the Region, Northwest Indiana.
Reprinted in Houghton Mifflin reading series, 2009.
Paperback version forthcoming in February, 2009
Honors & Awards for Searching for Oliver K. Woodman
Reviewed in Kirkus, PW, BCCB, SLJ, Booklist.
2007-8 Arkansas Diamond Award Reading list.