Joann Hamilton-Barry

Background

Joann Hamilton-Barry’s recent books have been inspired by the water all around her Saint John home. She has written about Oak Island, pirates and the North Atlantic right whale and is currently researching ideas for her next book. Joann’s books have received several glowing reviews in regional and national publications. She has been nominated for the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, the Rocky Mountain Book Award, and a New Brunswick Book Award. In 2020 she won the Hackmatack Award in the English Nonfiction category for her book, “There be pirates! Swashbucklers & rogues of the Atlantic”. As a former teacher and children’s librarian, Joann loves visiting schools and getting kids excited about books, reading and learning by sharing some of the neat information and little-known facts about her current areas of interest. In the past few years she has given more than 75 presentations to over 2350 people.

To contact Joann please email her at the address on the left or call 506-672-2617.

Publications

North Atlantic Right Whale: Past, Present and Future (2019, Nimbus)
There be Pirates! Swashbucklers & Rogues of the Atlantic (2018, Nimbus)
Oak Island and the Search for Buried Treasure (2015, Nimbus)
Boldly Canadian: the Story of the RCMP (1999, Kids Can Press)

What I Offer

Illustrated virtual presentation about the North Atlantic Right Whale, pirates or Oak Island, featuring images and information from the book. Each session lasts about 50 minutes and includes time for questions and to see some of the things mentioned in the book such as: fishing ropes and buoys, samples of pirate crafts, or a coconut fibre. Each presentation is tailored to the grade level(s) of the audience. Puzzle sheets unique to each book are provided at the end of each session. I use a large secondary monitor to project the images so my virtual audience will see both me and the images.