Patricia Bauer

Pat Bauer is a veteran teacher, who shares her passion for history, art, music and literature with her sixth grade students. It's not unusual for her to appear in class in a 19th century costume, pass around artifacts for her students to touch, teach her students a song that has been around for centuries, direct them in acting out historical scenes or show herself in a video shooting a musket. History is filled with the most amazing stories, and that's what she works to convey to her students. Pat and her husband, artist and children's book illustrator, Dave Geister, worked for many years at Historic Fort Snelling in Minnesota as costumed historical interpreters. This is where she learned to bake bread on a hearth, churn butter, sew 19th century clothing and acquired many other historical skills that she continues to use in teaching and in her portrayal of various historic characters.

Pat is also passionate about using picture books to teach history, and frequently gives workshops on this topic. She and Dave are adjunct instructors for Hamline University, where they teach a course on using historic sites to teach Minnesota history.

"B is for Battle Cry: A Civil War Alphabet" is Pat's first published book, though she has been writing for many years. Collaborating on this book with her husband was a dream come true because they have both been fascinated with the Civil War since childhood and they love to work together. They live in Minneapolis, where their home is filled with paintings, music, books, family, friends, fresh bread, two cats and a wiener dog.