Chris Barton's Blog: Bartography, page 11

88 Instruments and other children’s books about music

Hands down, one of my most fun books to read aloud to kids or even just talk about with them is 88 Instruments, my 2016 fiction picture book illustrated by Louis Thomas and published by Knopf. So it made me so happy last month -- many years after its publication -- to see 88 Instruments [...]

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May 1 application deadline for Texas grants for my summer 2024 author visits

As a Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) Texas Touring Roster artist, I have some timely info that might be of value to you or a school, library, or nonprofit organization you know: There's a May 1 deadline for applying for Arts Respond Performance Support grant funding for an author visit from me in summer [...]

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Win 1 of 4 signed copies of The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch

For my February 2024 giveaway, I'm offering four signed copies of my picture book biography The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch, illustrated by Don Tate and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. And a discussion guide for the book is available right now! If you don't already know John Roy Lynch's story, I [...]

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Glitter Everywhere! and me on The Primary Source Podcast

Wherever you get your podcasts from, I highly recommend giving a listen to school librarian Tom Bober's The Primary Source Podcast, now in its fourth season of "exploring the uses of primary sources in K-12 libraries and classrooms." Four seasons! That's a lot -- where to start? I'm so glad you asked. My personal recommendation [...]

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A Texas Topaz twofer!

Among its many thoughtfully compiled lists of books worth sharing and celebrating, the Texas Library Association (TLA) has an all-ages one that's unlike any other that I'm aware of: Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List. The 2024 list came out this week, and before I share the part(s) that I'm especially excited about, here's how the [...]

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Nerdy Book Club and CYBILS love for Glitter Everywhere!

The end of one year and beginning of the next is always full-to-bursting with lists of favorite TV shows, podcasts, music, movies — and books, of course. For authors, it's especially nice to see one of our books included on one of those lists. This season I've been fortunate to see Glitter Everywhere! Where It [...]

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My new SLJ essay, “Is There a Looming ‘Dog-Man’ Crisis?”

I'm pleased to share the essay that I wrote for this month's School Library Journal, "Is There a Looming 'Dog-Man' Crisis?" It begins: Between the passage of an anti-librarian law in my home state of Texas and local school districts' creation of bureaucratic book-purchasing hoops for their media specialists to jump through, it’s becoming ridiculously [...]

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A sneak peek at the research for my next nonfiction book

Sometimes, research involves traveling far and wide, and maybe this not-yet-announced project will at some point involve that, too. But for now, I'm staying home and getting lots done at my dining table. Stay tuned!

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My January 2024 book giveaway, spotlighting Heartdrum authors

Welcome to 2024, everybody! I'm glad we're here. Late last year, I attended the Native American Heritage Month Celebration at the Austin Public Library and enjoyed the panel discussion among Cynthia Leitich Smith and four of the authors writing for HarperCollins' Heartdrum imprint for young readers. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I [...]

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“A seemingly silly subject yields one of the best books of the year.”

I always look forward to librarian Betsy Bird's annual December-long feature, "31 Days, 31 Lists," in which she highlights her favorites among the year's books for young readers, sliced and diced a different way for each day of the month. Her lists routinely help guide my reading for following year as I catch up on [...]