Chris Barton's Blog: Bartography, page 17
February 13, 2023
Win 1 of 4 signed copies of Fire Truck vs. Dragon!
Four signed copies of my picture book Fire Truck vs. Dragon (illustrated by Shanda McCloskey and published in March 2020 by Little, Brown) are up for grabs in this month's giveaway! As I return to featuring Shark vs. Train, its 2010 companion, in my author visits for the first time in many years, I've been [...]
February 8, 2023
“Human beings are built to be problem-solvers; it’s what we do best.”
"This billion-dollar-selling toy was inspired by heat pumps," written by Mike Munsell for Canary Media and published last week, is the best article I've ever seen about what Super Soaker inventor Lonnie Johnson has been up to in that "bigger workshop" that I mentioned at the end of my and Don Tate's nonfiction picture book [...]
February 1, 2023
August 1 application deadline for Texas grants for my fall 2023 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 an August 1 deadline for applying for Arts Respond Performance Support grant funding for an author visit from me in fall [...]
January 17, 2023
Bibliography for Glitter Everywhere!
The back matter for Glitter Everywhere! Where It Came From, Where It's Found & Where It's Going (June 2023) includes my author’s note, Chaya Prabhat’s illustrator’s note, and recommendations for further reading. With all this material that Charlesbridge Publishing does include in those final pages, there wasn’t room to also include more than a short [...]
Discussion guides & more for Moving Forward, Whoosh! & other titles
Last month I mentioned the in-person chat I had the privilege of doing with Alton Yates, the subject of my most recent book, Moving Forward: From Space-Age Rides to Civil Rights Sit-Ins with Airman Alton Yates. I'm pleased to say that the video of that first-ever event for Alton and me is now available: It's [...]
January 11, 2023
Announcing the cover of (and first honor for) Glitter Everywhere!
I'm happy as can be to share with you a first look at — and some great news about — my upcoming 24th published book: Glitter Everywhere! Where It Came From, Where It's Found & Where It's Going is written by me and illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat. This nonfiction picture book will be out at [...]
January 4, 2023
The return of Whoosh! and Shark vs. Train
What, you don’t know The Ozzie Bros. Meet the Monsters? Maybe I should do something about that... Happy 2023! If the past year was a good one for you, here's hoping you have another in store. If you found 2022 to be more of a struggle, I'm rooting for a long-overdue change in [...]
December 27, 2022
This One’s Dedicated to… (#49): e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Lupe Lopez: Rock Star Rules!
Welcome to the 49th episode of "This One's Dedicated to...," recorded live and in person at the 2022 South Texas Book Festival! In this episode, Jennifer Ziegler and I share our quick conversation with author, filmmaker, and activist e.E. Charlton-Trujillo about the dedication they wrote for their debut picture book, Lupe Lopez: Rock Star Rules! [...]
December 13, 2022
Live and in person with Alton Yates, the subject of Moving Forward
My author-visit copy of my book about his life — autographed by Alton himself! I mentioned recently that School Library Journal has honored illustrator Steffi Walthall and me by including Moving Forward: From Space-Age Rides to Civil Rights Sit-Ins with Airman Alton Yates (Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster, 2022) on its list of the [...]
December 9, 2022
Jennifer Ziegler’s Worser is best, bester, bestest!
It's "Best of the Year" season, and while I'm personally on the lookout for great new music that I might have missed during 2022 (any suggestions?), I suspect you might have a particular interest in lists of the best books for young readers. So I'm especially pleased to let you know that my wife, Jennifer [...]
