Chris Barton's Blog: Bartography, page 26
January 8, 2019
“How do you get the information for all your nonfiction books?”
At a recent school visit, a student asked about my research process for my nonfiction books such as Whoosh! and Dazzle Ships: Where do I get all that information from? There’s a lot to say about that, but here’s how I often get started.
January 7, 2019
“Who or what inspired you to write about Barbara Jordan?”
At a recent school visit, a student asked who or what inspired me to write What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. Here’s my answer.
January 3, 2019
Year-end (and New Year’s) excitement for What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?
New Year’s Day brought some exciting news for What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster). My most recent picture book, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, was named one of the 2018 Elementary/Middle Grade Non-fiction Finalists for the Cybils (Children’s and Young Adult […]
December 18, 2018
Celebrating the Texas Topaz Reading List twice over
Not long ago, the Texas Library Association created the Texas Topaz Reading List “to provide children and adults with recommended nonfiction titles that stimulate reading for pleasure and personal learning.” I love that this list spans all ages and isn’t tied to any sort of curriculum — heck, it’s not even Texas-specific. The Texas Topaz […]
December 4, 2018
Rolling out today: my latest Mighty Truck book!
Do you know Mighty Truck, my series of picture books and early readers illustrated by Troy Cummings and published by HarperCollins? First, in 2016, there was the origin story: How an ordinary, muddy pickup named Clarence became a day-saving (and unrecognizably clean) superhero. Then, in 2017, came Mighty Truck: Muddymania!, in which Clarence grappled with […]
November 28, 2018
What do they say about What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?
It’s been several weeks since I last compiled news about What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster). Considering that the book has been out in the world for just over two months, that means I’ve essentially been neglecting my most recent […]
November 13, 2018
¡Fushhh!
A year ago this week, after some pondering on my part, I asked an editor of mine about the possibility of getting one of my picture books translated into Spanish. It turned out to be more than possible: Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions is coming out next spring as ¡Fushhh! El chorro de […]
November 2, 2018
“It’s gratifying to think that I may be introducing a reader to a scientist whose life might inspire them.” (2-question Q&A and giveaway for November 2018)
Welcome to the Q&A and giveaway for the November edition of my Bartography Express newsletter (which you can sign up for here). This month my Q&A is with author Mélina Mangal and illustrator Luisa Uribe, creators of the new picture book biography The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just. The Vast Wonder […]
October 30, 2018
Beyond Dazzle Ships: 2 new resources for educators
School librarians and classroom teachers whose students have embraced my book Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion — — should know about a pair of newly available resources that can help those young readers deepen their appreciation of the book and their understanding of dazzle camouflage and the context for its […]
October 24, 2018
Jennifer Ziegler on #kidlitwomen*, Cynsations, and again on #kidlitwomen*
This week, My Favorite Author in the Whole Wide World has been featured on two of my favorite sources for insights and information about the world of children’s literature. For those of you who don’t know, Jennifer Ziegler — author of the Brewster Triplets series of middle-grade novels as well as YA novels including How […]
