Chris Barton's Blog: Bartography, page 27

More stars for Barbara

My newest book, What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan — illustrated by Ekua Holmes and published by Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster — has received a couple of shiny new reviews that I’m excited to share. In a starred review, School Library Journal called the […]

Today’s the day for my Barbara Jordan book

Today — 1,889 days after my friend Kathi Appelt first suggested I write this book — brings the publication of What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes and published by Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster, our book tells the story of how […]

Why must I wait for What Do You Do…?

We’re six days away from the September 25 publication of What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster). And I know that, given that this book has been in the works for more than five years, a few more days should barely […]

My Q&A with Lone Star Literary Life

This week the Lone Star Literary Life newsletter features an interview with me, discussing What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? and lots more. Among the questions that Michelle Newby Lancaster asked me: You’ve said that in these unsettling times you often ask yourself, “What would Barbara Jordan do?” What do you think […]

Bringing back Grandpa Patten: the story of my favorite illustration in What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? (Featured post and giveaway for September 2018)

Welcome to the featured post for the September edition of my Bartography Express newsletter (which you can sign up for here)! Instead of a two-question Q&A with another author, this month I’m focusing on What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, written by me, illustrated by […]

When boxes of bookmarks arrive, it must be school-visit season again

Lo and behold, look what showed up on Friday: Just in time for the start of this year’s school visits, it was our first shipment of our newest two-sided, hers-and-his bookmarks, and I think they’re beautiful. Jennifer and I will leave these bookmarks for the audiences at each campus where we give presentations, though some […]

Dazzle Ships: The Video

About a year ago, I mentioned that my book Dazzle Ships (Millbrook Press) had received a starred review from School Library Journal. Well, I’m delighted to let you know that Dazzle Ships has now received a second star from SLJ — this time for the 25-minute DVD produced by Dreamscape. From the review: Victo Ngai’s […]

Dazzle Ships wins a Writers’ League of Texas Book Award

Good things happen when you take a nap. Take this past Monday, for instance. As usual, I was up at 5 a.m. to start my workday, and by early afternoon I was no longer functioning at full strength. So, I lay down on the couch with my dog, let my brain recharge for half an […]

All the college kidlit conferences (as of August 2018)

Or, more formally, “A Comprehensive List of U.S. College- and University-Sponsored or -Hosted Children’s and Young Adult Literature Conferences, Festivals, and Symposia.” (All of them that I could find, anyway). Several years ago, I was looking for such a list, wondered why I couldn’t find one, and decided to just go ahead and make one […]

“Why are these two criminals so well known?” (2-question Q&A and giveaway for August 2018)

Welcome to the Q&A for the August edition of my Bartography Express newsletter (which you can sign up for here)! My conversation this month is with Dallas-based author Karen Blumenthal, whose YA nonfiction title Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend will be published on August 14 by Viking Books for Young Readers. In […]