Chris Barton's Blog: Bartography, page 29

Fair winds and following seas for Dazzle Ships

By the time a nonfiction picture book of mine is published, I’ve already moved on to researching and writing other projects, and by the time that book has had a chance to make much of an impression on readers, there’s all the more distance between it and me. One result of that remove is that […]

“If you’ve never drawn a steamroller, I recommend it.” (2-question Q&A and giveaway for May 2018)

Welcome to the Q&A for the May edition of my Bartography Express newsletter (which you can sign up for here). This month I’m talking with illustrator and author Troy Cummings and giving away three signed books: his new picture book Can I Be Your Dog? (Random House) and our even-newer easy readers Mighty Truck: On […]

Upon closer inspection

This was one of several thank-you cards I received from students at a school in Maryland last week. It contains one of my favorite elements that I sometimes see in such cards: a depiction of the author himself! Really, just look at this: I mean, seriously: But the best part? If you’ll look verrrrry closely […]

A great idea for local authors and indie booksellers

And it comes from Austin, Texas — home to me, a thriving chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and my favorite bookstore, BookPeople. Meghan Goel is the store’s children’s book buyer and programming director, and she also contributes to Publishers Weekly‘s ShelfTalker blog. In her post last week, Meeting the […]

“It’s the story of female smarts and strength saving the day” (2-question Q&A and giveaway for April 2018)

Welcome to the Q&A for the April edition of my Bartography Express newsletter (which you can sign up for here). This month I’m talking with author Sayantani DasGupta and giving away one signed copy of her demon-filled and very funny new middle-grade novel, The Serpent’s Secret (Scholastic Press). In its starred review of The Serpent’s […]

“Even though I’m a boy and the main characters are girls…”

A young reader recently wrote my wife, Jennifer Ziegler, a letter that began, “Even though I’m a boy and the main characters are girls, I quite enjoy your book Revenge of the Flower Girls.” Jennifer and I have had discussions along these lines so many times — discussions that boil down to the facts that […]

Entirely uncamouflaged good news about Dazzle Ships

It’s been nearly three months since my previous update about Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion (written by me, illustrated by Victo Ngai, and published last September by Millbrook Press). What’s new? The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) division of the American Library Association (ALA) has included Dazzle Ships […]

How to Diversify Your KidLit-Related Lists #kidlitwomen

Often, those of us involved in children’s or young adult literature make lists without realizing that we’re making lists. Four panelists that you’re considering for a session proposal for an upcoming conference? That’s a list. Books selected for display face-out on a library or bookstore shelf? Also a list. Authors or illustrators selected one by […]

Two-question Q&A and giveaway for March 2018

There’s a story behind the Q&A for the March edition of my Bartography Express newsletter (which you can sign up for here). Last November I was speaking on a panel of nonfiction authors at the annual conference of the National Council of Teachers of English. There was a question about subjects we’d wanted to write […]

Priority number one for my day off

I got home yesterday evening after nine days away, which I spent visiting schools in the Dallas area and presenting at the Dublin Literacy Conference in Dublin, Ohio. So, today has sort of been a day off. Or at least a day of taking care of the highest-priority to-dos that stacked up while I was […]