Chris Barton's Blog: Bartography

What kind of weirdo would create Venn diagrams for the characters in his own book? Not as part of the writing process (which would be weird enough, but maybe understandable) — after the book is already finished and out in the world, just for fun. (Honestly, I think stopping at two Venn diagrams for this [...]

The post Getting set to talk We Match! and math at NCTE 2025 appeared first on Bartography.

As I've been doing recently—and in keeping with the theme of my new picture book, We Match!—I'm setting out again this month to see how quickly a chat with another author of books for young readers can turn up three things that we have in common. And once again, I'm having those conversations with two [...]

The post How Do WE Match? (and book giveaway) with author Deborah Heiligman appeared first on Bartography.

As I've been doing recently—and in keeping with the theme of my new picture book, We Match!—I'm setting out again this month to see how quickly a chat with another author of books for young readers can turn up three things that we have in common. And once again, I'm having those conversations with two [...]

The post How Do WE Match? (and book giveaway) with author Victor Piñeiro appeared first on Bartography.

When illustrator Sharon Glick and I recorded our video offering readaloud tips for We Match! (Astra Young Readers, 2025), we didn't stop there. So, we hope you'll enjoy this companion video for getting to know Button, Armando, Scurry, Mango, Lucille Snowball, Dexter, Bozeman, and Waffles! And don't forget that each character in We Match! has [...]

The post Getting to know the characters in We Match! appeared first on Bartography.

This is a big week for illustrator Sharon Glick and me, because every public-school first grader in Bozeman, Montana, is receiving a copy of We Match!—the first time I know of that happening with any of my books. Exciting, right? HUGE thanks to the local school foundation for making that happen, and for bringing our [...]

The post Tips for reading We Match! aloud appeared first on Bartography.

It's been so easy for me to focus on this summary near the end of The Horn Book's glowing review of We Match!— “Glick’s energetic and affectionate illustrations are a fine match (heh heh) for Barton’s cleverly comical text.” —that I almost glossed right over this description of the book at the very beginning of [...]

The post It’s a comic book… it’s a graphic novel… it’s… We Match! appeared first on Bartography.

As I did a few months ago—and in keeping with the theme of my new picture book, We Match!—I recently set out to see how quickly a chat with another author of books for young readers could turn up three things that we have in common. Only this month, I've had those conversations with two [...]

The post How Do WE Match? (and book giveaway) with author Antwan Eady appeared first on Bartography.

As I did a few months ago—and in keeping with the theme of my new picture book, We Match!—I recently set out to see how quickly a chat with another author of books for young readers could turn up three things that we have in common. Only this month, I've had those conversations with two [...]

The post How Do WE Match? (and book giveaway) with author Martha Brockenbrough appeared first on Bartography.

As was the case earlier this summer, an announcement in Publishers Weekly about an upcoming book of mine coincided with some rather busy travel plans. So nearly two weeks later, I'm finally sharing the happy news about my next nonfiction picture book: "Alyssa Mito Pusey at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights to Sweet! by Chris Barton (l.) (Shark [...]

The post My next nonfiction book is Sweet! And yes, it’s complicated. appeared first on Bartography.

Chris is a thoughtful and experienced developmental editor who brought clarity, structure, and insight to my manuscript. His feedback was constructive and well-paced, helping me strengthen the story while staying true to my voice. I’d recommend him to any author looking to refine their work with care and professionalism. Wow -- this feedback from my [...]

The post “I’d recommend him to any author looking to refine their work with care and professionalism.” appeared first on Bartography.