Books by Chris Barton
Mighty Truck: Muddymania!
by Chris Barton
Disney’s Cars meets Superman with Mighty Truck: Muddymania, the second picture book in this series about an ordinary truck with extraordinary power!
Whenever there’s trouble in Axelburg, Clarence is ready to pump up, rev up, and transform into Mighty Truck to save the day! But when there’s danger at the biggest, muddiest event in town, Clarence is in a jam. Can he zoom into action without revealing his secret to best pal Bruno and the whole crowd?
Friendship is thicker than mud in Muddymania!, an all-wheel-drive adventure illustrated by Troy Cummings and written by award-winning, bestselling author Chris Barton.
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Mighty Truck: The Traffic Tie-Up (I Can Read Level 1)
by Chris Barton
Clarence was just a muddy pickup. One day, there was a big storm and Lightning zapped the car wash. Now Clarence has a secret: Water turns him into MIGHTY TRUCK!
Everyone has a job to do in Axleburg. Stella’s job is to be a news chopper and fly high in the sky to loudly report what she sees. But Stella is loud all the time, and Clarence cannot stand it!
Clarence and his friends teach Stella to use her inside voice by speaking wheely softly and only letting her engines purr. Stella learns to use her inside voice, only she uses it outside, too! When Stella is too quiet to report the traffic on the morning rush, there’s only one truck who can turn up the volume and save the day: Mighty Truck!
Mighty Truck: Traffic Tie-Up is a Level One I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.
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Mighty Truck on the Farm (I Can Read Level 1)
by Chris Barton
Clarence was just a muddy pickup. One day there was a big storm, and lightning zapped the car wash. Now Clarence has a secret: Water turns him into MIGHTY TRUCK!
But even Mighty Truck needs to relax after working wheely hard to save the day every day in Axleburg! When Clarence’s parents ask him to visit the family farm, he can’t wait to romp with the sheep, play with the pigs, and have a good long rest.
But Mom and Dad have other plans—they need Clarence to help out! How can Clarence finish all his chores and have a zoomin’ good time at home?
Sounds like a job for Mighty Truck!
Mighty Truck On the Farm is a Level One I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.
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Mighty Truck: Zip and Beep (I Can Read Level 1)
by Chris Barton
Clarence was just a muddy pickup. One day there was a big storm, and lightning zapped the car wash. Now Clarence has a secret: Water turns him into MIGHTY TRUCK!
Mighty Truck is super strong, super fast . . . and a super fun babysitter!
When Hattie’s bulldozer cousins Zip and Beep visit Axleburg, Clarence offers to watch them on his day off. Zip and Beep play tag, kick the can, and jump jumper cables—but no matter how fast they zoom, Zip and Beep just don’t run out of gas! How can Clarence keep up with these wheely energetic youngsters?
Sounds like a job for Mighty Truck!
Mighty Truck: Zip and Beep is a Level One I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.
Copies
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Mighty Truck: Surf’s Up! (I Can Read Level 1)
by Chris Barton
Clarence was just a muddy pickup. One day there was a big storm, and lightning zapped the car wash. Now Clarence has a secret: Water turns him into MIGHTY TRUCK!
Clarence decides to join his neighbor, Mr. Dent, and his cat, Throttle, for a warm day of surfing waves at the beach. But Throttle gets into some gnarly water after Clarence learns that Throttle can’t swim. Mr. Dent needs Clarence’s help to rescue his cat!
Can Mighty Truck save the day?
Might Truck: Surf’s Up is a Level One I Can Read, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.
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Shark vs. Train
by Chris Barton
Shark VS. Train!
WHO WILL WIN?!
If you think Superman vs. Batman would be an exciting matchup, wait until you see Shark vs. Train. In this hilarious and wacky picture book, Shark and Train egg each other on for one competition after another, including burping, bowling, Ping Pong, piano playing, pie eating, and many more! Who do YOU think will win, Shark or Train?
[star] "This is a genius concept." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
[star] "Lichtenheld's snarling shark and grimacing train are definitely ready for a fight, and his scenarios gleefully play up the absurdity. The combatants' expressions are priceless when they lose. A glum train in smoky dejection, or a bewildered, crestfallen shark? It's hard to choose; both are winners." -- Kirkus, starred review
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Fire Truck vs. Dragon
by Chris Barton
Can a Fire Truck and a Dragon be friends? Find out in this new companion to the household favorite Shark vs. Train!
It's the wackiest rivalry ever, when the fire-breathing ruler of the skies and the fearless fire truck go head to head in an epic battle of fire vs water! Who will win?
But wait, is it actually a competition?
Their rivalry takes unexpected turns as these two unlikely friends face off at a campfire, a birthday party, and more with unexpected results. Who will you root for?
With playful illustrations and charming text, Fire Truck vs Dragon gives readers an unexpected twist on a would-be rivalry, turned friendship.
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88 Instruments
by Chris Barton
"The rhythmic, onomatopoeic text dances across exuberant watercolors with lots of movement. This celebration of a child’s agency in choosing a means of artistic expression strikes just the right note." --Kirkus
"A delightful offering for reading aloud, especially during music-themed storytimes."
--School Library Journal
From New York Times bestselling author Chris Barton and new illustrator Louis Thomas comes a fun, rhythmic picture book about finding the music that is perfect for you!
A boy who loves to make noise gets to pick only one instrument (at his parents urging) in a music store, but there is too much to choose from! There’s triangles and sousaphones! There’s guitars and harpsichords! Bagpipes and cellos and trombones! How can he find the one that is just right for him out of all those options?
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Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion
by Chris Barton
A visually stunning look at innovative and eye-popping measures used to protect ships during World War I.
During World War I, British and American ships were painted with bold colors and crazy patterns from bow to stern. Why would anyone put such eye-catching designs on ships?
Desperate to protect ships from German torpedo attacks, British lieutenant-commander Norman Wilkinson proposed what became known as dazzle. These stunning patterns and colors were meant to confuse the enemy about a ship's speed and direction. By the end of the war, more than four thousand ships had been painted with these mesmerizing designs.
Author Chris Barton and illustrator Victo Ngai vividly bring to life this little-known story of how the unlikely and the improbable became just plain dazzling.
"[A] conversational, compelling, and visually arresting story . . ."―starred, Publishers Weekly
"Barton's lively text is matched by Ngai's engrossing artwork, which employs dazzle techniques throughout her inventive spreads."―The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
New York Public Library Best Books for Kids
Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
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That's Not Bunny!
by Chris Barton
From high above on his perch, Hawk searches for his next meal. When he spots a bunny he swoops down and snatches-a carrot!? He decides to try again; because after all, he isn't a Carrot Hawk. But when Hawk goes for his second attempt he comes up with a cucumber! And the third time he grabs a head of lettuce! How can Hawk be a hawk, if he can't catch a single bunny? As he surveys the assortment of vegetables in his nest, he gets a great idea for baiting the bunny. But will it work?
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What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?: The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan
by Chris Barton
“When Barbara Jordan talked, we listened.” —Former President of the United States, Bill Clinton
Congresswoman Barbara Jordan had a big, bold, confident voice—and she knew how to use it! Learn all about her amazing career in this illuminating and inspiring picture book biography of the lawyer, educator, politician, and civil rights leader.
Even as a child growing up in the Fifth Ward of Houston, Texas, Barbara Jordan stood out for her big, bold, booming, crisp, clear, confident voice. It was a voice that made people sit up, stand up, and take notice.
So what do you do with a voice like that?
Barbara took her voice to places few African American women had been in the 1960s: first law school, then the Texas state senate, then up to the United States congress. Throughout her career, she persevered through adversity to give voice to the voiceless and to fight for civil rights, equality, and justice.
New York Times bestselling author Chris Barton and Caldecott Honoree Ekua Holmes deliver a remarkable picture book biography about a woman whose struggles and mission continue to inspire today.
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The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors
by Chris Barton
A discovery that made the world a brighter place!
Joe and Bob Switzer were very different brothers. Bob was a studious planner who wanted to grow up to be a doctor. Joe dreamed of making his fortune in show business and loved magic tricks and problem-solving.
When an accident left Bob recovering in a darkened basement, the brothers began experimenting with ultraviolet light and fluorescent paints. Together they invented a whole new kind of color, one that glows with an extra-special intensity—Day-Glo.
This cover reproduction is not printed with Day-Glo colors. The actual book, however, is printed using three Day-Glo colors: Saturn Yellow, Fire Orange, and Signal Green.
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Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions
by Chris Barton
Celebrate Lonnie Johnson, inventor of the Super Soaker, in this inspiring STEM picture book biography about the maker of one of the world’s favorite toys.
You know the Super Soaker. It’s one of top twenty toys of all time. And it was invented entirely by accident. Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, impressive inventor Lonnie Johnson instead created the mechanics for the iconic toy.
A love for rockets, robots, inventions, and a mind for creativity began early in Lonnie Johnson’s life. Growing up in a house full of brothers and sisters, persistence and a passion for problem solving became the cornerstone for a career as an engineer and his work with NASA. But it is his invention of the Super Soaker water gun that has made his most memorable splash with kids and adults.
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Sister, Brother, Family: An American Childhood in Music
by Willie Nelson, Chris Barton, Bobbie Nelson
The first ever children's book by music legend Willie Nelson and his sister and bandmate Bobbie Nelson!
"We had so little money, but so much love."
He was a boy with a guitar. She was a girl with a piano. Raised by loving grandparents in Depression-era rural Texas, their humble beginnings playing local shows to put food on the table started Willie and Bobbie Nelson on a remarkable path to global stardom. In a story filled with details of a childhood in rural Texas—with church socials, general stores, and town dances—Willie and Bobbie weave together an inspiring story of a long-ago time. With triumphs and tragedies, hard work and determination, here is a deeply personal, gorgeously-written, and profoundly moving tale of hope.
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The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch (Incredible Lives for Young Readers)
by Chris Barton
A unique biography of a remarkable Reconstruction figure
John Roy Lynch spent most of his childhood as a slave in Mississippi, but all of that changed with the Emancipation Proclamation. Suddenly people like John Roy could have paying jobs and attend school. While many people in the South were unhappy with the social change, John Roy thrived in the new era. He was appointed to serve as justice of the peace and was eventually elected into the United States Congress.
This biography, with its informative backmatter and splendid illustrations, gives readers an in-depth look at the Reconstruction period through the life of one of the first African-American congressmen.
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We Match!
by Chris Barton
In this hilarious dog book for kids, New York Times-bestselling author Chris Barton introduces social emotional learning and math concepts in a fun comics-style picture book format.
Humor and high-energy abound as a lovable bunch of dogs discover what they have in common during an action-packed day at the dog park.
An afternoon of mixing and matching is underway at the dog park as dogs gleefully discover the qualities that make them similar. Some love to play with balls, others prefer chasing squirrels. Some like wet food, others prefer kibble. Some like to wear sweaters, others to destroy them . . . As endless Venn diagrams of connection are shaped and reshaped, the dogs find that they may have more in common than they think!
Here's an entertaining comics-style picture book that will visually introduce kids ages 4 to 8 to math concepts, and encourage them to seek connections with their peers—even if they aren’t immediately visible.
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