This seems like a super fun read. Unfortunately my kids wouldn’t sit and read it digitally with me. But it is definitely on our list of physical books to pick up sometime.

This is a cute how-to book about writing your own book about your dog. I think is a great start in figuring out how to write a book if you don't know where to start.

Adorable, funny, and informative. <u>How to Make a Book</u> is the perfect how-to for young readers. Written with colorful and creative illustrations, this is sure to be a hit with young readers. I also enjoyed the additional information and writing/publication timeline that Barton included. I'll definitely be purchasing this for my library!

This book was so adorable. The cover page was very engaging with the illustrations. I could see young children wanting to get a hold of this book. This book would be a good choice to put in an elementary school for children to read or for teachers to read to their class. The story was so cute and creative. The illustrations were amazing and very well done. I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend to any young child.

Chris Barton and Sarah Horne have knocked it out of the park with How to Make a Book (About My Dog)! Kids of all ages will enjoy this peek behind the publishing curtain. The text is simple, but not childish, and the illustrations are so much fun. The little asides about Chris’s dog, Ernie keep the book light and funny. The back matter, including a publishing timeline, is especially informative for those readers who want even more details about how a book is made. I can’t wait to purchase this book for my elementary school library and share it with kids and teachers!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC to review.

Barton’s most frequently asked questions from kids, “How do you make your books? and “Are you ever going to write a book about your dog?” inspired him to write a nonfiction picture book about his beloved rescue dog Ernie.

Barton thoroughly and humorously explains the process of writing a book from concept to publication. Before sharing each step in order, he tells readers that books take a team to be created and during his explanation, Barton makes a point to identify all the different jobs they perform. Research is very important even when writing a book about his own dog. Barton shares that he asks family members, Ernie’s foster, and even the shelter about Ernie so he had the most accurate facts about him. I love how he uses the example that while he initially thought Ernie was part dachshund and part Jack Russell, a DNA test revealed a few other breeds.

To support young writers, Barton discusses how he begins formulating his ideas into writing. He discusses the roles of his agent, editor, the art director, and illustrator. LOTS of questions are asked by them and other team members which strengthen the text, illustrations, format, and presentation. Once the book is printed and delivered to bookstores and libraries, How to Make a Book (About My Dog) meets the final member of the team-the reader!

How to Make a Book (About My Dog) is a perfect mentor text for a nonfiction writing unit. I love that Barton speaks directly to the reader in a conversational tone and includes Ernie anecdotes throughout the book. Horne’s colorful and energetic comic illustrations perfectly complement the text. Thank you to Millbrook Press/Lerner Publishing and NetGalley for providing an eARC to read and review.

Teachers will appreciate reading How to Make a Book (about My Dog) to their students in writing workshop. We LOVE Chris Barton books, and now Chris has teamed with his dog (yes, the DOG tells the story!) to show "how to" make a book about dogs.

So much fun!
Perfect for upper elementary and even middle school research and writing workshop.

This book was truly informative. The process from the idea to finish product helped readers conceptualized the journey of book making. The illustrations are whimsy so kids will be enthused. Pictures of dogs on books are natural hooks for readers and no readers alike. I loved that the book showcase the team and the behind the scene making of books.

Such a creative book! A very informative story not only about how a book is created but all about the author's dog and his life. I loved this book and the illustrations are bright and colorful. I definitely recommend it to kids of all ages. A really fun read! Thanks #netgalley for the advanced reader copy. Awesome book!

I think it may be confusing as a 'how to' book for young students to learn how to write children's stories. People are mentioned, such as an agent, without being explained thoroughly and it may be a person whose job is not understood for young children who are showing interest in writing. As the book continues, it seems "crowded" with images, for lack of a way to describe it otherwise. Although I initially thought it was written for young children, given the illustrations (and story of a dog as its example), I think it could prove confusing to those in elementary school.

How to Make a Book (about my dog) is the perfect book for career day at your children’s school. I loved the detail Chris Barton went into to show how many people it takes to publish a book. The illustrations were bright and imaginative, this book is perfect for elementary school students!

This book outlines the process behind writing and publishing a picture book (about a dog!). I love that the author describes the steps (from researching, writing, revising, to the whole team of publishers who help with the book!). I think many kids are super curious about this, but there aren't a lot of resources that are both kid-friendly and informative like this book. I'd recommend this for 2nd grade and up!

Loved this book so much!

My son is very into drawing and art so I thought this book would be a great resource for him, and I was right!

The book is the story of how the author plans and executes a book that will have his dog as the main character.

Every stage of the publishing process is explained step by step, so kids can get a better understanding of how a book is created from the starting point to the end.

I truly loved learning every aspect of publishing a book, and I found it highly informative. It's also easy to understand even for smaller children so my son was able to explain the process back to me after we finished reading it.

Truly loved it!

I love this book! It is technically out of my grade range, but I believe I have use for it in my classroom. One of my favorite assignments during the year is to have students take a topic and write a "book" for younger audiences. It can be difficult for students to understand/remember how elementary age reading looks. My plan is to use this book as a supporting resource for the activity. The illustrations and language can give them an idea of how to address younger students and the descriptions of roles of each participant can be used to guide them if they are having issues understanding their place in the group process.

Kids do enjoy their picture books and board books. But for those curious minds who want to know more about how their beloved book came into being, this book is what they need. The fact that the book has a dog also helps tremendously.

In just a few pages, this book covers the entire process of book development, from ideation to research to writing to editing to illustrating to printing and beyond. Some of the titbits were new even to me. For instance, I never knew that an author doesn’t decide the illustrator on his/her own. I also loved the author’s note at the end where he provides tips to little aspiring writers.

A few of the words are a little difficult for early readers but nothing that can’t be easily explained by a parent/guardian.

The illustrations are quirkily cute. I loved them!

Heartily recommended to all little readers who want to know more about what brings them their beloved books. This will be a great resource for schools and libraries too.

Thank you, NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group, for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book provides an informative and amusing explanation of how a picture book is made. Most children are unaware of this process and that many people are involved. Knowing that it can take years may be a big surprise. Chris Barton has the perfect friendly enthusiastic style, and Sarah Horne the perfect matching illustrations.

I received an electronic ARC from Lerner Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Terrific way to take elementary level readers through the process of creating a book. Barton uses the concept of writing about his dog to model each step in creating a book, specifically a picture book. Readers see how authors determine a topic all the way through a customer purchasing the book as the final person involved in the process. The illustrations show what is happening at every step. Barton weaves humor through the informative text by making references to his dog, Ernie. Further information is provided at the end of the book.

A funny description of the writing process. Students will giggle about the references to his dog and still gain an understanding of what it takes to write a book. It would be a great companion to a writing unit.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This was a great in depth look at making a book. I loved how inclusive it was of all the different job types.

This book caught my eye because it seemed perfect to bring into my non-fiction/all about writing unit that I teach in 1st grade. It definitely is cute, and extremely informative, but I would need to pick specific parts to use, as it is very long and very in depth. It teaches how to make a book that teaches about a topic. In the classroom, not only do I teach how to actually make books in a variety of genres, but we also write "all about" non-fiction books teaching readers about a topic that we are experts on. In particular, I liked the sections about thinking of what to write, how to become more of an expert on your topic, and how it takes lots of tries and fixing to make it ready "to go out into the world." One of my hesitations with using this book to inspire non-fiction writing for six year-olds is that it talks about all the people involved in the writing/publishing process and that doesn't align with the concept we teach-little authors being in charge of their writing in its entirety. Still, it was great to read a book that was specifically made with kids and little writers in mind and I would definitely consider using parts of this book as a mentor text for my students.