Bob Barner is the author of Chronicle Books' Dem Bones Most of the people in my family are artistic in one way or another. They play instuments, sing, draw, garden, or cook. My grandmother wrote a weekly column in her local newspaper and played the organ in church on Sundays. As a result of living with creative people, I've been writing and drawing stories for as long as I can remember.

I've always enjoyed being artistic. But as a kid, I really never thought I'd get to do work this interesting as an adult. When I got a scholarship to art school I saw an opportunity to actually have a career in the arts. After school I explored many options. I worked as an art therapist, as a designer and art director, and as a cartoonist for Al Capp on the Li'l Abner comic strip. After several years, I realized that I wanted to do more of my own projects. Since then, I've written and illustrated many books, designed for museums, national parks, and visited libraries and classrooms across the country.

Dem Bones is my favorite book so far. I think I got in touch with my southern roots by working with this old spiritual. I'm looking forward to many more projects with the creative and enthusiastic crowd at Chronicle Books.

Interested in having Bob Barner visit your classroom or store?
Read on!

Bob Barner brings Dem Bones to life with drawings, music, and stories. His latest book is great for classroom presentation. Sung for generations, Dem Bones, is the perfect way to help students learn about the human skeleton and anatomy. Using this colorful picture book as a springboard, Bob helps kids discover that learning can be fun and entertaining.

Dear Mr. Barner, Thank you for coming to our school. I read all of yur books. Thanks you, Sam.

Dear Mr. Barner, Thank you for coming in to our school. and for your autograph in the book. Love, Joshua.

The Dem Bones program is about 45 minutes long with time for a question and answer period. Bob plays a vintage recording of the song while he draws the skeleton in time to the music. Then he reads the book and talks about the history of the song and discusses the special information about each bone that's in the book. An overview of how the book was written and how the paper-collage art was made is an important part of the program. Bob will bring along sketches and finished art to share with students.