Like Lava In My Veins

Ages 5 to 8, Grades K to 3

A super-cool graphic picture book about a boy learning how to control his temper, by bestselling author Derrick Barnes.

Bobby Beacon’s got fire flowing through his veins. And now he’s psyched to attend a new school that’ll help him get a better grip on his powers. But right off the bat, his new teacher is not too welcoming. That causes Bobby’s hot temper to land him in the principal’s office. It ain’t easy to stay calm when people don’t seem to understand you and are always pushing you to the edge. Good thing Bobby gets moved to a class with an understanding teacher who clues him in on ways to calm himself and shows him that caring for others is its own kind of superpower. With her help—and some cool new friends—he just might be on his way to becoming the best version of himself possible.

About the Author

Derrick Barnes (derrickdbarnes.com) is the author of the empowering New York Times bestsellers The King of Kindergarten and I Am Every Good Thing, which won the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award and the Kirkus Prize, and Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, which received a Newbery Honor, a Coretta Scott King Honor, the Kirkus Prize, and the Ezra Jack Keats Award. He also wrote the bestselling chapter book series Ruby and the Booker Boys. Derrick is a native of Kansas City, MO, and a graduate of Jackson State University, and was the first African American male creative copywriter hired by greeting card giant, Hallmark Cards. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and their four sons.

Author Residence: Charlotte, North Carolina

Shawn Martinbrough (shawnmartinbrough.com) is the author of How to Draw Noir Comics and an Eisner Award nominated artist whose comic book projects include Batman: Detective Comics, DMZ, Luke Cage Noir, The Black Panther: Man Without Fear, Hellboy, the Thief of Thieves series, Prométhée 13:13, and Red Hood. He’s been a featured guest and panelist at comic conventions all over the world, and has given lectures at Walt Disney Animation, Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon, TEDx Mid Atlantic, the International Spy Museum, the California African American Museum, the Society of Illustrators, and the 100 Black Men of America Conferences. He lives near Washington DC.

Illustrator Residence:Washington, D.C.