Gene Barretta author page

Gene Barretta biography

Gene Barretta is an American children’s author and illustrator. He holds a B.F.A. in Film Studies from New York University and worked for many years in film and television production before building his career in children’s books. He wrote and illustrated Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin, published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) on 7 March 2006. That book won the 2007 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year. He also wrote and illustrated Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci, published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) on 21 June 2011, and Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives, published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) on 17 July 2012.

Barretta has also created picture books that teach language concepts through wordplay. Dear Deer: A Book of Homophones was published by Square Fish on 20 July 2010 and was named an NCTE Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts. Zoola Palooza: A Book of Homographs was published on 21 June 2011. The Bat Can Bat: A Book of True Homonyms was published on 13 February 2018. He later wrote The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver, illustrated by Frank Morrison, published on 14 January 2020. Another of his historical picture books, Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare, was published on 14 June 2016.