What's In a Timeline: AKA What Goes In and What Stays Out? by Tina Cho

I'm in a picture book group called Kidlit for Growing Minds. Our mission statement says: We are children's book authors and illustrators who believe the power of story combined with real world science, social studies, and math can touch hearts and nurture growing minds. With our nonfiction and informational fiction picture books, we seek to support teachers, librarians, and parents, and to inspire curious kids.​

A discussion question arose by our author Lynn Street. "When the subject centers on a person, how often do the timelines include outside dates and events for context vs. just the events of the person's life?" I thought this would make a perfect blog post for our Grog blog readers, especially, as a teacher, I introduce simple timelines in kindergarten! Timelines are part of standards! 

Following are examples of timelines and wisdom from some of Kidlit for Growing Minds authors & illustrators.

Author Keila Dawson shares a poster timeline for her picture book biography, Opening the Road, about how Victor Hugo Green created The Green Book, paving the way for a safer, more equitable travel in America. Her timeline begins with Victor's birth, but then she lists a context date of 1896 when the US Supreme Court rules that segregation IS constitutional.

Keila says: When I heard about Victor Hugo Green on the radio, I wanted to write his story, but I couldn’t find out much about him. So I had to use a wider lens and research the history of segregation and connect that to the larger idea of activism but specific to travel. So I created a timeline to help me get a feel for what was happening and how those events inspired, motivated, and or affected Green and other Black travelers. I am so grateful to the clever book designer at Beaming Books who made it into an illustrated roadmap timeline for the backmatter. Then a librarian mentioned it would make a great poster, so the publisher created that too!

Both personal and context dates are listed throughout in a creative highway graphic. Bravo, illustrator Alleana Harris!

In Thomas Jefferson's Battle for Science: Bias, Truth, & a Mighty Moose by Beth Anderson, illustrated by Jeremy Holmes, Jefferson battles faulty facts and biases using his scientific thinking of the day. I noticed mostly personal dates on this timeline (thus the title of the timeline) and a few dates of context, like the Louisiana Purchase.

Beth states: The timeline events were chosen for their connection to nature and education which provided the grounding for his scientific thinking; government service to bring context to his role during the period of the revolution; a few family and life events; and the major events of his life that students encounter in curriculum. 

Here’s the link to the Educator Guide - The “Key Ideas and Details” section contains a few activities focused on Fact and Opinion and includes one using the timeline.

In Magic in a Drop of Water: How Ruth Patrick Taught the World about Water Pollution, by Julie Winterbottom, illustrated by Susan Reagan, a breakthrough in the dangers of water pollution is discovered by a woman scientist. 

Julie says: For my picture book biography of ecologist Ruth Patrick, most of the events in the timeline are important moments in her scientific education and career. Many of them were mentioned in the main text, but without exact dates. A few of them did not make it into the story because of space limitations and the timeline provided a way to include them without bogging down the main story. The only event outside of Patrick's life that I decided to include was the passage of the Clean Water Act, but it made sense because Patrick helped to write that law. I also included two events from her personal life—the date of her marriage and the birth of her son—because I wanted readers to know that she managed to juggle a full-time career in science and a family. 

In this timeline, I notice everything listed is personal to Ruth's life, but the dates listed are ones that coincide with the story.

In Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony by Lisa Rogers, illustrated by Stacy Innerst, the American abstract painter and her process and place in France are highlighted with lyrical text.

Lisa states: I focused on the main events in her painting life, as the book is about her creating a particular group of paintings and how she processed her emotions and memories through painting.

Besides the timeline, back matter includes a list of where to see Mitchell's works, a poem she wrote at age 10, an image of Mitchell as a child and one of her in her studio with a painting, and an image of one of her paintings (and a bibliography of course!).

I notice that this timeline includes personal life matter that coincides with the story.

Linda Sweeney, author of Monument Maker: Daniel Chester French & the Lincoln Memorial, illustrated by Shawn Fields, is about how a farm boy sculpted the Lincoln Memorial. 

Linda shares:  I let major life milestones, like births, deaths, moves, wars and then artistic achievements like notable commissions guide what I included in the time line and what I left out.

I, Tina Cho, have a fiction picture book based on reality, sort of memoir as well, (on submission) that takes place in the 1970s. It includes a timeline of only contextual dates happening in America in order for this generation of readers to understand the time and context of the story. No personal dates are listed.

The verdict: What goes in and what stays out of a timeline? From studying these timelines, personal dates that coincide with the story line are listed. Historical dates that give readers clues to the time and place in history that impacted the characters or setting of the story are also included and helpful for readers and students doing research and reports. 

Author Lynn Street states for her work in progress: "I’m hoping to include events that directly impacted my subject." Thank you, Lynn, for bringing up this topic! I hope this post is helpful for others writing timelines. AND, if you have more timeline wisdom, please include it in the comments!

Thank you, Kidlit for Growing Minds authors, for helping me with this post and for sharing your timelines and wisdom! Now go forth and create a timeline :)