

The Children's Book Podcast
Matthew C. Winner
Celebrating the power of storytelling to reflect our world, expand our perspectives, and foster connections between readers of all ages. The Children's Book Podcast features interviews with authors, illustrators, and everyone involved in taking a book from drawing board to bookshelf. Hosted by Matthew C. Winner, a teacher, librarian, writer, and fan of kids. Brought to you in partnership with Boyds Mills, positively impacting kids by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 12, 2023 • 5min
Andrea J. Loney Shares a Poem About Activism in Response to Gun Violence
Andrea J. Loney, contributor on No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History, shares a poem for Poetry Month. ADDITIONAL LINKS: Andrea J. Loney website - andreajloney.com Purchase the book - No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History CREDITS: This podcast episode of The Children's Book Podcast was written, edited, and produced by Matthew Winner. For a full transcript of this episode, visit matthewcwinner.com. Write to me or send me a message at matthewmakespods@gmail.com. Our podcast logo was created by Duke Stebbins (https://stebs.design/). Our music is by Podington Bear. Podcast hosting by Libsyn. You can support the show and buy me a coffee at www.matthewcwinner.com. We are a proud member of Kids Listen, the best place to discover the best in kids podcasts. Learn more at kidslisten.org. Fellow teachers and librarians, want a way to explore building a stronger culture of reading in our communities? In The Reading Culture podcast, Beanstack co-founder Jordan Bookey hosts conversations that dive into beloved authors' personal journeys and insights into motivating young people to read. And I am a big fan! Check out the Reading Culture Podcast with Jordan Bookey, from Beanstack. Available wherever podcasts are found. DISCLAIMER: Bookshop.org affiliate links provided for any book titles mentioned in the episode. Bookshop.org support independent bookstores and also shares a small percentage of any sales made through this podcast back to me, which helps to fund production of this show.

Apr 11, 2023 • 25min
The Book Club for Kids (Friends of the Children's Book Podcast)
Today I want to introduce you to a podcast where middle grade readers talk about books. And to a friend of mine named Kitty. She's a journalist, podcaster, reader, and, of course, a fan of kids, too! The Book Club for Kids is the place where young readers meet to talk about books. The show includes a celebrity reader and an interview with the author. The host is award winning public radio journalist Kitty Felde. Book Club won the California Library Association Technology Award and the DC Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Humanities. And get this… this podcast was named one of the top 10 podcasts for kids by THE TIMES of London. The episode we're sharing today is with author and Prinz Honor winner Lisa Fipps. She wrote an exceptional novel in verse called Starfish. If you've been listening to the pod this week, you heard her read a poem from Starfish called "Lucky Dog." Well… if you're new to the Book Club for Kids, you are in for a treat! Let's not waste another minute! Enjoy! And don't forget to follow or subscribe to the Book Club for Kids wherever you get your podcasts!

Apr 10, 2023 • 4min
Lisa Fipps Shares a Poem About Food and Body Acceptance
Lisa Fipps, author of Starfish, shares a poem for Poetry Month. ADDITIONAL LINKS: Lisa Fipps website - authorlisafipps.com/about Purchase the book - Starfish CREDITS: This podcast episode of The Children's Book Podcast was written, edited, and produced by Matthew Winner. For a full transcript of this episode, visit matthewcwinner.com. Write to me or send me a message at matthewmakespods@gmail.com. Our podcast logo was created by Duke Stebbins (https://stebs.design/). Our music is by Podington Bear. Podcast hosting by Libsyn. You can support the show and buy me a coffee at www.matthewcwinner.com. We are a proud member of Kids Listen, the best place to discover the best in kids podcasts. Learn more at kidslisten.org. Fellow teachers and librarians, want a way to explore building a stronger culture of reading in our communities? In The Reading Culture podcast, Beanstack co-founder Jordan Bookey hosts conversations that dive into beloved authors' personal journeys and insights into motivating young people to read. And I am a big fan! Check out the Reading Culture Podcast with Jordan Bookey, from Beanstack. Available wherever podcasts are found. DISCLAIMER: Bookshop.org affiliate links provided for any book titles mentioned in the episode. Bookshop.org support independent bookstores and also shares a small percentage of any sales made through this podcast back to me, which helps to fund production of this show.

Apr 8, 2023 • 3min
Robert Schechter Shares a Silly Poem About a Horse
Robert Schechter, author of The Red Ear Blows Its Nose: Poems for Children and Others, shares a poem for Poetry Month. ADDITIONAL LINKS: Robert Schechter website - https://www.bobschechter.com/ Purchase the book - The Red Ear Blows Its Nose: Poems for Children and Others CREDITS: This podcast episode of The Children's Book Podcast was written, edited, and produced by Matthew Winner. For a full transcript of this episode, visit matthewcwinner.com. Write to me or send me a message at matthewmakespods@gmail.com. Our podcast logo was created by Duke Stebbins (https://stebs.design/). Our music is by Podington Bear. Podcast hosting by Libsyn. You can support the show and buy me a coffee at www.matthewcwinner.com. We are a proud member of Kids Listen, the best place to discover the best in kids podcasts. Learn more at kidslisten.org. Fellow teachers and librarians, want a way to explore building a stronger culture of reading in our communities? In The Reading Culture podcast, Beanstack co-founder Jordan Bookey hosts conversations that dive into beloved authors' personal journeys and insights into motivating young people to read. And I am a big fan! Check out the Reading Culture Podcast with Jordan Bookey, from Beanstack. Available wherever podcasts are found. DISCLAIMER: Bookshop.org affiliate links provided for any book titles mentioned in the episode. Bookshop.org support independent bookstores and also shares a small percentage of any sales made through this podcast back to me, which helps to fund production of this show.

Apr 7, 2023 • 2min
Vanessa Brantley Newton Shares a Poem About Self-Love
Vanessa Brantley Newton, author and illustrator of Just Like Me, shares a poem for Poetry Month. ADDITIONAL LINKS: Vanessa Brantley Newton website - https://www.vanessabrantleynewton.com/ Purchase the book - Just Like Me CREDITS: This podcast episode of The Children's Book Podcast was written, edited, and produced by Matthew Winner. For a full transcript of this episode, visit matthewcwinner.com. Write to me or send me a message at matthewmakespods@gmail.com. Our podcast logo was created by Duke Stebbins (https://stebs.design/). Our music is by Podington Bear. Podcast hosting by Libsyn. You can support the show and buy me a coffee at www.matthewcwinner.com. We are a proud member of Kids Listen, the best place to discover the best in kids podcasts. Learn more at kidslisten.org. Fellow teachers and librarians, want a way to explore building a stronger culture of reading in our communities? In The Reading Culture podcast, Beanstack co-founder Jordan Bookey hosts conversations that dive into beloved authors' personal journeys and insights into motivating young people to read. And I am a big fan! Check out the Reading Culture Podcast with Jordan Bookey, from Beanstack. Available wherever podcasts are found. DISCLAIMER: Bookshop.org affiliate links provided for any book titles mentioned in the episode. Bookshop.org support independent bookstores and also shares a small percentage of any sales made through this podcast back to me, which helps to fund production of this show.

Apr 6, 2023 • 4min
Lindsay Metcalf Shares a Poem About Composting
Lindsay Metcalf, co-editor of No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change, shares a poem for Poetry Month. ADDITIONAL LINKS: Lindsay Metcalf website - https://lindsayhmetcalf.com/ Purchase the book - No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change CREDITS: This podcast episode of The Children's Book Podcast was written, edited, and produced by Matthew Winner. For a full transcript of this episode, visit matthewcwinner.com. Write to me or send me a message at matthewmakespods@gmail.com. Our podcast logo was created by Duke Stebbins (https://stebs.design/). Our music is by Podington Bear. Podcast hosting by Libsyn. You can support the show and buy me a coffee at www.matthewcwinner.com. We are a proud member of Kids Listen, the best place to discover the best in kids podcasts. Learn more at kidslisten.org. Fellow teachers and librarians, want a way to explore building a stronger culture of reading in our communities? In The Reading Culture podcast, Beanstack co-founder Jordan Bookey hosts conversations that dive into beloved authors' personal journeys and insights into motivating young people to read. And I am a big fan! Check out the Reading Culture Podcast with Jordan Bookey, from Beanstack. Available wherever podcasts are found. DISCLAIMER: Bookshop.org affiliate links provided for any book titles mentioned in the episode. Bookshop.org support independent bookstores and also shares a small percentage of any sales made through this podcast back to me, which helps to fund production of this show.

Apr 5, 2023 • 3min
Keila Dawson Shares a Poem About Earth
Keila Dawson, co-editor of No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change, shares a poem for Poetry Month. ADDITIONAL LINKS: Keila Dawson website - https://www.keiladawson.com/ Purchase the book - No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change CREDITS: This podcast episode of The Children's Book Podcast was written, edited, and produced by Matthew Winner. For a full transcript of this episode, visit matthewcwinner.com. Write to me or send me a message at matthewmakespods@gmail.com. Our podcast logo was created by Duke Stebbins (https://stebs.design/). Our music is by Podington Bear. Podcast hosting by Libsyn. You can support the show and buy me a coffee at www.matthewcwinner.com. We are a proud member of Kids Listen, the best place to discover the best in kids podcasts. Learn more at kidslisten.org. Fellow teachers and librarians, want a way to explore building a stronger culture of reading in our communities? In The Reading Culture podcast, Beanstack co-founder Jordan Bookey hosts conversations that dive into beloved authors' personal journeys and insights into motivating young people to read. And I am a big fan! Check out the Reading Culture Podcast with Jordan Bookey, from Beanstack. Available wherever podcasts are found. DISCLAIMER: Bookshop.org affiliate links provided for any book titles mentioned in the episode. Bookshop.org support independent bookstores and also shares a small percentage of any sales made through this podcast back to me, which helps to fund production of this show.

Apr 4, 2023 • 31min
Filling in What is Missing with Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki
Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki share Seen and Unseen, an important work of nonfiction featuring powerful images of the Japanese American incarceration captured by three photographers--Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams--along with firsthand accounts of this grave moment in history. BOOK DESCRIPTION: Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration by Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki Page Length: 132 pages Ages 10 to 14, Grades 5 to 9 This important work of nonfiction features powerful images of the Japanese American incarceration captured by three photographers--Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams--along with firsthand accounts of this grave moment in history. Three months after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the incarceration of all Japanese and Japanese Americans living on the West Coast of the United States. Families, teachers, farm workers--all were ordered to leave behind their homes, their businesses, and everything they owned. Japanese and Japanese Americans were forced to live under hostile conditions in incarceration camps, their futures uncertain. Three photographers set out to document life at Manzanar, an incarceration camp in the California desert: Dorothea Lange was a photographer from San Francisco best known for her haunting Depression-era images. Dorothea was hired by the US government to record the conditions of the camps. Deeply critical of the policy, she wanted her photos to shed light on the harsh reality of incarceration. Toyo Miyatake was a Japanese-born, Los Angeles-based photographer who lent his artistic eye to portraying dancers, athletes, and events in the Japanese community. Imprisoned at Manzanar, he devised a way to smuggle in photographic equipment, determined to show what was really going on inside the barbed-wire confines of the camp. Ansel Adams was an acclaimed landscape photographer and environmentalist. Hired by the director of Manzanar, Ansel hoped his carefully curated pictures would demonstrate to the rest of the United States the resilience of those in the camps. In Seen and Unseen, Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki weave together these photographers' images, firsthand accounts, and stunning original art to examine the history, heartbreak, and injustice of the Japanese American incarceration. NOTABLE QUOTES: (7:50) "There was a kid in my class named Paul Yanamora who said in front of the whole class that his family had not been allowed to buy a house in our neighborhood after the war because they were Japanese American. And I was absolutely shocked. That's when it totally hit me that something really bad had happened in our country that I did not understand." (8:44) I didn't know my grandparents' involvement until working on this book, how their families were involved. And it, it was just something that… "Oh, we left. We got over it. We left it behind. Look how successful we are. We don't have to talk about it." (12:30) "The two of us got to work together in a collaboration that's almost never allowed in doing a book together, which is usually the writer writes their bit and then they pull out and then the illustrator gets to work. But there was too many overlaps. I mean, I had the photos and then Lauren had these ideas and then she was like, "Well, if you could do this photo, I could do this illustration." I'm like, "Huh! That's a fantastic idea. Let's swap photos." So we just really shifted things around and it ended up letting both of us go so much deeper than we would've individually." (19:55) "Because you can talk in these grand kind of monolithic ways about an experience and about a people, but when you personalize it, that's when you can touch people." (25:33) "There was so much of myself in this book." (25:42) "It's never too late to discover parts of yourself, like, these big parts of yourself." (26:47) "Today, everybody has a cell phone and there's a camera in the cell phone. So we have a very powerful tool for social justice in our back pocket. And I just wanna encourage people when you see something that just doesn't feel right, you can bear witness to that by taking a photograph." (27:45) "You can't let fear make the decisions for you." ADDITIONAL LINKS: Elizabeth Partridge website - elizabethpartridge.com. Lauren Tamaki website - laurentamaki.com Purchase the Book - Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration TALK ABOUT THE EPISODE: What is an event that took place in history that you learned about recently? What was it like for you to learn this information? If able to make the connection, how do these historic events connect with our world today? Look up photos by one of the three photographers mentioned in this podcast episode: Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, or Ansel Adams. How would you describe the moment captured in the photograph? What does it make you feel? What do you think the photographer was communicating through this photograph? Talk with a grownup about the Japanese American incarceration. What (if anything) do they remember about this event? When did they learn about the incarceration? If able to recall, what did they feel when they first learned about the incarceration? And how do they feel about the incarceration now? Share your own reflections with the grownup. CREDITS: This podcast episode of The Children's Book Podcast was written, edited, and produced by Matthew Winner. For a full transcript of this episode, visit matthewcwinner.com. Write to me or send me a message at matthewmakespods@gmail.com. Our podcast logo was created by Duke Stebbins (https://stebs.design/). Our music is by Podington Bear. Podcast hosting by Libsyn. You can support the show and buy me a coffee at www.matthewcwinner.com. We are a proud member of Kids Listen, the best place to discover the best in kids podcasts. Learn more at kidslisten.org. Fellow teachers and librarians, want a way to explore building a stronger culture of reading in our communities? In The Reading Culture podcast, Beanstack co-founder Jordan Bookey hosts conversations that dive into beloved authors' personal journeys and insights into motivating young people to read. And I am a big fan! Check out the Reading Culture Podcast with Jordan Bookey, from Beanstack. Available wherever podcasts are found. DISCLAIMER: Bookshop.org affiliate links provided for any book titles mentioned in the episode. Bookshop.org support independent bookstores and also shares a small percentage of any sales made through this podcast back to me, which helps to fund production of this show.

Apr 1, 2023 • 5min
A Golden Shovel Poem for the Authors Take Action #ClimatePoemProject
Students, teachers, and librarians, you're invited to participate in the Authors Take Action #ClimatePoemProject! I'm joining other children's poets and authors to share poetry prompts on the theme of "climate" for National Poetry Month and Earth Day, April 2023. Authors Take Action website - #ClimatePoemProject

Mar 28, 2023 • 30min
Happy, Healthy, Me, and You with Divinity Roxx and NaShantá Fletcher
Divinity Roxx and NaShantá Fletcher share Me + You and Happy & Healthy, two stories celebrating diverse families and moving and grooving to your own beautiful beat. BOOK DESCRIPTION: Me + You by Divinity Roxx; illustrated by NaShantá Fletcher Page Length: 32 pages Ages 3 to 8 Diverse families and children celebrate one another in this catchy, hip-hop look at what family really means. Happy & Healthy by Divinity Roxx; illustrated by NaShantá Fletcher Page Length: 32 pages Ages 3 to 8 Joyful children move and groove to their own beautiful beat in this vibrant hip-hop celebration of life and health. Every book purchase includes exclusive access to the catchy song...to sing along! NOTABLE QUOTES: (9:35) "Growing up, my mom made sure that we always had nutritious dinners and lunches, and so I am still very much… I still very much do that for myself." (10:44) "I recently started (very recently started) working from home, and I didn't realize how much being at a workplace and being surrounded by people makes me happy until I started working by myself and in this home." (13:16) "Generally, when I think about writing for kids, I think about what I wanted to hear when I was a kid and what I may not have heard, what was missing." (15:44) "I come up with song ideas based off of the children around me and my experience as a child. I still feel like that child inside of me. I really connect to her in so many ways." (18:56) "I wanted to make it, like, this authentic world, like the world I see around me, cuz I grew up in urban neighborhoods. I'm from Chicago. I live just outside the city now, but I wanted to illustrate the people that I see every day, like the people I see at the grocery store, at the park, or at the laundromat, because there are so many different types of people around us." (25:48) "Whatever you can imagine for yourself in your life, you can make it happen. Your imagination is so powerful that something that exists in your mind only can be output into the world as a very real and tangible thing. So go and dream big." (26:17) "Don't feel like you have to be like everyone else. It's okay to be different. And we have to be kind to each other and respect what makes us all unique." ADDITIONAL LINKS: Divinity Roxx Website - www.diviroxxkids.com NaShantá Fletcher Website - nashanta.com Purchase the Book - Me + You Purchase the Book - Happy & Healthy Me + You Video (password required) Happy & Healthy Video (password required) TALK ABOUT THE EPISODE: Who is in your family? Who do you live with that is in your family? Who lives somewhere else, but is in your family? What makes someone (or something) family to you? Share your answers with a grownup. How are they similar? How are they different? What are ways you and your family stay healthy? What ways do you take care of your body? Your heart? Your mind? What is a new healthy habit that you would like to try? How does it feel to be noticed or celebrated by somebody? Have you read a book with a character that looks or acts or celebrates or believes similar to you? How does that feel to find a character similar to you and your family? How does it feel to read about characters different from you and your family? We heard parts of three songs from Divinity Roxx today: "Me Plus You", "Happy and Healthy", and "Feeling Good". Which song caught your attention? What was it about this song that made you sit up and notice? How did the song make you feel? CREDITS: This podcast episode of The Children's Book Podcast was written, edited, and produced by Matthew Winner. For a full transcript of this episode, visit matthewcwinner.com. Write to me or send me a message at matthewmakespods@gmail.com. Our podcast logo was created by Duke Stebbins (https://stebs.design/). Our music is by Podington Bear. Podcast hosting by Libsyn. You can support the show and buy me a coffee at www.matthewcwinner.com. We are a proud member of Kids Listen, the best place to discover the best in kids podcasts. Learn more at kidslisten.org. Fellow teachers and librarians, want a way to explore building a stronger culture of reading in our communities? In The Reading Culture podcast, Beanstack co-founder Jordan Bookey hosts conversations that dive into beloved authors' personal journeys and insights into motivating young people to read. And I am a big fan! Check out the Reading Culture Podcast with Jordan Bookey, from Beanstack. Available wherever podcasts are found. DISCLAIMER: Bookshop.org affiliate links provided for any book titles mentioned in the episode. Bookshop.org support independent bookstores and also shares a small percentage of any sales made through this podcast back to me, which helps to fund production of this show.


