The Children's Book Podcast

Hello my beautiful booknerds. I am hard at work on another batch of episodes to share with all of you and I am really, really excited about what's coming up. There is no shortage of truly stunning books being published. Books that I know will be on my shelves and on my mind for a long while. Books that I want to talk about and I want you to hear about. Books made even better by listening to the creators share how these stories came to be what we are holding in our hands or listening to in our earbuds. Today, I'm bringing back the monthly bookclub, new and improved. For $25 you can receive one book per month from a title featured on the podcast. Books are hand-selected in partnership with Brain Lair Bookstore, ship anywhere in the U.S. (shipping included), and are also accompanied by a special Bookclub mini podcast episode available to all patrons at this tier, breaking down just what makes this book so special and set apart. You love children's books. You love independent bookstores. You love this podcast. Let's combine all of that into one awesome piece of mail each month that can be enjoyed over and over for many months to come. The feature book we picked for May is HELLO, NEIGHBOR!: The Kind and Caring world of Mr. Rogers by Matthew Cordell. It's outstanding. And if you haven't picked it up yet, this is the perfect chance. Visit https://www.patreon.com/matthewcwinner if you feel like it's a good fit for you and where you're at right now. And if it's not, sharing the podcast with friends over social media, word of mouth, or any other means still goes a long way. Thanks. For listening. For sharing. For allowing me into your ears and your laundry folding and your dog walking and your dish washing each week. I love every minute of it. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Matthew Cordell (@cordellmatthew) shares HELLO, NEIGHBOR!: THE KIND AND CARING WORLD OF MR. ROGERS. Matt was first on the show back in 2015 for a book called WISH. At the time I used to close each episode with this question: I'm assembling an all-star kidlit kickball team? Who would you want to be on your team? Fred Rogers, he answered without hesitation. Like many, I've watched Matt's career over the past decade and I've been moved by the stories he's chosen to work on. The works are often quiet, centering on children and speaking strongly about safety and protection and care. Matt's newest book is his first work of nonfiction and it centers the life of a man which many, many of us are inseparably familiar. In a journey 10 years in the making, HELLO, NEIGHBOR is the first authorized picture book biography of Fred Rogers, and it resonates with the soul and mission and gentled approach of the man himself. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. Get a copy of this book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Thank you to this week's sponsor: Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Dylan Glynn (@DylanGlynn) shares RAIN BOY, his picture book debut, and BE AMAZING, written by Desmond is Amazing. In RAIN BOY, the title character is ridiculed at a party for bringing everything down. But rain is going to rain, right? When being who you are is what you do, it can be awfully difficult to feel welcome in any space where who you are is rejected. Similarly, the cultural climate of homophobia is changing, but that doesn't keep queer-centered stories from now taking up most of the spots in ALA's Most Frequently Banned Books lists. We have a long way to go, but in this queer ugly duckling story we can all be reminded that there's enough room under the sun to make room for everyone. Time to be brave. Time to be fierce. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. Get a copy of this book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Thank you to this week's sponsor: Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

I gave the Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts group the keys to the podcast for the week. Today a group of kidlit bookmakers is answering the question, "What ways do you hope readers and teachers will connect with the book?" I'm joined by a very special group of bookmakers, including Rajani LaRocca, Elisa Boxer, Christina Soontornvat, Kirsten Larson, Abi Cushman, NoNieqa Ramos, and Kelly Carey. Check the link in the show notes or visit the Children's Book Podcast on BookShop to browse many of the books featured throughout this week's episodes. When you shop there, your books are sourced from independent bookstores across the country. It also supports the Children's Book Podcast. Double the good with a single click! And now, let's turn it over to The Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. Get a book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Thank you to this week's sponsor: Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

It's our 4th day with the members of the Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts and we are going all the way back to childhood! Today a group of kidlit bookmakers is answering the question, "What aspects of childhood do you see expressed through your art and/or your writing?" Joining me to share their responses are Kelly J. Baptist, Rob Justus, Candy Wellins, Sam Wedelich, and Kjersten Hayes. Check the link in the show notes or visit the Children's Book Podcast on BookShop to browse many of the books featured throughout this week's episodes. When you shop there, your books are sourced from independent bookstores across the country. It also supports the Children's Book Podcast. Double the good with a single click! And now, let's turn it over to The Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. Get a book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Thank you to this week's sponsor: Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

The Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts return for day 3 of 5, taking over this here humble podcast space! And today it's all about the details! Writers and illustrators take in their surroundings and experiences and sometimes put it into their craft. Today a group of kidlit bookmakers is answering the question, "Are there any details in your book that have come from your life?" Illuminating us with their responses, today I'm joined by Julie Rowan-Zoch, Vicky Fang, Joana Pastro, Isabella Kung, Melanie Ellsworth, Susan Kusel, and Hope Lim. Check the link in the show notes or visit the Children's Book Podcast on BookShop to browse any of the books featured throughout this week's episodes. When you shop there, your books are sourced from independent bookstores across the country. It also supports the Children's Book Podcast. And now, let's turn it over to The Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. Get a book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Thank you to this week's sponsor: Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

It's Day 2 of the Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts! Today a group of kidlit bookmakers is answering the question, "What did writing or illustrating your book teach you about your craft or about yourself?" Answer that question today is none other than Carrie Finison, Shelley Johannes, Anna Crowley Redding, Gregory Barrington, Qing Zhuang, and Colleen Paeff. Check the link in the show notes or visit the Children's Book Podcast on BookShop to browse any of the books featured throughout this week's episodes. When you shop there, your books are sourced from independent bookstores across the country. It also supports the Children's Book Podcast. Double the good with a single click! And now, let's turn it over to The Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. Get a book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Thank you to this week's sponsor: Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

It's my first ever podcast takeover! Let's get into it! The Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts feature some really outstanding books by kidlit authors and illustrators debuting in 2020. Today, we're going to hear a handful of new and debut picture book folks take on the question "What experiences or observations of the world compelled you to write your story?" Long time friend of the show Darshana Khiani and I were first talking about the idea of a podcast takeover back in July of 2019. Today, as we're all safe inside and adhering to quarantine guidelines, it seems the landscape has temporarily changed. However, readers are still reading. Writers are still writing. And books are finding their way into read alouds and activities and Instagram posts and bedtime. For answers to the question "What experience or observation of the world compelled you to write this story?" I'm turning today to Darshana Khiani, Mary Wagley Copp, Lindsay Metcalf, Jen Malia, Angela Burke Kunkel, Keith and Larissa Marantz, and Saira Mir. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. Get a book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Thank you to this week's sponsor: Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Torrey Maldonado (@TorreyMaldonado) shares WHAT LANE?!. This is a story about Stephen, a young black boy trying to find his way, one circumstance at a time. It's a story about a neighborhood and a bunch of kids. It's a story about confronting racism, confirmation bias, white privilege… all of it. And what it looks like to be an ally. It's a story, as Torrey puts it, for anyone who has to navigate a duality. It is an outstanding story, and a really exceptional audiobook, to boot. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. Get a copy of this book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Thank you to this week's sponsor: Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Mahogany L. Browne (@mobrowne) shares WOKE: A YOUNG POET'S CALL TO JUSTICE, written with Elizabeth Acevedo and Olivia Gatwood and illustrated by Theodore Taylor III. This evocative picture book companion to WOKE BABY is an emotional powerhouse, laying groundwork for conversations about advocacy, anti-bias practices, intersectionality, disability acceptance, youth empowerment, and more. This book was constructed to hold a volume of voices, meaning that these poems can and should be read by more than one voice at once. That was a new thought for me, choral poetry. And then I realized what might be already obvious to you, which is that when we combine our voices in unity we shine a brighter light on the dark places, we make more room for everyone at the table, we, to borrow a phrase from a friend, bring the distant near. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. Get a copy of this book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Thank you to this week's sponsor: Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message