The Children's Book Podcast

Padma Venkatraman (@padmatv) shares THE BRIDGE HOME, a 2019 Global Read Aloud choice. The story centers on two sisters, Viji and Rukku, who are orphaned at the hands of an abusive father and a mother who is too afraid to leave him. Viji is the caretaker of her sister, and in no small way these girls are survivors. Padma writes from a place of experience, strength, and survival herself and she shares a sentiment on recording that I want you to listen for because I think it's such an important and powerful phrase. About being a survivor she says, "You are not going to shape who I am." This conversation is just for you, dear listeners. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Storyteller Academy Bharat Babies And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Kyo Maclear and Byron Eggenschwiler (@byronegg) share OPERATIC, a graphic novel they made together. Actually, it's more accurate to say that, as with making picture books, Kyo wrote OPERATIC's story in words and dialogue and left space for Byron to tell the story through paneled illustrations. The story in OPERATIC centers on a girl named Charlie and her teacher's assignment to identify a song to include in the "soundtrack of our lives". Emile, Charlie's classmate and, consequently, Charlie's crush, is also searching, but not for a song. Luka has been missing from school, and no one's quite sure why, but not many are searching on his account. And then there's Maria Callas, renowned opera singer, who has her own story to tell. Where Kyo ties narratives together with thread, Byron maps colors to transition in and out of different stories for an effect that I felt showed great care for both the characters and the reader. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Storyteller Academy Bharat Babies And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Rowboat Watkins shares MOST MARSHMALLOWS, a story about things that most marshmallows do, like celebrating birthdays and going to school. Things that most marshmallows do not do, like dreaming. And the rarely discussed things that some few marshmallows secretly know. I love how Rowboat created the art for this story and I cannot wait to try it with my students. But I also love how he makes room for his readers to dream of all the things they might accomplish, no matter who might tell them otherwise. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Storyteller Academy Bharat Babies And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Meera Sriram (@Meeratsriram) shares her debut picture book, THE YELLOW SUITCASE. In Meera's debut we meet Asha, who is traveling to India as she does with her family each year to visit her grandmother. But this year, they travel to mourn. Asha always brings a yellow suitcase which her grandmother fills with treats and trinkets to bring home. The suitcase in this way becomes a character in the story as well, waiting to be filled, expectant, but empty. This story is about processing loss, and I think that readers will leave grateful to have walked alongside Asha through her grieving. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Storyteller Academy Bharat Babies And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Vincent X. Kirsch (@VincenzoXKirsch) shares HOW I LEARNED TO FALL OUT OF TREES. In Vincent's story we meet Roger and Adelia, two best friends since forever. Adelia is helping Roger learn to climb and to fall from trees. But she's also helping Roger learn how to let go and how to trust that you'll be able to pick yourself up after the fall. Adelia is moving away. It's going to be a pretty big fall in Roger's life Vincent's care for his characters and his approach to telling this story from two separate timelines that meet in the middle culminates in some profound moments of truth and understanding. His respect for the readers and for all it means to let go is something that I think goes right to the core, both in this story and in his upcoming FROM A TO Z. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Storyteller Academy Bharat Babies And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Sarah Hoffman (@sarahhoffman101) and Ian Hoffman share JACOB'S ROOM TO CHOOSE, the follow-up to the 2014 release JACOB'S NEW DRESS. In this newest story Jacob and his friend Sophie encounter a confrontation from classmates when Jacob enters the boys restroom wearing a dress. Sophie experiences a similar issue in the girl's room and the later their teacher leads the class in a discussion over gendered spaces. Which leads me to ask... Have you met Jacob yet? Have you been invited into Ms. Reeves' classroom? Have you experienced teachers and schools at their greatest and also at their most vulnerable? It's a place we each encounter throughout our days, that space where we ask ourselves if we're going to allow someone else in. Someone who maybe doesn't look just like us or dress just like us or act just like us. But as Sarah and Ian share in our conversation, the kids are often already showing the way for us. We adults just need to watch and to listen. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Bharat Babies Highlights Foundation Storyteller Academy And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Kathy MacMillan (@kathys_quill), Manuela Bernardi (@the_mahnoo), and Kathrin Honesta share SHE SPOKE: 14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World. SHE SPOKE incorporates historical recordings from women throughout history, making history through their words, ideas, and actions. And the collaboration all started 15 years ago over some Harry Potter fan fiction. A critical point my guests return to over and over is that their subjects each had someone who believed in them. When designing a book to inspire and empower young people, this is something that was kept in mind: the ability to see and to name that person in your life who believes in you. This is sometimes easier said than done, but it's something we as adults in the lives the these young people can work to secure in and throughout their lives. I think this conversation is really going to stick with you. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Bharat Babies Highlights Foundation Storyteller Academy And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Colleen AF Venable (@colleenaf) and Ellen T. Crenshaw (@etcillustration) are the author and cartoonist, respectively, of KISS NUMBER 8, a "layered, funny, sharp-edged story of teen sexuality and family secrets". Identity, self-discovery, and safe places. This conversation and today's book take these three themes and weave them together to create something important, something timely, something needed. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Artwalks Bharat Babies Highlights Foundation Storyteller Academy And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

LeUyen Pham is the illustrator of over one hundred books for children. You have no doubt encountered Uyen's work, whether through the bestselling PRINCESS IN BLACK series written by Shannon and Dean Hale, Anne Marie Pace's VAMPIRINA BALLERINA series (which was adapted into a hit show on Disney), THE ITCHY BOOK (an Elephant & PIggie Presents title), STOP THAT YAWN! by Caron Levis, GRACE FOR PRESIDENT by Kelly DiPucchio, or any number of countless others. Uyen is constantly challenging and exploring her voice as an illustrator, giving each book its own unique look and feel in service of the story. We also talk at length about BEAR CAME ALONG, Uyen's upcoming picture book with Richard T. Morris. The conversation will leave you with a clear sense of how Uyen's approaches visually storytelling and how she continues to learn and grow as an artist. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Artwalks Bharat Babies Highlights Foundation Storyteller Academy And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Nic Stone (@getnicced) shares ODD ONE OUT, a young adult novel whose story centers on the dynamic between three friends: Courtney "Coop" Cooper, Jupiter "Jupe" Charity Sanchez, and Rae Chin. Their friendships to one another are complex, at times fragile, at times exciting, and always growing and expanding outward. ODD ONE OUT breaks the love triangle archetype to offer something more real, more vulnerable. And I latched so closely onto one of the character's experiences in the story that I ended up learning a bit about myself as well. And aren't those the best kinds of reading experiences? You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Artwalks Bharat Babies Highlights Foundation Storyteller Academy And to the generous support from our Patrons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message