The Children's Book Podcast
763 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago -Exploring big ideas and the way that stories can help us feel seen, understood, and valued. The Children's Book Podcast features insightful and sincere interviews with authors, illustrators, and everyone involved in taking a book from drawing board to bookshelf. Hosted by a teacher and school librarian, each episode seeks to connect kids and listeners of all ages to powerful, impactful, and lasting stories, and the people who tell them.
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Episodes
(Worth Noting) The 20th Anniversary of the September 11 Attacks
September 10, 2021 07:00 - 10 minutes - 9.76 MBTwenty years ago, on September 11, 2001, a major event happened in the United States in New York City, the effects of which we are still confronting today. That event is Worth Noting. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message
The 20th Anniversary of the September 11 Attacks
September 10, 2021 07:00 - 10 minutes - 9.76 MBTwenty years ago, on September 11, 2001, a major event happened in the United States in New York City, the effects of which we are still confronting today. That event is Worth Noting.
At the 2020 Paralympics
September 03, 2021 07:00 - 8 minutes - 8.18 MBThe 2020 Paralympics are currently underway in Tokyo, following the 2020 Olympic Games. What sets the Paralympic Games and their athletes apart from the Olympic games? The answer is Worth Noting.
(Worth Noting) At the 2020 Paralympics
September 03, 2021 07:00 - 8 minutes - 8.18 MBThe 2020 Paralympics are currently underway in Tokyo, following the 2020 Olympic Games. What sets the Paralympic Games and their athletes apart from the Olympic games? The answer is Worth Noting. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message
Rethinking Mascots
August 27, 2021 07:00 - 9 minutes - 8.87 MBThe Cleveland baseball team, known for over a century as the Indians, is getting a name change for the 2022 season. The reason behind the decision is Worth Noting.
(Worth Noting) Rethinking Mascots
August 27, 2021 07:00 - 9 minutes - 8.87 MBThe Cleveland baseball team, known for over a century as the Indians, is getting a name change for the 2022 season. The reason behind the decision is Worth Noting. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message
Climate Change Forcing Tribal Relocation
August 20, 2021 07:00 - 9 minutes - 8.75 MBRising sea levels are affecting tens of thousands of lives along the coasts across the globe. How is climate change impacting the people of the Quinault Indian Nation, located on land now called the state of Washington, and other tribes along the coast? The answer is Worth Noting.
(Worth Noting) Climate Change Forcing Tribal Relocation
August 20, 2021 07:00 - 9 minutes - 8.75 MBRising sea levels are affecting tens of thousands of lives along the coasts across the globe. How is climate change impacting the people of the Quinault Indian Nation, located on land now called the state of Washington, and other tribes along the coast? The answer is Worth Noting. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message
Not In My Class
August 13, 2021 07:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBIt’s back-to-school season for many of the nation’s 73 million children, but in Texas—and in other parts of the country—what’s being taught in the classroom about our nation’s history is under question. What’s being left out and why? The answer is Worth Noting.
(Worth Noting) Not In My Class
August 13, 2021 07:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBIt’s back-to-school season for many of the nation’s 73 million children, but in Texas—and in other parts of the country—what’s being taught in the classroom about our nation’s history is under question. What’s being left out and why? The answer is Worth Noting. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message
(Worth Noting) Simone Biles, GOAT
August 06, 2021 07:00 - 10 minutes - 9.97 MBThe rhinestone-emblazoned leotard worn by Simone Biles boasts GOAT, greatest of all time, and if you have any doubt about the 24-year-old gymnast or the path that led her to where she stands today, well, stick around because it’s Worth Noting. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message
Simone Biles, GOAT
August 06, 2021 07:00 - 10 minutes - 9.97 MBThe rhinestone-emblazoned leotard worn by Simone Biles boasts GOAT, greatest of all time, and if you have any doubt about the 24-year-old gymnast or the path that led her to where she stands today, well, stick around because it’s Worth Noting.
Introducing Worth Noting
July 25, 2021 07:00 - 48 seconds - 762 KBIntroducing Worth Noting, a kids podcast about current events. Join me, Matthew Winner, each week for a look at what’s going on in the world and how it impacts you and others. From scientific breakthroughs to historic achievements. From political upheaval to social justice.
(Worth Noting) Introducing Worth Noting
July 25, 2021 07:00 - 49 seconds - 762 KBIntroducing Worth Noting, a kids podcast about current events. Join me, Matthew Winner, each week for a look at what’s going on in the world and how it impacts you and others. From scientific breakthroughs to historic achievements. From political upheaval to social justice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message
BONUS: Swimming Caps for All
July 22, 2021 12:26 - 13 minutes - 12 MBThis bonus episode is presented by A Kids Podcast About. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message
BONUS: Evelyn Talks About Sexual Abuse
April 19, 2021 13:36 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBEvelyn Yang, author of A Kids Book About Sexual Abuse, talks in the newest episode of A Kids Book About: The Podcast about speaking up in any situation that makes you feel uncomfortable. In it, I also tell my abuse story for the first time with my voice on a public and recorded forum. I know that many, too many of you were also affected by sexual abuse. I want to give you some of my strength. I also want others to know how you can help to give strength to all of us victims and survivors. Beca...
We'll Be Back
April 08, 2021 07:00 - 4 minutes - 3.86 MBThis is the Children’s Book Podcast. I’m Matthew Winner. Your host, guide, and companion. I started this podcast in July of 2013 and have since published over 700 episodes on this RSS feed. I’ve spoken with authors, illustrators, editors, agents, publishers, librarians, booksellers, kids, and fans. But the one thing I’ve never done in these past 8 years is take a break. And so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’ve learned over so many years that I find it quite natural to put others needs...
Carole Boston Weatherford - Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
April 05, 2021 07:00 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBToday, with a full and grateful heart, I am welcoming back to the podcast Carole Boston Weatherford, author of Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. May 31st, 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Tulsa Race Massacre, a horrific event that devastated the wealthiest African American community in the entire nation. What provoked the event, beyond that elevator ride where Dick Rowland, and African American teen, either stumbled or stepped on the foot o...
Ilyasah Shabazz - The Awakening of Malcolm X
April 01, 2021 07:00 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBToday I am joined by Ilyasah Shabazz, author of The Awakening of Malcolm X, written with Tiffany D. Jackson. Bryan Stevenson said “We are all more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” And yet our criminal justice system might have us thinking otherwise. Ilyasah illuminates the humanity of inmates while also discovering the truth about who Malcolm is in this exceptional young adult novel. I myself listened to the audiobook adaptation and highly recommended it as well. There is so much in thi...
Jason June and Lori Richmond - Porcupine Cupid
March 29, 2021 07:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBJason June and Lori Richmond share Porcupine Cupid. Jason June talks of the magic we create when we’re connected and this story laces that magic throughout. Much like Porcupine Cupid, Jason June is in love with love and works throughout this story to ensure not to define what it means to be in love. Lori’s illustrations are laced with love and hearts and connection throughout and it was just so wonderful to be in conversation with them both, I never wanted it to end. Get a copy of this book a...
Archaa Shrivastav - We Are Little Feminists: Families
March 25, 2021 07:00 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBArchaa Shrivastav is the author of Families, Hair, and On-The-Go, three delightful board books in the We Are Little Feminists series. And We Are Little Feminists: Families is the 2021 recipient of the Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award. This is an award given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience and the committee made history ...
Soyeon Kim - Once Upon an Hour
March 22, 2021 07:00 - 40 minutes - 37 MBToday I’m welcoming to the podcast by Soyeon Kim, illustrator of Once Upon an Hour, Sukaq and the Raven, You are Never Alone, and A Last Goodbye. Soyeon’s diorama illustrations are unlike anything I’ve seen before in picture books, each built within a wooden frame with individual components illustrated, cut out, and then suspended with fishing line. It’s breathtaking and whimsical, and when we’re all able to travel again I am making it a priority to see her art in person. I think you’ll want ...
Melissa Stewart - Ick! Delightfully Disgusting Animal Dinners, Dwellings, and Defenses
March 18, 2021 07:00 - 46 minutes - 42.1 MBMelissa Stewart, the author of Ick!: Delightfully Disgusting Animal Dinners, Dwellings, and Defenses and the editor of Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep. Melissa is an unwavering advocate for nonfiction in all places, whether that is at storytimes, in classroom instruction, on book lists, or wherever will make space for it. And whenever she talks nonfiction advocacy, I am here for it. Get a copy of this book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Suppo...
Eric Gansworth - Apple (Skin to the Core)
March 15, 2021 07:00 - 38 minutes - 34.8 MBEric Gansworth shares Apple (Skin to the Core). Eric’s memoir in pictures and verse is also an exceptional audiobook which Eric reads himself. It’s a privilege for me to bring you this conversation today. Get a copy of this book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/matthewcwinner or on Paypal at paypal.me/childrensbkpod --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message
Jordan Scott and Sydney Smith - I Talk Like a River
March 11, 2021 08:00 - 53 minutes - 49.2 MBJordan Scott and Sydney Smith share I Talk Like a River, a most exceptional picture book by two most exceptional individuals. If you have not yet come to know I Talk Like a River, I can think of no better place to start. So I will leave you with three thoughts shared with me in this conversation by Jordan and Sydney that I think deserve being heard over and over. #1: Stuttering makes language visible. #2: The production of speech is a physical act. And #3: The idea of fluency is kind of ficti...
Ilima Loomis and Kenard Pak - Ohana Means Family
March 08, 2021 08:00 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBIlima Loomis and Kenard Pak share Ohana Means Family. Poi is an important and traditional food to native Hawaiian islanders, made from taro, and in this building rhyme story a family prepares the poi for their ohana's luau. Many stories have employed the structure of “The House That Jack Built” in order to tell a cumulative story, but the format serves this book especially well alongside Pak’s illustrations to celebrate a food, an island nation, a family, and a tradition. I hope you’re able t...
Duncan Tonatiuh - Feather Serpent and the Five Suns
March 03, 2021 08:00 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBDuncan Tonatiuh shares Feather Serpent and the Five Suns, a creation story using Duncan’s iconic pre-Columbian Meso-American-influenced art style that takes readers into the depths of Mictlān, the underworld of Axtec mythology. It’s an epic story, and hearing Duncan tell it is testament to how strongly these influences move Duncan’s hands to create such wonderful stories. Get a copy of this book and support independent bookstores (and this podcast) by visiting our BookShop Store. Support us o...
Raúl The Third - ¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat
March 01, 2021 23:11 - 36 minutes - 33.4 MBRaúl The Third is no stranger to the podcast, but the books he brings to share today are easily some of my favorite work he’s done yet. ¡Vamos! Let's Go to the Market and ¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat are the first in a multi-book and multi-format series which includes picture books, easy readers, and board books. Raúl’s world-building is truly mind-blowing. Every character feels important. Every character matters, regardless of their role in the main story. It’s a universe I think many, many readers ...
Monique Gray Smith and Nicole Neidhardt - When We Are Kind
February 26, 2021 08:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBMonique Gray Smith and Nicole Neidhardt share WHEN WE ARE KIND. This book is a beautiful rumination on what it feels like when we are kind and when someone or something is kind to us. Monique talks about kindness as a salve and the relationality and connection we have to one another and to the earth comes across powerfully and, in moments, disarmingly as Nicole brings representation of all types of families and family structures throughout the art. It’s a centering of diversity and the vibran...
Shane W. Evans - My Friend!
February 23, 2021 08:00 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBShane W. Evans shares shares MY FRIEND!, his latest picture book with his best pal Taye Diggs. This book has such terrific rhythmic language, made only greater by Shane’s beautiful and evocative color blocking throughout the art. One of my most favorite things Shane shared in our conversation was how he is constantly working to stay aware of the child in him. It’s so clear as I read Shane’s art. Truly, one only needs to spend a moment with one of Shane’s books to hear that voice and that valu...
Lulu Delacre - Luci Soars
February 19, 2021 08:00 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBLulu Delacre shares LUCI SOARS. Lulu and I have been talking about recording a podcast for a long while now, but I’ve got to say that LUCI SOARS was the very perfect book to bring us together. This beautiful picture book about a girl without a shadow speaks to discovering yourself and your voice. Lulu’s talks about how easy it is to be overcome by your difference, but that you find power by changing the way you look at things. We also get the chance to talk about her RAFI AND ROSI easy reader...
David Levithan - The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as Told to His Brother)
February 16, 2021 08:00 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MBDavid Levithan shares THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF AIDAN S. (AS TOLD TO HIS BROTHER). It’s David’s middle grade debut and the premise rests on what it means to tell your truth and what it means for someone to believe you. Aiden disappears and is missing for six days before suddenly being discovered in the attic of his house by his younger brother. The attic was searched multiple times, and yet here he is. Stranger still, Aiden mumbles something about visiting another world and Lucas, his b...
The 2021 Sydney Taylor Book Awards
February 12, 2021 08:00 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MBToday’s episode is produced in partnership with the Association of Jewish Libraries as we celebrate the winners of the 2021 Sydney Taylor Book Award, recognizing outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. Let’s first hear more about the award. Please welcome back Rebecca Levitan, the Chair of the 2021 Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. The Sydney Taylor Book Award recognizes outstanding books in three categories: picture books, middle grade, a...
Nikki Grimes - Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance
February 09, 2021 08:00 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBNikki Grimes, poet author and longtime friend of the podcast, shares LEGACY: WOMEN POETS OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE. Nikki’s new book showcases poems from the Harlem Renaissance written by Black women. Each poem is then followed by a Golden Shovel poem written by Nikki in response to the original. The Golden Shovel poetic form, created by Terrance Hayes and described to readers by Nikki, “calls poets to take a short poem in its entirety, or a line from the poem, called a striking line, and to ...
Vincent X. Kirsch - From Archie to Zack
February 02, 2021 03:00 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBVincent X. Kirsch shares FROM ARCHIE TO ZACK. I feel the need to be completely frank with you here. There are so many wonderful picture books out there and so many great stories of boys crushing on girls and girls crushing on boys. Some flirt with using the word “love”. Many embrace the innocent, complicated, and wholly earnest feelings we feel at a young age toward those who, often for reasons inexplicable, become the objects of our affections. But very rarely do we ever see books where a gi...
Peter Sís - Nicky & Vera
January 29, 2021 03:00 - 49 minutes - 45 MBPeter Sís shares NICKY & VERA: The Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued. Peter has had a storied career in children’s literature with many, many beloved books on many, many library shelves throughout the world. But today Peter brings to us a book that’s been with him his whole life. And it’s all centered around a single question: How does one do good things in life? You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. ...
Anastasia Higginbotham - What You Don't Know
January 26, 2021 03:00 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBAnastasia Higginbotham shares WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW: A Story of Liberated Childhood. It wasn’t that long ago that Anastasia joined me on the podcast to talk about NOT MY IDEA: A Book About Whiteness. Anastasia gets right to the heart of conversations, always working to secure the dignity, humanity, and power of her readers, our children. She talks about kids being raised by people who know what the world is and, in the process, how it feels to sweat every detail in crafting a story of liberated...
Natasha Yim - Luna's Yum Yum Dim Sum
January 19, 2021 03:00 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBNatasha Yim shares LUNA’s YUM YUM DIM SUM, a new picture book written by Natasha and illustrated by Violet Kim. Natasha talks about being invited to submit a story for the Storytelling Math series for Charlesbridge, which includes titles by Grace Lin, Sara Levine, and Ana Crespo. She started with an idea to set the story in a Chinese restaurant and asked herself the question, “Is being equitable the same as being fair?” The result was a fun and engaging sibling story over how to fairly divide...
Jackie Azúa Kramer and Cindy Derby - The Boy and the Gorilla
January 15, 2021 03:00 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBJackie Azua Kramer and Cindy Derby share THE BOY AND THE GORILLA, a book about a difficult topic, and one handled with great grace and care. It’s a story that addresses the “800 pound gorilla in the room” while walking the reader down a path to healing. You have no doubt faced grief in your life, listener. This story invites us to start with answers and find the questions. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/blog. Get a copy o...
Susan Kusel and Sean Rubin - The Passover Guest
January 12, 2021 01:06 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBSusan Kusel and Sean Rubin share THE PASSOVER GUEST, a new picture book that takes place in Depression-era DC and follows a young girl named Muriel home from the Tidal Basin to her parent’s empty table side on the evening of Passover. On her way home Muriel meets a strange magician who encourages her to hurry home. What miracle awaits for her and her family causes Muriel to run out and seek the rabbi in order to ask if they could proceed with the astonishing meal. The book is beautifully illu...
Yesenia Moises - Stella's Stellar Hair
January 05, 2021 01:48 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBYesenia Moises shares STELLA’s STELLAR HAIR, her debut picture book as both author and illustrator. There has been a surge of wonderful picture books featuring Black girls and boys and centering on hair thanks, in part, to the natural hair movement. Yesenia takes the topic interplanetary with, in her words, “big hair and bright colors”. The story is inspired by Yesenia’s own hair journey and centers on Stella, a young girl preparing for the Big Star Little Gala who visits her aunts on each of...
Lamar Giles - The Legendary Alston Boys Adventures
January 01, 2021 03:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBLamar Giles shares the LEGENDARY ALSTON BOYS ADVENTURES and THE LAST MIRROR ON THE LEFT, the most recent book in the series. I connected hard with the Alston Boys and am all-in for every page turn with Otto and Sheed and the memorable cast of characters that seem to threaten the very existence of time itself at every turn. Each book passes at breakneck speed and the stories, akin to what would happen if The Hardy Boys series crashed into The Phantom Tollbooth, remind readers that the small th...
Michelle Meadows and Ebony Glenn - Flying High
December 29, 2020 16:45 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBMichelle Meadows and Ebony Glenn share FLYING HIGH: THE STORY OF GYMNASTICS CHAMPION SIMONE BILES. Michelle’s skill at crafting detailed and engaging biographies for the very young in rhythmic, rhyming text is perfectly paired with Ebony’s caring touch in bringing important individuals and their lives to life on the page. Michelle talks in our conversation about the music of language and how Simone Biles was, as Michelle puts it, an individual whom you could not help but look at as she took t...
Cathy Camper - Ten Ways to Hear Snow
December 22, 2020 03:00 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBCathy Camper shares TEN WAYS TO HEAR SNOW, her debut picture book illustrated by Kenard Pak. A child named Lina heads out across a newly snow-laden neighborhood to visit her grandmother at an assisted living home and notes the sounds of snow along the way. Lina prepares grape leaves with her grandmother, as is a tradition and bond in their relationship, but her grandmother is also losing her eyesight, and so the child wants to make sure she collects as much of the snow through memory or exper...
Victoria Bond - Zora & Me: The Summoner
December 18, 2020 03:00 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBVictoria Bond shares ZORA & ME: THE SUMMONER, the 3rd and final book in the ZORA & ME trilogy, co-authored by T.R. Simon and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. Victoria shares about starting with children at their beginnings because, as she puts it, there’s “no better time to meet a reader than at the very beginning.” The books in the ZORA & ME series center on the imagined childhood of Harlem Renaissance luminary Zora Neal Hurston, author of THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD. Each of the nov...
Meg Medina - Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away
December 15, 2020 03:00 - 37 minutes - 34.8 MBMeg Medina shares EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY, illustrated by Sonia Sanchez. Meg has written many, many beautiful books, but this latest picture book is one that really moved me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. In EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY we meet two friends making the very most of their last playdate together. It’s every bit as wonderful as you could imagine, beautifully rendered in illustrations by Sonia Sanchez. The pang of falling in best friend love only to have to say goodbye is a...
KA Holt - BenBee and the Teacher Griefer
December 08, 2020 03:00 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBKA Holt shares BENBEE AND THE TEACHER GRIEFER. KA’s first book in the KIDS UNDER THE STAIRS series introduces readers to Ben B., Ben Y., Javier, and Jordan, four children forced to take a summer school class in order to improve their scores on the state assessment. It’s a story about learning how to exist together and also one about learning how not to censor yourself. KA pours a lot of heart into this story in order to bring us close to a group of kids who, in my opinion, don’t get seen ofte...
Marilyn Singer - Ways To Say I Love You
December 04, 2020 03:00 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBMarilyn Singer shares WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU, illustrated by Alette Straathof. WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU is a beautiful, inclusive story about animals courting and finding their mate. And it's about humans doing the same. Do you know that experience of picking up a book unsure of what to expect, only to end up talking and talking and talking to your friend about it? And all the while your friend says “I know, right? I KNOW, right?!” Well, WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU happens to be one of those books t...
Wendell Minor - Southwest Sunrise
December 01, 2020 00:44 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBWendell Minor shares SOUTHWEST SUNRISE, a new picture book written by Nikki Grimes. Wendell has worked on many widely recognized books and is a longtime collaborator with several prolific authors, including Jean Craighead George, author of JULIE AND THE WOLVES, Robert Burleigh, author of TINY BIRD: A HUMMINGBIRD’S AMAZING JOURNEY, and Brenda Peterson, author of WILD ORCA. What Wendell brings to SOUTHWEST SUNRISE is a lifetime of experience as an artist and as a resident of the world and of na...
Christopher Paul Curtis - The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963
November 24, 2020 03:00 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBChristopher Paul Curtis shares THE WATSON GO TO BIRMINGHAM - 1963, celebrating its 25th anniversary. Christopher Paul Curtis is the author of many widely-loved and critically-acclaimed books including BUD, NOT BUDDY (Newbery winner and the Coretta Scott King winner), THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM - 1963 (Newbery honor and Coretta Scott King honor), and ELIJAH OF BUXTON (Newbery honor and Coretta Scott King winner). THE WATSON GO TO BIRMINGHAM - 1963 was Christopher’s debut middle grade novel. ...