The Children's Book Podcast

Alison Green Myers and George Brown are the Program Director and Executive Director, respectively, of the Highlights Foundation, a retreat center in the beautiful Pocono Mountains in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Each year, the Highlights Foundation offers more than 40 workshops covering a wide range of topics and offering encouragement for both beginning and published authors and illustrators. Workshops are led by children's publishing professionals, including editors, authors, art directors, publishers, agents, academics, and others who are there to help you realize your creative goals. I invited Alison and George onto the show to learn more about how the Highlights Foundation began, their role in supporting diverse and own voices, and where they'd like to lead the organization into the future. You can access even more information about this book and its author illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Veera Hiranandani is the author of THE NIGHT DIARY, a middle grade novel that takes place during the Partition of India in 1947. The story centers around Nisha, a 12-year-old girl who journals daily to her late mother. Nisha uses this channel to process the events going on around her, and to find her place among a country newly divided. Nisha is half-Muslim, half-Hindu, an as her family is forced to flee to the recently established Pakistan she encounters a world turned upside-down as she, her twin brother, her father, and grandmother make the plight north. You can access even more information about this book and its author illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Jewell Parker Rhodes is the best-selling author of NINTH WARD and TOWERS FALLING. In GHOST BOYS, her newest middle grade novel, Jewell shares a beautiful and devastating story about a young black boy killed by a police officer. About writing the story, Jewell says "I wasn't sure I was going to make it through." Jewell writes with great strength, conviction, and love, leaving an undeniable story through which readers of all ages, colors, and backgrounds can connect. You can access even more information about this book and its author illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Juana Martinez-Neal makes her picture book debut as both author and illustrator in ALMA AND HOW SHE GOT HER NAME, a story that carries with it a simple and sincere message: everybody has a name, and every name has a story behind it. Juana talks about not have the distance from her own story to maintain a more autobiographical focus, and yet in turning her gaze to the fictional Alma she opens up the story to be that much more universal. You can access even more information about this book and its author illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Megan McDonald is the best-selling author of the JUDY MOODY series which see's the release of it's 14th book this month in JUDY MOODY AND THE RIGHT ROYAL TEA PARTY. Megan talks about how she came to know Judy and how, through exploring stories from her own childhood as the youngest of five daughters, Judy came to be in the format we know her from today. You can access even more information about this book and its author illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Samantha Berger is the best-selling picture book author of CRANKENSTEIN, SNOOZEFEST, and MARTHA DOESN'T SAY SORRY. Mike Curato is the author illustrator of the LITTLE ELLIOT series, and the illustrator of WORM LOVES WORM by JJ Austrian and ALL THE WAY TO HAVANA by Margarita Engle. They first picture book together is called WHAT IF... and it publishes on April 10, 2018. Sam and Mike are no strangers to this podcast, and I learn something new each time I talk to them. Today our conversation illuminated turning pain into art, the indomitable triumph of the human spirit and creativity, but one of the things I valued most was the emphasis on the truth that nothing can take away from you, who you are, and what you have to say. You can access even more information about this book and its author illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Ben Clanton is the author illustrator of PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY, the newest book in his NARWHAL AND JELLY graphic novel series. In this newest installment Narwhal breaks his meal routine of all waffles all the time in order to try a new treat at Jelly's suggestion with hilarious results. This series is hilarious and one of the things I love most about these books has been the opportunity to read them aloud with my 7-year-old son. They never fail to crack us up. There's a scene in this new book that we also connected over: Jelly hesitates to give Narwhal a peanut butter cookie without first making sure that Narwhal isn't allergic. Like many kids, my son has a peanut allergy. The way that Ben handled this scene and empowered Narwhal's friend as a source of concern and protection was something that really spoke to us both. You can access even more information about this book and its author illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Vesper Stamper is the author illustrator of WHAT THE NIGHT SINGS, a lushly illustrated novel about a teen Holocaust survivor, who must come to terms with who she is and how to rebuild her life. The question driving Vesper's writing was this: How do people subjected to unfathomable tragedy not just survive, but go on to thrive? The human spirit is a curious and, at times, unbreakable thing. Stories of strength and survival are always garnering our attention, but amid all of that I found this story to be doing something new to me. And that is that it followed survivors from the moment they grasped hold of their freedom through the months and years of tragedy, wartime fallout, and family up-ending to follow. This is a story that I hope you'll read and discuss and share. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Maria Dismondy is the author of THE FRUIT SALAD FRIEND and founder of Cardinal Rule Press, an independent publishing company. Maria's newest picture book addresses the notion that people are not always kind, but surrounding yourself with friends who are kind and trustworthy can go a long way. It's a story I'd guess Maria has lived a number of times throughout her life. I admire Maria for the work she's done to bring such positive and empowering stories to our young readers, and to do so over years of hard work, research, and assembling a noteworthy team. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message

Baptiste Paul and Jacqueline Alcántara are the author and illustrator of THE FIELD, a picture book about pick-up game of soccer in a village in St. Lucia that could be any pick-up game in any town with any kids. It's Baptiste's debut as a picture book author and Jackie's debut as a picture book illustrator. What stories and storied backgrounds each bring to THE FIELD will enrich your experience with this beautiful book even more so, and so it's my pleasure to bring this conversation to you. You can access even more information about this book and its author and illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/childrens-book-podcast/message