Reach Out and Read

Dr. Monica Altman, a leading pediatrician at Tufts, and award-winning author Sally J. Pla explore the transformative power of reading for children with developmental differences. They discuss practical strategies for adapting stories for sensory impairments and how reading fosters deeper family connections. Sally shares her insights on authentically portraying neurodiverse characters and emphasizes the importance of balance in representation. Together, they highlight the significance of empathy and understanding in both storytelling and nurturing young readers.

Military families face situations that pose distinctive social and emotional challenges to the health and wellbeing of their children. First, AAP President Dr Lee Beers draws on her own past experiences in caring for military families and shares her approaches. Then the Kikta family joins us to share their personal, direct experience of how reading together helped them and their four children through multiple deployments.

We know reading aloud with children matters. But whether you're experienced at it or if you're not sure how to read well with young children, we can all learn from Dr. Andrea Zevenbergen. She joins us to break down the concept of Dialogic Reading, and offers advice on how to model, coach, and help offer effective guidance.

Philanthropy touches our lives on a daily basis, but the decision-making process by those who hold the so-called 'purse strings' can be seemingly shrouded in secrecy. We talked to Dr. Katie Beckmann from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Ira Hillman from the Einhorn Collaborative, who took us behind the scenes to help demystify the world of philanthropy.

Technology has been an indispensable tool during the pandemic, but how has the massive shift to an almost exclusively online life affected children? Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy, and Dr. Jenny Radesky, a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician and author of notable American Academy of Pediatrics statements on digital media, join us for a thoughtful, considered conversation on how to navigate this world.

An antidote to distraction in the modern age? A way to build better brains through books? Or simply a treasured memory of childhood — and parenting? We discuss all these aspects of shared reading aloud with Meghan Cox Gurdon, the children's book reviewer for The Wall Street Journal, and author of "The Enchanted Hour".

One might think that investing in programs that meaningfully support children, families, and early learning can't possibly survive the "red tape" of government bureaucracy. But when the right people with the right focus are involved, innovative and creative approaches can become a reality. This week, we talk to Dr Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr Elizabeth Erickson, Medical Director of Family Connect - Durham about North Carolina's use of federal Health Service Initiative funding to expand early literacy programming.

Can you imagine reading aloud for an incredible 3,218 nights in a row? Alice Ozma, author of "The Reading Promise", and her father Jim Brozina, a children's librarian, join us to talk about their remarkable adventure doing exactly this, lovingly known as "The Streak". In the second half of the show, actor Kyliegh Curran has a special read-aloud treat for us, perfect for this festive season.

Jason Reynolds, novelist, poet, and the Library of Congress's National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, joins us in a far-ranging, sublime, and deeply honest conversation about the power of imagination, literature, and storytelling to allow America's youth to grow, to strive, and to reverse the ills of racism and beyond.

Reading aloud brings people together, and we thank every person who reads aloud to a child. To mark this holiday devoted to giving thanks, we asked three children's authors — Traci Sorell, Ann Clare LeZotte, and Dr Sayantani DasGupta — to read aloud their own stories of gratitude.