Reach Out and Read

We're thankful to every person who reads aloud to a child. To mark this holiday devoted to giving thanks, we're bringing back an episode we recorded during the pandemic. We asked three children's authors — Traci Sorell, Ann Clare LeZotte, and Dr Sayantani DasGupta — to read aloud their own stories of gratitude, and we're grateful to share those stories with you again.

Reach Out and Read has commissioned and published its first children's book, Talk Baby Talk! In an effort to increase access to books that are representative of families from all races, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds, this book is reflective of Reach Out and Read's mission, which focuses on the parent/caregiver-child relationship through daily reading. We discuss with Alex Chu, Executive Director for Reach Out and Read Northeast, author Tricia Elam Walker, and illustrator Cbabi Bayoc, about where the idea for the book came from, how the book was crafted, and how it can help families in ways that other books may not.

Tyson Barker, Chief Science & Innovation Officer at the Institute for Child Success, discusses innovative research on early relational health. He contrasts traditional randomized trials with practical approaches that embed research in real settings. Tyson highlights the importance of balancing internal and external validity when scaling programs. He also explores caregiver-led care models, emphasizing the significance of creating trusting relationships between families and clinicians. The conversation dives into the challenges of maintaining program fidelity while adapting to cultural contexts.

Children's books should not only offer "windows and mirrors" into other cultures, races, and religions, but into a range of feelings and emotions. Craig Fehrman, author of a recent essay in The New York Times titled "Reading Sad Books Is Good for Your Kids", joins us to talk about the importance of creating, sharing, and discussing children's books that mix the "tragedy and joy that define great art and also real life.

Moving to a new country is a challenge for everyone, but especially so for children. New immigrants often face pressure to assimilate quickly — to 'dress like us' and talk 'like us' — and stop speaking the languages that 'don't make sense' to our ears. Young Vo, author of the new children's picture book "Gibberish", joins us to discuss these common tropes and says it's not the newcomer that's speaking "gibberish"; it's us.

"Think sideways" isn't just a catch phrase - applied thoughtfully, small changes in mindset and approach can have a big impact. Anthony Barrows, Managing Partner and Founder at the Center for Behavioral Design and Social Justice at Project Evident, joins us to share his research—informed often by his own life story—into how applied behavioral science can help us successfully solve big problems.

How hard could it be to translate a children's book — they are mostly pictures and so few words, after all? It's not so simple, it turns out. Daniel Hahn, a writer, editor, and literary translator who has translated hundreds of adult and children's books alike joins us to break down the artistry and nuance that goes into successfully translating children's picture books.

Dr. Marny Dunlap, a pediatric professor and medical director at Reach Out and Read Oklahoma, and Callee Boulware, regional director for the Carolinas, discuss groundbreaking findings from their impact study. They reveal how exposure to the program increases caregiver reading frequency and interactive behaviors with children. The conversation highlights surprising outcomes, such as strong clinician commitment and scalable implementation. They also touch on the link between early reading and mitigating toxic stress, emphasizing the need for continued investment in early literacy initiatives.

Everything in a fairy tale has already been lost. The fairy tale is where we go to find it again." Sabrina Orah Mark, author of the new book "Happily" and an award-winning writer and columnist for The Paris Review, joins us to talk about how fairy tales shape - and reflect - our reality in childhood, and beyond.

Illustrated children's books capture the imagination of children and adults alike like no other art form. Leonard Marcus, one of the world's preeminent authorities on children's books and their creators, joins us to talk about "the special nature of the illustrated children's book as a cultural enterprise that is at once rewarding art form, a bridge across cultures, and a ladder between generations."