New Books in Children's Literature

Bea Birdsong is the internationally-celebrated author of I Will Be Fierce! (illustrated by Nidhi Chanani), Sam’s First Word (illustrated by Holly Hatam), and How to Spot a Best Friend (illustrated by Lucy Fleming), In this, our second conversation, we celebrate her new interactive picture book (illustrated by Linzie Hunter) Boop! (HarperCollins, 2023). We talk about the pros and cons of writing fiction for children, and Bea provides sage advice for aspiring authors.Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An autistic mom of three autistic kids, Dr. Jen Malia is the author of the children’s chapter book series The Infinity Rainbow Club and the picture book Too Sticky! Sensory Issues with Autism. Jen is Professor of English and Creative Writing Coordinator at Norfolk State University. She has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Southern California. We talk about her books, and her advocacy to discuss neurodivergence in children's literature.Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liza Fleissig, with her partner Ginger Harris-Dontzin, opened the Liza Royce Agency (LRA) in early 2011. From picture books through adult projects, fiction and non-fiction, LRA welcomes strong voices and plot driven works.In our animated and exciting conversation Liza and I discuss her career, some of the books she has sold recently, her advice for aspiring authors, and her thoughts about the role of the literary agent.Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda Hall has been a children’s book illustrator since the mid-1980s, with some fifty books published in 26 countries. After a period in London and abroad, she returned to live in Cambridge, England, where she had trained. In our animated interview, we discuss the recent book (by Jennifer Berne) which she illustrated, How the Sea Came to Be (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2023) her life (starting with the magical thatched hut she grew up in) and career as a leading illustrator of children's books.Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melissa Stewart has written more than 200 science-themed nonfiction books for children, including the Sibert Medal Honoree Summertime Sleepers: Animals that Estivate, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen. In our interview, we celebrate the launch of her wonderful new book Thank You, Moon: Celebrating Nature’s Nightlight (Knopf, 2023), illustrated by Jessica Lanan. We also talk about her advocacy for more children's books on non-fiction, alongside their fiction 'cousins'.Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A wonderful interview with Kristen Daniels, Executive Director of Bernie's Book Bank. Since 2009, Bernie's Book Bank has provided 24 million books free of charge to children in the Chicago area. In our conversation, Kristen talks about what they do, how they do it, and how we can help out with this incredible initiative. Before joining Bernie’s Book Bank, Kristen held a variety of leadership roles at non-profits including Clearbrook, YMCA and USA Swimming Foundation.Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julie Hedlund is back as our guest on New Books Network to talk about her brand new picture book, Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews published on Sept 5th by Little Bee Books. It recounts, with love and lyricism, Julie Andrew's childhood leading to her breakthrough as a young teenager. Julie shares the story of how the book came to be, as well as her thoughts and advice on the challenges of becoming a published children's book author.Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mónica Mancillas authors books for children of all ages, as well as adult fiction. In our lively interview, Mónica discusses two of her picture books that launched during the summer: How to Speak in Spanglish (Penguin Workshop, 2023) and The Worry Balloon (Roaring Brook Press, 2023). Monica received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley before pursuing a decade-long career in the recording industry, followed by her rapid rise as a highly successful children's author.. She currently teaches piano in Burbank, California, where she resides with her husband and daughter.The interview ends with a surprise duet - Don't miss it!Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Born in Hong Kong and raised in Philadelphia, Jannie Ho is the illustrator of the early reader graphic novel Fry Guys (Andrews McMeel Publishing, launching September 26, 2023) written by Eric Geron, which will launch in just a few days. She is also the author/illustrator of Happy Chinese New Year, A Festive Counting Story, Bear and Chicken, and The Lost Mitten. Jannie is the creator of the comic Super Chicken and Shelly, which is a regular feature in Highlights for Children's High Five Magazine. She lives in the greater Boston area with her family. We discuss her childhood journey from Hong Kong to Philadelphia and her professional journey as a children's author and illustrator.Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Leventhal is the publisher of Green Bean Books, which focuses on Jewish children’s books. He is author of The Chocolate King and co-author of Jews in Britain, After twenty years publishing military history books, he wanted to try something new and work on books that his own young children would enjoy reading. In our interview we discuss Michael's journey towards become a successful kidlit publisher and his advice for prospective authors (yes, he is looking for manuscripts, written by anybody, but with a Jewish angle). Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices