The Children's Book Review: Growing Readers Podcast

This episode is brought to you by our guest, award-winning writer and filmmaker Chris Wieland. He's here to talk about his first book in the Kat Dylan Mysteries, The Crabtree Monsters. Chris is the father of two fierce children, including a tough, smart tween who helped him find the voice of his protagonist, Kat Dylan. He lives in Southern California with his family. Order copies of The Crabtree Monsters on Amazon. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review. Resources: For more information on the series, visit https://www.thesmartaleckpress.com. Discussion Topics: About The Crabtree Monsters A look at the character development of siblings Kat and Alec Dylan A talk through the funny moments in the book from pre-baby to parent The importance of having strong female characters for kids to identify with Rewriting a screenplay to become a middle-grade novel Inspiration from the family-adventure movies of the 80s Kat's resemblance to Ruth Langmore from Ozark How reading inspires and influences Chris Wieland's writing Great mystery writers Why kids love reading mystery books What's next for the Kat Dylan Mysteries

In this episode, I talk with your favorite author and illustrator, Bob Shea. We talk about many things, including the importance of reading for fun and his latest funny picture book, I Am a Baby. Bob Shea is the author, illustrator, or author-illustrator of many well-loved picture books and chapter books, including the Ballet Cat and Dinosaur vs. series as well as Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great; Unicorn Is Maybe Not So Great After All; Crash, Splash, Moo!; and Who Wet My Pants?, which was illustrated by Zacharia OHora. Bob Shea’s characters and animations have appeared on Nick Jr., Playhouse Disney, and PBS KIDS. He lives in Connecticut. Order copies of I Am a Baby on Bookshop.org or Amazon. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review. Resources: Visit Bob Shea at https://www.bobshea.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/bobsheabooks/. Chez Bob Who Wet My Pants Adurable: Little Pups in Big Trucks Ballet Cat Procreate Adobe Fresco Article from the Pew Research Center: Among many U.S. children, reading for fun has become less common, federal data shows. Discussion Topics: About I Want a Baby Bob Shea's reflections on being the parent of a baby A talk through the funny moments in the book from pre-baby to parent Can dads really sleep through anything? Behind the scenes on making art with Bob Shea Using Procreate to create children's book illustrations Tapping into the true essence of childhood What is Bob Shea working on now? Statistics on how many kids read for pleasure How to encourage kids to read A big secret is accidentally revealed Bob Shea's hopes for I Am a Baby.

In this episode, Bianca talks to the awesome duo Julio Torres and Julian Glander, creators of the picture book I Want to Be a Vase. With its themes of confidence and embracing one's true identity, this book makes for a dynamic and important conversation starter. Julio Torres is a comedian, the creator of the HBO special My Favorite Shapes, and has written for Saturday Night Live. He’s also one of the masterminds behind Los Espookys, HBO’s Spanish-language comedy about a group of horror enthusiasts. Julian Glander is  a 3D animator, designer, and illustrator. Mostly self-taught, he has created work for Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Adult Swim, and The New York Times. He is also the creator of the video game Art Sqool and the squishy comics collection 3D Sweeties.  Order copies of I Want to Be a Vase on Bookshop.org or Amazon. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review. Resources: Visit Julio Torres on Instagram @SpacePrinceJulio. Visit Julian Glander at Glander.co. HBO special My Favorite Shapes. Discussion Topics: About I Want to Be a Vase and how it came to be a book. Julio Torres talks about being who you want to be and bringing kids into this conversation. A discussion on Julian Glander's uncanny 3D artwork. Celebrating the uniqueness of others. Breaking the typical book character mold. Julio's path to becoming a comedian. Julian's path to becoming an animator. Guidance counselor humor. The difference between writing a Saturday Night Live sketch versus a children's book. Julio Torres and Julian Glander's hopes for I Want to Be a Vase.

In this episode, Bianca talks to WGA-winning and Emmy-nominated comedy writer Glenn Boozan about her picture book for adults that sheds some humor on parenting, There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent. Glenn Boozan's credits include Conan, Comedy Central’s Lights Out with David Spade, Sarah Silverman’s I Love You, America on Hulu, and TruTV’s Adam Ruins Everything. She lives in Los Angeles, a 30-minute drive from her mother, which apparently is still too far. Order copies of There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent on Bookshop.org or Amazon. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review. Resources: Visit Glenn Boozan here: https://www.instagram.com/glennboozan Sh*tty Mom by Laurie Kilmartin Discussion Topics: About There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent. How to become a comedy writer (Does a letter arrive at your door announcing you're a comedian?). How Glenn Boozan's sister inspired the original poem. The nasty little things that animal moms do to their offspring. Some things that some really famous comedians had to say about this book. Overcoming negative selftalk. Glenn Boozan's hopes for There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent.

In this episode, Bianca talks to two amazing guests about The Welcoming Library, an initiative that sparks conversations on immigration through the reading of picture books. It's a program led by the non-profit organization I'm Your Neighbor Books, so Bianca talks with Kirsten Cappy, who co-founded I'm Your Neighbor Books in 2012. She brings 20 years of experience using children's books and the companion tools she creates to increase curiosity, empathy, and cultural competency. Kirsten was named one of the Boston Globe's Everyday Heroes for her work on The Welcoming Library. Bianca first learned about I'm Your Neighbor Books and their signature project, The Welcoming Library, from our friends at AudioFile Magazine. Each month on The Children's Book Review, we feature a curated list of the best new audiobooks for kids, as selected by the editors at AudioFile. These lists are constantly blowing us away with the inclusion of incredible stories, diverse characters, and fantastic casts of voices and music. So, when the AudioFile team mentioned they are now a proud supporter of The Welcoming Library, Bianca wanted to learn more and share it with you. So also joining the conversation is AudioFile Magazine's editor and founder Robin Whitten. Robin is passionate about audiobooks and the magic of the listening experience.  Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review (coming soon). Resources: Visit The Welcoming Library website: https://imyourneighborbooks.org/welcoming-library/ The Welcoming Library audiobooks list: https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/lists/welcoming-audiobooks/ AudioFile Magazine on the audiobooks in the project: https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/articles/listen-to-welcome-listen-to-belong/ Visit the In Her Presence website: https://inherpresence.org/ Discussion Topics: About The Welcoming Library and the importance of sharing stories of immigration AudioFile Magazine's partnership with The Welcoming Library The Wonder audiobook format Survey statistics on reading stories of immigration The items you'll find in The Welcoming Library kit A discussion on the picture books featuring the experience of immigrants How to obtain a Welcoming Library kit How to donate to I'm Your Neighbor Books

In this episode, Bianca talks to Aaron Blabey, the #1 New York Times Bestselling Australian author with around 30 million books in print. He is also the co-executive producer of The Bad Guys movie by DreamWorks Animation and that’s what we’re here to talk about—the adaptation of the illustrated children's graphic novel series. The book series and the movie center around a gang of anthropomorphic animals known as the Bad Guys who attempt to perform good deeds to change society's perception of them as criminals, despite their efforts usually going wrong. Order copies of The Bad Guys on Bookshop.org or Amazon. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review. Resources: The Bad Guys official movie website. Watch The Bad Guys movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpDuBXB_glk&t=2s. Aaron Blabey's website. Order copies of Pig the Pug and Thelma the Unicorn Discussion Topics: About The Bad Guys movie and books. From the idea to the rise of The Bad Guys series. Adapting The Bad Guys books into a movie. Converting reluctant readers. The Bad Guys characters. Aaron Blabey's hopes for The Bad Guys movie and books.

In this episode, Bianca talks with New York Times bestselling author Shannon Hale about her new picture book, This Is Not For You, and the implications of applying genders to book—that's a girl book or that's a boy book. Shannon Hale is the author of over thirty children's and young adult novels, including graphic novel memoirs Real Friends and Best Friends, and multiple award winners The Goose Girl, Book of a Thousand Days, and Newbery Honor recipient Princess Academy. She also penned three books for adults, beginning with Austenland,  which is now a major motion picture starring Keri Russell. With her husband, Dean Hale, she co-wrote over a dozen books, such as the Eisner-nominated graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge and illustrated chapter book series The Princess in Black. They live with their four children near Salt Lake City, Utah. Order a copy of This Book Is Not For You on Bookshop.org, Amazon, or Audible. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review. Resources: https://shannonhale.com/ Real Friends Best Friends The Goose Girl Book of a Thousand Days Austenland Rapunzel's Revenge Marvel Unlimited Discussion Topics: About Shannon Hale About This Book Is Not For You The implications of applying genders to books How Shannon and Dean Hale foster a love of reading with their kids Writing the picture book This Book Is Not For You

In this episode, Bianca talks talk with bestselling author Gregory Maguire about his latest novel for kids, Cress Watercress. Gregory is the author of the incredibly popular books in the Wicked Years series, including Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which inspired the musical. He is also the author of several books for children, including What-the-Dickens, a New York Times bestseller, and Egg & Spoon, a New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year. He lives outside Boston. Order a copy of Cress Watercress on Bookshop.org, Amazon, or Audible. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review. Resources: https://gregorymaguire.com/ Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy Egg & Spoon https://www.davidlitchfieldillustration.com/ The Once and Future King The Sword in the Stone The Diamond in the Window The Wizard of Oz Wind in the Willows Harriet the Spy Discussion Topics: About Gregory Maguire About Cress Watercress The feelings and success of the Wicked Years series Writing for children versus adults The seed of the idea for Cress Watercress Exploring emotions in children's books with forest and woodland animals The character development of Cress Watercress: Lady Agatha Cabbage, Mama, and Cress Watercress Working with illustrator David Litchfield The books Gregory Maguire read as a child and the moment he identified as a reader Writing rituals and exercising the writing brain The literary parents Gregory Maguire would pick for himself—hint, it's not Virginia Woolf Gregory Maguire's hopes for Cress Watercress Chapter One: Cress Watercress (Audiobook sample used with permission from Recorded Books)

In this episode, Bianca talks with multi-award-winning illustrator and author David Litchfield about his artwork in Cress Watercress, a novel written by Gregory Maguire, the author of the incredibly popular books in the Wicked Years series, including Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which inspired the musical. David Litchfield started to draw when he was very young, creating comics for his older brother and sister. Since then his work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and books and on T-shirts. His first picture book, The Bear and the Piano won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. He is also the illustrator of Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and War Is Over by David Almond. David lives with his family in Bedford, England. Order a copy of Cress Watercress on Bookshop.org, Amazon, or Audible. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review. Resources: https://www.davidlitchfieldillustration.com/ https://gregorymaguire.com/ When the Sky Glows Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder Cosgrove Hall The Bright Agency Camberwell College of Art Easy Riders, Raging Bull by Peter Biskind Discussion Topics: About David Litchfield About Cress Watercress The influence of classic books, such as Wind in the WIllows The significance of using both dark and light artwork David Litchfield's creative process and character development The characters of Cress Watercress Staying motivated creating books for children Advice on becoming a children's book illustrator The art teacher and life moments that have inspired David Litchfield Writing for the middle middle-grade audience Identifying as a reader David Litchfield's hopes for Cress Watercress

In this episode, Bianca talks with the one and only John Schu about his debut picture book, This Is a School—a moving celebration of school and all it may signify: work and play,  creativity and trust, and a supportive community that extends beyond  walls John Schu is the creator of the popular blog Mr. Schu  Reads, was the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs, a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University,  and a former classroom teacher and school librarian. He has visited schools worldwide and has met with over 130,000 students,  teachers, and administrators as he advocates for the people and things he cares about most: kids, books, schools, and the libraries — and librarians — that connect them. This Is a School is his picture book debut. John Schu lives in Naperville, Illinois. Order a copy of This Is a School on Bookshop.org or Amazon. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review. Resources: https://www.johnschu.com/ http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/ The Gift of Story Scholastic Book Fairs Discussion Topics: About John Schu About This Is a School How school visits inspire John Schu Writing This Is a School The artwork of Veronica Miller Jamison The focus on community in This Is a School John Schu discusses his upcoming books and The Gift of Story The art of joy walking Does John Schu prefer being a teacher, librarian, or author? The books that John Schu read as a kid