Art, Ghosts, and Growing Up Creative
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this inspiring episode of Reading With Your Kids, we celebrate creativity from two powerful angles: art education and graphic novels. First, Jed chats with Matt Ross, founder and CEO of One River School and former CEO of School of Rock. Matt shares how he saw a gap in arts education—no “cool” art schools that celebrated living artists—and decided to build something new. One River School now has 15 locations across six states, offering project-based classes where kids and adults can start anytime, have fun, and slowly build real skills without the pressure of perfection. Matt and Jed...
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What Kids Can Learn from The Most Vertical Woman in the World
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this inspiring episode of Reading With Your Kids, we begin with a short tribute to Jane Yolen, beloved former guest and legendary author of more than 400 children’s books, whose stories have touched generations of young readers and their families. Then we blast off—literally—with our guest, Dr. Kathy Sullivan, often called the most vertical woman in the world. Dr. Kathy is the first American woman to walk in space and the first woman and first certified oceanographer to dive to the Challenger Deep, the deepest place in the world’s oceans. Jed and Dr. Kathy talk about courage,...
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Otter Space, Inner Space: Helping Kids Talk About Belonging with Jen De Oliveira
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed Doherty welcomes back Jen De Oliveira to celebrate her early reader graphic novel, Pip and Pals Otter Space. Jen shares how Pip, a river otter, went through many iterations—from the youngest of three siblings, to a tinkering kid with a “fix-it” dad, to the green-furred “space otter” readers meet today. Guided (and sometimes challenged) by her editor Esther Hernandez, Jen describes the emotional roller coaster of being told a story “isn’t quite working” and having to return to the sketchbook to discover something better. Jen...
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From Grief to Growth: Dr. Korie Leigh and Emily Gatto on Helping Kids Cope
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this powerful episode of Reading With Your Kids, we’re shining a gentle, hopeful light on some of the hardest moments families face—grief, loss, anxiety, and big feelings—and how books can help us navigate them together. First, Jed talks with Dr. Korie Leigh, a thanatologist (an expert in death, dying, grief, and loss) and author of “When Everything Changes: Parenting Through Loss and Grief.” Korie explains that grief isn’t just about death; kids grieve through divorce, incarceration, deportation, climate disasters, illness, pet loss, and ambiguous losses when someone is missing...
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Faith, Emotional Abuse & Hopeful Stories
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two fantastic creators who show how books can tackle big feelings and big facts—all while keeping kids engaged. First, Joy McCullough joins us to celebrate her middle grade novel in verse, Kestrel Takes Flight. Joy introduces Kestrel, a girl raised in an emotionally abusive, tightly controlled church community in San Diego. Her mom suddenly whisks her away to Montana, where Kestrel has to adjust to a new world, new dangers (including dogs and bears!), and a new way of understanding her family and faith. Joy talks about being a...
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From Noodle Loaf to Escapees: Music, Peas, and Picture Book Magic
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes Dan Saks from New York City to celebrate his joyful new picture book, On Our Bikes. Dan shares how the story began as an echo song, “I Got a Bicycle,” on his kids’ music podcast Noodle Loaf, and how his love of life on two wheels—and riding with his kids—pedaled its way onto the page. Jed and Dan swap stories about city biking in Boston and New York, the tensions between drivers and cyclists, and the pure joy of rolling through town on a perfect spring day. Dan describes memorable family rides across the Brooklyn Bridge for...
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From Blue’s Clues to YouTube: Angela Santomero’s Princess Penelope and the Future of Preschool Media
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes back one of preschool media’s most influential creators, Angela Santomero, to celebrate her new series, “Princess Penelope’s Purse of Preposterous Things.” Angela explains that Princess Penelope is a brave, kind-hearted kitten who doesn’t realize how small she is. When Mother Nature grants her a magical purple purse filled with “preposterous things,” Penelope must use creative and critical thinking—not just magic—to solve problems and stand up for her friends. Angela shares how this “engine” of the series helps kids...
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Building Towers of Trust and Love of Science Through Story
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this inspiring episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two wonderful guests who are using stories and technology to help kids thrive: Carrol Titus and Inbal Alon. First, Jed chats with Carrol Titus, president of Golden Poppy and creator of the illustrated chapter book Unicorn Blue and the Kara Doodle Quest. Carrol explains how Golden Poppy was founded to nurture a love of STEM in young children, especially at a time when national science scores are declining. She shares how their interactive learning system blends brain science, play, and storytelling to create “triple sigma”...
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From Montana Ranches to Hawaiian Seas: Honoring Family Through Story
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this heartfelt episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two very special guests whose books invite families into powerful conversations about love, loss, culture, and courage. First, Jed chats with Bianca Pierce, debut picture book author of On the Ranch with Cowboy Luke. Inspired by her brother Luke, a real Montana cowboy who passed away unexpectedly in 2025, Bianca created the book as a tangible way for his daughters – and young readers everywhere – to know who he was and what ranch life is really like. She describes long, frosty winters, calving season, training horses, fixing...
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Hope in an Angry World: Tim Wright and The Adventures of Toby Baxter
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes back Tim Wright from Arizona to celebrate book five in The Adventures of Toby Baxter series, Revenge of the River Home, Rutabagas. Jed shares the exciting news that this latest installment has, like the first four books, been named a Reading With Your Kids Certified Great Read, praising its powerful emotional core and hopeful message. Tim explains how a long-running family joke about “fried rutabagas” inspired the title, and how he used that playful seed to explore serious themes like anger, distraction, and hope. Set in the magical...
info_outlineJed Doherty welcomed author Lynn Brunelle and illustrator Jason Chen to Reading With Your Kids to celebrate "Life After Whale". Lynne explains that the book was inspired by her curiosity about what happens to a whale's body after it dies. She discovered that the decomposing whale creates an entire ecosystem, allowing thousands of creatures to survive through interconnected food chains. Jason discusses his illustration process, which began with visual research like photographs from Lynn's initial research and visits to whale skeletons. He aims to make the invisible visible, such as showing the inside of a blue whale. Jason also includes diagrams to illustrate complex concepts like chemicals leaching from whale bones. The creatives emphasize how the book teaches about scale - it compares the immense size of blue whales to everyday objects children can understand. Lynne notes a blue whale is as long as several school buses or could contain as many children lined up as its length. Jason considers how to depict scale clearly in his illustrations for young readers. Both Lynne and Jason hope to spark curiosity in children about the natural world. They discuss using the book to start conversations with questions and finding ways to engage children's imagination. Jason also shares some exceptional advice on how parents can inspire and support their children’s art.
We also welcomed Sandy Whiting to the show to celebrate her new book, "Meatball Man Head Detective: Case of the Missing Pepper Shaker". Sandy explains that the story features a meatball detective named Meatball Man who solves mysteries in the town of City with his friends Breadstick and Chi Stick. She discusses developing the story concept through creative role playing with her own children during a family dinner.
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