What Happens When Kids with Differences Take Center Stage?
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Release Date: 01/15/2026
Can AI Replace Our Memories?
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, we welcome author-illustrator Claire Keane to talk about her deeply personal new picture book, “Who Are You?” Claire shares how the idea began not with a character, but with a question—quite literally. After making a video reel to “explain” who she was as an artist and as the daughter and granddaughter of famous cartoonists, she woke up one morning hearing a loud inner voice ask, “Who are you?” That moment sent her on a creative and emotional journey. Claire describes spending a year and a half stuck on an idea involving a girl in a...
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This Ten Year Old Invented An App That Makes Screen Time Smarter
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, host Jed Doherty welcomes three very different—but equally exciting—guests who are passionate about helping kids grow smarter and braver. First, Jed chats with Adam Adler and his 10‑year‑old daughter Isla, the father–daughter team behind Wyzly, a groundbreaking screen time app for kids. Tired of daily battles over iPads and YouTube, Isla came up with the idea for an app that doesn’t just shut devices off—it asks kids educational questions to unlock their favorite apps. Adam explains how Wyzly uses a “learn to earn” model and...
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A Nightingale, A Cello & A Risky Radio Stunt That Changed Evverything
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Join host Jed Doherty on the Reading With Your Kids podcast for a heartwarming, history‑meets‑home episode featuring two wonderful picture book creators: Patricia Newman and Pooja Makhijani. First, Patricia introduces Beatrice and the Nightingale, a nonfiction picture book about Beatrice Harrison, a renowned English cellist whose garden duet with a wild nightingale became one of the earliest global nature broadcasts on BBC radio. Patricia and Jed explore how this magical moment of music, nature, and early technology captivated millions of listeners and why Beatrice is such a powerful civic...
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The Healing Garden, Helping Kids Face Cancer With Courage And Hope
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
It’s been said that you spend the first forty years of your life looking forward, and the last forty looking back—from death toward your life. But what if you never get the chance to look forward? Imagine being young and told you may only have a year to live. All around you, you see people living the life you’ve been cheated out of. How would that feel? How could you find hope in that? These are the feelings and questions that children with cancer—and those who love and support them—face every day. Jed Doherty sat down with two powerful experts to discuss exactly that on a new...
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Writing From The Parts That Hurt
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode, Jed welcomes author James Ponti to talk about Europa, book seven in his bestselling City Spies series. James shares the irresistible premise: a British secret agent known as Mother adopts kids from around the world—each with a special talent and a code name based on their home city—and raises them as a family of spies. In Europa, explosives expert Sydney returns to the spotlight as the main character, caught between questions of trust and a terrifying villainous group called Umbra, whose leader is trying to hold Europe hostage from prison. James explains the challenge and...
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600% More Prescriptions: What’s Happening to Kids in the Age of GLP‑1s?
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
On this episode of Reading With Your Kids, host Jed Doherty welcomes Dr. Lauren Hartman, adolescent medicine physician and author of Freeing Children and Young Adults from Shame, Scales, and Stigma. Dr. Hartman dives deep into how diet culture, weight stigma, and even well‑meaning doctors can unintentionally harm kids and teens. She explains how a simple directive like “you need to lose weight” can trigger restrictive eating, eating disorders, and lifelong shame—especially in vulnerable young people. Dr. Hartman offers practical scripts parents can use with doctors, family members, and...
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Years of Frustration, One Daily Challenge Changed Everything
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Join us for a delightful episode featuring acclaimed picture book creators Marla Frazee and Julie Fogliano as they take us behind the scenes of their newest collaboration, “Because of a Shoe.” Host Jed Doherty leads a warm, insightful conversation exploring the magic that happens when author and illustrator unite to craft memorable children’s books. Julie shares the heartfelt inspiration behind her story—rooted in her own childhood and experiences as a mom dealing with the “shoe struggle”—and reveals how writing “Because of a Shoe” was both therapeutic and hilarious. Marla...
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Tina Turner’s Story Reimagined for Kids
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Dive into an inspiring episode celebrating the legacy of Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock & Roll, through the eyes of debut author Ebony Lynn Mudd. In this lively conversation, host Jed Doherty welcomes Ebony as she shares the story behind her picture book, “Just Like Tina,” inspired by Tina Turner’s extraordinary life and generational impact. Listeners will hear how music brings families together, with Ebony recalling childhood memories dancing to Tina’s hits alongside her son and mother, underscoring how iconic artists unite people of all ages. The episode delves into why Ebony...
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You Won’t Believe How a Tiny Mantis is Transforming Kids’ Lives!
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Dive into this inspiring episode featuring Mariana Gordon and Sondra Bakinde, the dynamic duo behind The Meditating Mantis—a captivating new children’s book series designed to teach mindfulness, breathing, and emotional resilience to kids and their families. With backgrounds in school psychology (Mariana) and art and storytelling (Sondra), these mindful moms created the character Mio the mantis to help children explore emotions, master calming techniques, and embrace the true power of stillness. Their mission? To make mindfulness magical, accessible, and fun for both children and adults,...
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Victorian Weirdness, Mobster Birds, and the Power of Comics
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Step into a world where mad scientists roam the foggy streets of Victorian London! In this engaging episode of Reading with Your Kids, host Jed Doherty welcomes acclaimed author and illustrator S.H. Cotugno to dive into the hit graphic novel series, The Glass Scientists. Cotugno takes listeners behind the scenes of her creative process, revealing how classic Gothic fiction, quirky 19th-century science, and a mother’s passion for English literature inspired the tale of Dr. Jekyll and his band of eccentric inventors. Discover how The Glass Scientists explores themes of identity, weirdness, and...
info_outlineDive into this heartwarming episode of “Reading with Your Kids” as host Jed Doherty welcomes acclaimed children’s authors Lisa Jacovski and Deborah Marcero for inspiring conversations about inclusion, advocacy, and the creative journey behind beloved picture books.
The episode opens with Lisa Jacovski, author of the “Happy Thoughts” series, as she shares her passion for writing children’s books that celebrate neurodiversity and teach empathy. Lisa draws from her background in applied behavior analysis and education, offering real-life anecdotes about working with nonverbal children and the powerful impact of inclusive classrooms. Her stories emphasize the importance of embracing differences and fostering acceptance from an early age, providing listeners with practical insight and hope for building a kinder future.
Later, award-winning author and illustrator Deborah Marcero joins to discuss her enchanting new book, “The Great Escape.” Deborah shares personal reflections on sibling dynamics, her creative process as both writer and artist, and the vital balance of fostering agency in female protagonists. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at turning childhood memories and fantasy into stories that spark imagination and togetherness.
This episode is a must-listen for parents, educators, and anyone interested in empowering children through literature. Learn practical strategies to promote inclusion, discover the secrets of writing picture books with heart, and be inspired by guests who are changing the world of children's literature—one story at a time!