Everything You Need To Know About Life You Can Learn from A Dog
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Release Date: 07/07/2026
Hands, Hearts, and Habitats: ASL, Deaf Culture, and Rainforest Conservation
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this uplifting episode, Jed welcomes back Kathy McMillan, ASL interpreter, children’s librarian, and creator of the new picture book series “Sign the Seasons.” Kathy shares how the four-book series—starting with Sign the Seasons: Fall—invites kids and families to learn American Sign Language through everyday seasonal concepts like trees, squirrels, and weather. She explains how Familius Publishing partnered with her in a uniquely thoughtful way, involving her in every stage of illustration and bringing in both an ASL/Deaf culture advisor and an early childhood education advisor (a...
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Being Brave Even When You're Scared
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Join host Jed Doherty for a heartwarming, dog-filled episode of the Reading With Your Kids podcast, featuring two picture books that celebrate courage, love, and healing. In the first half, Jed chats with Jonathan Graziano, creator of the beloved Noodle “Bones or No Bones” videos, about his new picture book “Milton Makes a Move.” Jonathan shares Milton’s real-life journey from a hoarding situation in Korea to finding a forever home with him. They talk about how Milton’s anxiety and bravery mirror what many kids feel when facing big firsts—starting a new school, moving, or trying...
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Just Enough: The Tidy Dad’s Philosophy for Stuff, Space, and Sanity
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode, Jed welcomes Tyler Moore, better known as Tidy Dad, to talk about his book “Tidy Up Your Life.” Tyler shares how a season of overwhelm—upsizing his family and career at the same time—left both his apartment and his mental health in disarray. That experience pushed him to explore the deep connection between a cluttered home and a cluttered mind, and how small, consistent decisions can transform both. Living with his wife and three daughters in a 750-square-foot New York City apartment (plus a modest cottage), Tyler has been forced to define what is “just...
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Dark Thrills & Noble Quests: Using Story to Talk About Values with Kids
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two very different – but beautifully complementary – guests whose books open the door to big family conversations. First, Jed chats with Rachel Peterson, author of the YA thriller Killing Sadie. Rachel, who describes herself as “aggressively pleasant,” explains why such a cheerful person writes about murder, anxiety, and worst‑case scenarios. She shares how dark, campy thrillers and B‑horror movies helped her manage her own anxious teen years, and why today’s teens may find comfort and “self‑therapy” in scary stories...
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All the Ways We Learn and Love: Neurodivergent Kids & Brave Dogs
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this inspiring episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two wonderful picture book creators who are helping families talk about big feelings, different brains, and everyday courage. First, Jed chats with Chloe Ito Ward, author of All the Ways We Learn, a gentle, affirming picture book about neurodivergence in the classroom. Chloe shares how the story toggles between what we “think” learning should look like—sitting still, making eye contact, hands in laps—and the many valid ways kids actually learn, including kids with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and dyscalculia....
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Goooooooal! Soccer, Dopamine, and Dreams with Author-Comedian Ana Karina de Silva
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes Ana Karina de Silva, a neurodivergent author, comedian, and educator, to celebrate her new picture book Pedro’s Dream. The story follows Pedro, a passionate young soccer player with ADHD who learns to understand his brain, advocate for himself, and build strategies for success—like using checklists and visual cues, and working with a supportive coach and dad who also has ADHD. Ana shares how her own late ADHD diagnosis reshaped her understanding of “forgetfulness” and “not finishing tasks,” reframing them as brain-based...
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Modeling Curiosity for Kids: Michael J. Rosen on Science, Story, and Wonder
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this inspiring episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes back author Michael J. Rosen to celebrate How to Dive to the Deepest Place on Earth, his picture book collaboration with legendary astronaut and ocean explorer Dr. Kathy Sullivan. Michael shares the fascinating story of how he first met Kathy—before the Mariana Trench dive was even an idea—and how her lifelong curiosity led her to choose between charting the ocean floor and flying into space. Michael walks us through the mind‑bending reality of the Mariana Trench expedition: four hours sinking in a tiny sphere through...
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Secrets that Grow Claws, Farts that Wake Dinosaurs: Irresistible Reads for Reluctant Readers
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this warm and wide-ranging episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two powerhouse creators whose books are perfect for sparking big feelings, big questions, and big laughs. First, Jessica Khoury joins us to celebrate her middle grade fantasy Monster and Apprentice. She introduces us to Roland, a 13-year-old boy who’s been written off by almost every adult in his life—until the mysterious Arcanist takes him on as an apprentice monster hunter. In Roland’s world, monsters are born from secrets kids hold too long—shameful, scary, or painful truths that grow teeth and claws when...
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Super Smart Farms & Superpowered Feet: Growing Curious Kids
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this fun and wide-ranging episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two sets of guests who are all about helping kids see the world—and themselves—differently. First, Jed chats with Candice Wierzbowski and Eric Hurlock, two of the creative voices behind The Super Smart Farm Show, a kids’ podcast from Lancaster Farming newspaper. They talk about helping children understand where food really comes from and why farming matters to everyone, even city kids. Eric explains how the show answers playful questions like, “Does chocolate milk come from brown cows?” while sneaking in...
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Into The Woods And Off To Bed
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this heartwarming episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes back Dr. Dale Atkins to celebrate her new picture book, Dear Deer, a nature-centered story inspired by a true and powerful experience. During a quiet walk in a wildlife sanctuary, Dr. Atkins discovered a distressed fawn trapped in rising water while its mother watched anxiously from the shore. With the help of two local kids, she spent over two hours working to guide the fawn to safety. That real-life rescue, and the deep eye-to-eye connection she felt with the doe, became the emotional core of Dear Deer. Jed and Dr. Atkins...
info_outlineIn this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes three fantastic guests who each showcase a different way stories can shape our lives.
First, Bruce Littlefield joins from his farm in upstate New York to celebrate his picture book “Everything You Need to Know About Life You Can Learn from a Dog.” Bruce shares how his usually optimistic outlook was shaken by a rough morning—bad news, a broken porch—and how his dog Felix, joyfully unfazed, inspired him to rethink who the real “lifestyle expert” in the house was. Drawing on years of watching dogs in New York City and at home, Bruce turns traits like self-acceptance, curiosity, forgiveness, and the ability to “shake things off” into gentle life lessons for kids and grown-ups. He and Jed swap heartfelt dog stories—border collies carving tracks in the yard, childhood pets like Snuggles and London teaching responsibility, calm, and empathy—and reflect on how dogs help children learn to care for others.
Then Gregory Rizzi discusses his YA sci‑fi novel “Continuum.” Set on a harsh distant planet, the book follows Jacob, a Praetorian Guard soldier, as he discovers the planet’s hidden history, strange creatures, and deeper truths about creation, fathers, and sons. Gregory talks about how becoming a father and returning to his faith reshaped the story’s themes of suffering, resilience, and what we pass on to our kids.
Finally, Amy Doslich introduces her picture book “STEM Day” and her kid-powered podcast “Kids Ask Authors Answer.” A former actuary turned author-illustrator, Amy celebrates lesser-known STEM careers and invites children to ask authors their own fun, surprising questions—plus she’s organizing a big free kids’ ebook day on August 5.