Celebrating Literacy, Representation, and Wildlife
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Jed Doherty welcomes listeners to two conversations about books and literacy. First, Mia Wenjen celebrates the third annual Newton Children’s Book Festival, taking place November 15 at the American Legion Nonantum Post 440. Its accessible venue will welcome 100 authors and illustrators, with young adult books included for the first time. After growing from 1,000 attendees in its first year, the festival offers more room, parking, and food options. Wenjen describes her goal of bringing children face-to-face with authors and showcasing creators from diverse backgrounds and genres. She also...
info_outline
Stories That Teach Kindness, Courage and Wonder
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Join host Jed Doherty for an episode featuring two authors whose books invite readers to lead with kindness and imagination. First, Janet Zappala introduces Guapo in the Mystery of Goodness Grove, a picture book inspired by Guapo, a steer weighing more than 3,000 pounds. Guapo is famous for his gentle nature, heart-shaped forehead marking, and friendship with Mabel, a pot-bellied pig. Janet explains how their bond sparked a story about celebrating differences and treating others with kindness. She believes children learn values by watching caring actions, not just hearing advice. She discusses...
info_outline
Latkes, Learning and the Power of Movement
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
This episode brings together two authors whose work helps children connect with books and learning in different ways. Martha Seif Simpson joins Jed to talk about her easy-reader graphic novel, I Will Not Eat Latkes, designed for readers and the Hanukkah season. She explains how family latke-making traditions inspired the story: oxidized potatoes once prompted a guest to call them “rusty potato mush.” In the book, Nosh the koala encourages Potchki the ring-tailed lemur to try latkes by being brave like his hero, Judah Maccabee. Martha shares why easy readers use simple language, how...
info_outline
Stories That Help Us Laugh, Create and Heal
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode, host Jed Doherty welcomes picture-book creators Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox to talk about their new book, Beware the Sock Monkeys. The couple describes how they began making books together and how their close collaboration lets them shape both manuscript and illustrations. Jonathan shares the playful premise: a family’s missing socks may have been taken by sock monkeys. Inspired by folklore, family jokes, and an orange stuffed monkey, the story follows three sisters and a skeptical dad. They also discuss school visits, children’s unexpected questions, and Heather’s...
info_outline
Mirrors, Windows & Worlds Of Wonder
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
This episode brings together authors, artists, and a generous dose of imagination to explore how books connect generations and shape young readers. We first hear from author Tracy Todd and illustrator Vashti Harrison about That You Are Here Is No Small Thing. Todd says the title grew from her visit to Senegal and Ghana, where she reflected on the survival of ancestors and the lives of future generations. The deeply personal book honors this history as an affirmation, while Harrison describes its Afrofuturist, non-linear journey through memory, space, and time. Together, they hope it will...
info_outline
Making Learning An Adventure
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
On this episode, host Jed Doherty welcomes two authors whose books help young readers explore ideas, build confidence, and discover the joy of learning. Vicki Scott Burns shares the inspiration behind her award-winning Charli books, including Charli’s Turtle Triumph and Charli’s Possum Park. Charli is a curious girl who encourages children to ask “what if?” and see STEM in unexpected places. Burns explains how redesigning her own yard introduced her to landscape architecture, a field she brings to life through Charli’s park design. She also hopes children will understand that...
info_outline
Sara Porritt on Parenting, Creativity, and Human Connection
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
On this episode of Reading with Your Kids, Jed Doherty welcomes Sara Porritt, author, musician, and Chief Inclusion and Impact Officer at Omnicom Media. Sara shares how her picture book, Where Do You Go When You’re Not With Me?, grew from her son missing her during the school day. The book helps children ask about their parents’ lives and offers families prompts for honest, curious conversations. Sara uses the reassuring refrain, “When you’re thinking of me, I’m thinking of you,” and describes “bridging” as helping children look forward to their next moment of connection with a...
info_outline
Space, Stories, and Social-Emotional Learning with Molly Harris and Jonathan Corby
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Author Molly Harris and illustrator Jonathan Corby discuss their picture book, I Need Space, and their experience meeting for the first time after collaborating remotely. Harris explains that editors guide illustrator selection and that authors’ notes should clarify the story without dictating every image. Corby describes how the manuscript and Harris’s notes sparked his interest, while his parallel work as a book designer gave him a connection to her work. He distinguishes illustration—creating the pictures—from design, which gathers and conveys feedback from the publishing team....
info_outline
Celebrating Differences With Kaz Windness
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Kaz Windness and Jim Roethe join Jed Doherty on Reading with Your Kids. Windness shares the inspiration behind Bitsy Bat Snow Star, the third book in a series about a bat who experiences winter for the first time. As Bitsy joins classmates in snowy activities, she becomes cold and uncomfortable but hesitates to speak up because she fears losing her friendships. The story explores self-advocacy, acceptance, and other ways to enjoy winter. The series draws on Windness’s own experience as an autistic person and her child’s, and aims to help children celebrate differences without reducing...
info_outline
Turning Childhood Experiences into Stories of Courage and Wonder
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
On this episode of Reading with Your Kids, host Jed Doherty welcomes two authors whose books help families explore big feelings and imaginative worlds. First, personal injury attorney Jason Plotkin shares the story behind his picture book The Pickle, the Patch, and the Puppy. Inspired by a dog bite he experienced as a child, the book focuses on what happens afterward: the worry and fear that can linger, even when an injury is not severe. Plotkin introduces the “brain alarm” and a “bravery ladder,” a series of small steps children can take to feel comfortable around dogs again. He also...
info_outlineThis episode brings together authors, artists, and a generous dose of imagination to explore how books connect generations and shape young readers.
We first hear from author Tracy Todd and illustrator Vashti Harrison about That You Are Here Is No Small Thing. Todd says the title grew from her visit to Senegal and Ghana, where she reflected on the survival of ancestors and the lives of future generations. The deeply personal book honors this history as an affirmation, while Harrison describes its Afrofuturist, non-linear journey through memory, space, and time. Together, they hope it will affirm Black children and invite all readers to ask questions, learn, and empathize.
The conversation then turns to author Rick Williams, whose Dragons and Dinosaur Chronicles began with imaginative ideas from his grandson. Through hikes, storytelling, and playful collaboration, Williams shows how adults can encourage children’s creativity and build meaningful bonds. He also shares how reading opened doors for him and his sister, and why literacy can support children through difficult times and help them become lifelong learners.
Drawing on his experience with AI, he sees it as useful for research and brainstorming but urges care and adult guidance when children use it. The Story Making Hub offers a workbook and free materials to help families create stories together.
Across both interviews, the episode celebrates books as invitations: to remember, imagine, learn, and share ideas. Whether readers explore history, draw dragons, or invent something new, creativity grows through connection, encouragement, and fun for children and adults.