Love Runs Through Everything: Picture Books About Loss and Finding Your Place
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this powerful episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two picture book creators whose work helps families navigate some of life’s hardest—and most beautiful—truths. First, Shannon Gibney joins from Minnesota to talk about her picture book “Where Is My Sister?”, inspired by the stillbirth of her daughter. Shannon shares the shattering experience of losing a baby late in pregnancy and the long emotional healing that followed. As a writer, she went searching for honest, non‑sugar‑coated books about infant loss and found almost nothing, especially for families who aren’t...
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Wrapped With Love: Ashley Lam on Grandma, Wontons, and AAPI Heritage
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this inspiring episode of Reading With Your Kids, host Jed Doherty welcomes debut picture book author and Wall Street executive Ashley Lam, here to celebrate her new children’s book “Wrapped With Love: Wonton Noodle Day With Grandma.” Ashley shares how the story was inspired by watching her young daughter cook wontons with her grandmother during COVID. Those long days in the kitchen became a powerful reminder of intergenerational love, AAPI family traditions, and the importance of slowing down in a “go, go, go” world. She talks about how food is her mother’s love language, and...
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It’s Okay to Feel: Shannon Stocker on Boys, Big Emotions, and The Roach King of Raleigh
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this powerful episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes back Shannon Stocker, author of the new YA novel The Roach King of Raleigh, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Shannon shares the deeply personal inspiration behind Quill, a high school sophomore who’s juggling a painful mix of family addiction, financial hardship, sibling tension, and crushing loneliness. To help his struggling family, Quill starts breeding dubia roaches to feed his bearded dragon and sell to a local pet store – and those thousands of hidden insects become a vivid metaphor for the dark, buried...
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Small Acts, Big Ripples: Lin Oliver on Kindness, Kid Power, and SCBWI
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes legendary author, producer, and SCBWI co‑founder Lin Oliver to celebrate her new middle grade novel, The After School Kindness Crew: Pooch on the Loose, co‑written with Goldie Hawn. Lin shares how Goldie’s MindUP foundation and its focus on mindfulness, brain science, and helping kids self‑regulate inspired the series, which follows three “outlier” kids—Mia, River, and Tony—who secretly perform acts of kindness at school and in their community. Lin explains why she chose neurodiverse and artsy, non‑“typical” kids as...
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Listen to the Girls: Chrystal D. Giles on Protecting and Empowering Kids
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Reading With Your Kids, we welcome Chrystal D. Giles to talk about her new middle grade novel, “Listen to the Girls.” Chrystal introduces us to Calla, a seventh grader whose carefree start to summer is shaken when rumors surface about her favorite teacher’s inappropriate behavior with students. The story follows Calla as she navigates confusion, fear, and uncertainty, learning how to sort through information, trust her feelings, and—most importantly—listen to the girls who are bravely speaking up. Chrystal shares the real-life inspirations...
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Mirrors, Windows And Moonlit Roads
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this heartfelt episode, Jed welcomes author Julie Leung and illustrator Angie Kang to celebrate their new picture book “Navigating Night,” a moving father–daughter story that beautifully coincides with AAPI Month. Julie shares that Navigating Night grew out of her memories of riding along on Chinese food deliveries with her dad in rural Georgia in the 1990s. The book is part memoir, part homage to her father and to the often-invisible workers in the food service industry who “make sure the food shows up at your doorstep on time”. It also explores the loneliness and...
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Sour, Sweet, and Adventurous: Inspiring Journeys in Children’s Books
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, we’re celebrating three very different – but beautifully connected – picture books and their creators. First, Dr. Candice Childs joins us to talk about her autobiographical picture book “CC, Sour and Sweet Journey to Medical School.” She shares how the “sweet” parts of her journey are actually the moments of growth, resilience, and purpose that came from repeated failure and perseverance. The “sour” moments include painful setbacks and even an advisor bluntly telling her she’d never get into medical school. Candice explains how she...
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Inside The Endless Game
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, we spend most of our time in the joyful, high‑energy world of JD Amato and Sophie Morse, the creative team behind the middle grade graphic novel The Endless Game. JD shares how the story grew out of his own childhood in the Chicago suburbs—moving around a lot, finally landing in one neighborhood where kids knocked on his door and pulled him into a world of street games, friendships, and long summer evenings. That sense of kid freedom and community became the heart of the book’s epic, town‑wide game of capture the flag. Sophie explains how the...
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Every Child Deserves To Be Seen
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, host Jed Doherty welcomes author Kristen Mei Chase and illustrator Basia Tran to celebrate their Gracie Wei chapter book series. Kristen explains that Gracie is a mixed-race Asian American fourth grader with “a lot of opinions and a heart of gold,” designed to reflect many real kids and offer representation she didn’t see for herself or her own children growing up. She clarifies the difference between chapter books (often ages 6–10, transitional early readers) and middle grade (roughly grades 4–8), noting that Gracie Wei bridges those spaces...
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Celebrating The Cozy And Creepy Sides Of Kidlit
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, we’re celebrating both the cozy and the creepy sides of kids’ lit! First, we welcome Alyssa Satin Capucilli, creator of the beloved Biscuit series, as she celebrates 30 years of her small yellow puppy who has helped millions of children become independent readers. Alyssa shares the heartwarming real-life moment that inspired Biscuit, explains the difference between picture books and first readers, and talks about why pattern, repetition, and those famous “woof woofs” are so powerful for young readers. She also reflects on generations of...
info_outlineIn a captivating exploration of middle-grade storytelling, authors Mary Rose Wood and Catharina Steel offer young readers profound insights into friendship, self-discovery, and the power of imagination.
Mary Rose Wood's "Bad Badger" introduces readers to Septimus, a unique badger who doesn't quite fit in with traditional badger expectations. This heartwarming tale follows Septimus and Gully, a seagull, as they navigate the complexities of friendship despite their differences. Wood's narrative beautifully illustrates that true connection transcends surface-level distinctions, encouraging children to embrace their individuality and accept others' uniqueness.
Simultaneously, Catharina Steel's "Vanishings" takes readers on a magical adventure featuring Tilly, an impulsive protagonist searching for her missing friend Michael. Steele's story explores themes of courage, friendship, and personal growth, particularly through characters like Jess, who learns to overcome anxiety by connecting with nature.
Both authors share a commitment to creating stories that go beyond entertainment. Wood emphasizes the universal challenges of friendship and self-acceptance, while Steele highlights the importance of imagination and personal resilience. Their works demonstrate that middle-grade literature can be a powerful tool for teaching emotional intelligence and personal development.
The authors' creative processes are equally fascinating. Wood was inspired by her move to Italy, allowing her experiences to subtly influence her storytelling. Steele began her journey with vivid imagery of magical forest homes, letting her imagination guide her narrative development.
These books offer more than just stories—they provide young readers with valuable life lessons. They encourage children to be confident, embrace their unique qualities, and understand that friendship requires effort, empathy, and open-mindedness.
For parents, educators, and young readers seeking meaningful, engaging literature that sparks imagination and emotional growth, "Bad Badger" and "Vanishings" are must-read additions to any middle-grade library.
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