Can Dads Really Have Postnatal Depression?
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this powerful episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes Dr. Christopher Choukalas, author of Even the Darkest Night: A Memoir of Paternal Postnatal Depression. Dr. Chris shares how what began as a simple journaling practice during a traumatic postpartum period—twins born at full term alongside his wife’s life‑threatening postpartum hemorrhage—became a memoir to help other fathers feel less alone. An anesthesiologist and ICU doctor during the height of COVID, Dr. Chris describes the emotional dissonance of holding his healthy babies while knowing, in clinical detail, just how...
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Bad Thingamajigs & Big Feelings: Growing Empathy Through Story
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
On this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two fantastic creators who help families see the world—and their walks around the block—a little differently. First, Jed chats with Matt Van Rensburg, author of the Reading With Your Kids Certified Great Read “How to Sell the World: The Stonehearted Story of Greyson Grimm.” Matt explains the unforgettable premise: Greyson is the caretaker of the world, tasked with eating invisible “bad thingamajigs” that appear whenever people are unkind. His work keeps the world in balance, but each bite slowly turns his heart to stone. Matt...
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Reading Our Way to Hope: Two Middle Grade Novels that Heal and Inspire
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this heartwarming episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two middle grade authors whose stories are perfect for sparking big family conversations. First, singer-songwriter and author Tia McGraff joins us from the shores of Lake Erie to celebrate her new novel In Your Dreams, Jake, part of the Jake the Road Dog series. Tia shares how her rescue dog Jake, once just a day away from being euthanized, became a beloved “road dog” traveling to festivals, bookstores, and schools—and eventually inspired a middle grade story told through his eyes. She and Jed talk about the joy of live...
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Reading Our Way Through Friendships, Differences and Farewells
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this heartwarming episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes back second-grade teacher and picture book author Andrew Hackett to celebrate his new book, In This Classroom, and later sits down with Susan Cain and her son Eli Cain to talk about their tender picture book, Lucky and Norman: Saying Goodbye Is Bittersweet. Andrew shares how he juggles teaching, parenting, and writing—squeezing in drafts on soccer sidelines and early mornings—and why he actually loves revision more than drafting. He describes In This Classroom as his “manifesto” for what a classroom community can and...
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Everything You Need To Know About Life You Can Learn from A Dog
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In 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,...
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Are We Schoolifying Childhood? Why Reading, Relationships & Resilience Matter Most
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this powerful episode, Jed welcomes Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, to explore what truly helps kids thrive. Andreas shares global insights from major international studies, revealing that parents reading with and to their children is one of the strongest predictors of a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. He warns that for many families, screens are replacing shared reading time—and that heavy tech use in early childhood often correlates with worse outcomes, especially for disadvantaged kids, while reading together strongly boosts...
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Motocross, Monet, and Messy Masterpieces
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two creators whose work celebrates courage, creativity, and the many ways kids can be themselves. First, Jed chats with Rebecca Caprera about her new middle grade novel in verse, Eva to the Max. The story follows 12-year-old motocross phenom Eva “Eva Knievel” as she chases her dream of qualifying for the national championships. Along the way, Eva navigates family tension with a worried mom, a supportive dad who was paralyzed in a racing accident, and an overachieving older brother whose shadow feels hard to escape. Rebecca also...
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Growing Readers Through Bugs, Birds, and Beautiful Words
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this heartfelt episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed Doherty welcomes Heidi E. Y. Stemple, author of Lydia Loves Bugs, and later Jezebel Rivera, author of Mommy, Where’s My Dad? Most of the conversation centers on Heidi, her work, and her remarkable family legacy. Heidi shares how Lydia Loves Bugs began on her screened-in porch during the early, anxious days of the pandemic, when she wanted to write something purely fun and comforting. Lydia is a bug-loving kid whose mom studies bugs, while her dad and brother are decidedly not bug fans—an intentional celebration of family differences...
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Today We Will Be Eaten
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes Academy Award–winning director, animator, and author Alan Barillaro to celebrate his new picture book, Today We Will Be Eaten. Alan shares how a seemingly dark premise—a ladybug and dragonfly convinced they’ll be eaten—becomes a gentle, meditative story about anxiety, uncertainty, and learning to take a breath. He describes the book as a “little reset,” inviting kids and families to slow down, look up, and discover beauty even when life feels scary or unpredictable. Alan talks about the shift from collaborative animation at...
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Blazing Humor & Kind Hearts: Celebrating Mel Brooks, Kind Bunnies, and Brave Mice
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, we’re celebrating humor, heart, and the power of picture books to bring families together. Most of our time is spent with Ann Koffsky, author of Blazing Humor: Mel Brooks Is Seriously Funny. Ann and Jed dive into why Mel Brooks’ comedy, while very much for adults, still offers a powerful, kid-friendly life story. Ann talks about the challenge of sharing a famously edgy comedian with young readers—focusing not on the racy jokes, but on Mel’s resilience, his use of humor to face bullies, racism, and hard times, and his joyful Jewish identity....
info_outlineIn this episode, Jed welcomes two wonderful guests who are using story to build kids’ hearts and minds.
First, Allie Slocom joins us from Colorado to celebrate her middle grade novel Is There Hope for Theodore Cope. Theo is an 11‑year‑old aspiring magician who’s also neurodiverse and gifted. He’s brilliant at math, reading, basketball, dog walking, and magic tricks—but struggles with executive functioning. Allie explains that Theo isn’t irresponsible; he simply hasn’t yet developed the skills to manage his time, commitments, and big “yes” energy.
Drawing on her work as a gifted education teacher, Allie talks about the importance of helping kids practice executive function through games and real-life experiences. She shares how her Character Club—an after‑school group she ran in her home—grew into an entire book series focused on traits like responsibility, compassion, integrity, and forgiveness, with historical vignettes featuring figures such as Ernest Shackleton and Clara Barton.
Next, Jed heads to New Jersey to chat with Nicole Smith‑Schultz, school librarian and author of the picture book My Baby Doll. Inspired by her own daughter, Nicole’s book beautifully mirrors getting a beloved baby doll as a child with becoming a mom for the first time. She reflects on the joy and surprise of motherhood, the innocence of play, and the powerful ways kids imitate the care they receive.
Nicole also shares her passion for librarianship, media literacy, and making sure every child finds a book they truly love—while advocating for the vital role of school librarians in our communities.