Bästa Childrens Literature podcaster (2024)

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Maya Schleifer, "The Giant's House" (2022) 44:40

5d ago44:40

44:40

Maya Shleifer is a multi-disciplinary author, illustrator, and designer who has illustrated over a dozen children's books. Drawing helped Maya survive a difficult childhood in the Soviet Union, but only after becoming a mother did she begin to realize a growing passion for illustrating, and subsequently writing her own, picture books. We discuss he…

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160 – Last Minute Gift Guide 15:02

6d ago15:02

15:02

Do you have one more person on your holiday shopping list? Need some help? I’ve got you covered with several recommendations of books that make great gifts. Also in this episode, I give a little update on the drama surrounding those dolls from the Wicked film. It turns out there is a lawsuit over the unfortunate misprint on the box, with one family…

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Danielle Sharkan, "Sharing Shalom" (Holiday House, 2024) 31:56

10d ago31:56

31:56

Considering the alarming rise in hate and intolerance these days, Danielle Sharkan's new picture book, Sharing Shalom (Holiday House, Sept. 2024, illustrated by Selina Alko) is a welcome injection of positivity. Based on a true story of human kindness following vandalism of a Jewish synagogue, it is a book of unbridled hope. In our interview we tal…

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159 – This Is NOT Snow White 16:20

17d ago16:20

16:20

I didn’t think I’d have much to say about Disney’s latest live action remake, Snow White, until it actually came out. But unfortunately a new trailer has revealed such substantial changes to the story that I can already say this will have little to do with the beloved folktale recorded by the Brothers Grimm or Disney’s 1937 film, which was groundbr…

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Mark Hoffmann, "Dirt Cheap" (Knopf Books for Young Readers; 2020) 56:16

21d ago56:16

56:16

Mark Hoffmann is an award winning illustrator, painter, author and professor. He was raised in Minnesota and earned his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design, and his MFA from UMass-Dartmouth. In our excellent discussion, we talk about what Mark calls "Virtual Vision," and how writing and illustrating picture books interact, focusing on the two wo…

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158 – Why Brits Should Celebrate Thanksgiving 9:59

23d ago9:59

9:59

As an American who lives in England, I do my best to blend in but am happy to introduce aspects of American culture that will benefit my neighbors. Goldfish Crackers, meat loaf, and baseball have all gone down well, but the more Brits I talk to about Thanksgiving, the more I can see that this country would really benefit from reclaiming a holiday t…

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Talk to the Editor: A Discussion with Elizabeth Law 42:49

24d ago42:49

42:49

In this episode, I talk with children's book editor, Elizabeth Law about her two great loves: children's books and the theater. Specifically, what can picture book authors learn from the theater to make their children's books shine. We talked about similarities in pacing, cadence, anticipation, the importance of the story, and the challenge of turn…

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157 – Paddington in Peru 15:30

27d ago15:30

15:30

The Paddington film franchise is a great example of how it IS possible to take beloved characters from children’s literature and write new adventures for them that remain true to the spirit of the original stories. So how does Paddington in Peru measure up? Is it as good as Paddington 2? How many Snapes does it receive for its faithfulness to the s…

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156 – Will Wicked Connect with Kids? 10:37

1M ago10:37

10:37

In this episode, co-host Chloë tells us about Sapphire Battersea, a book that’s really captured her. She has loved every book that she has ever read by Jacqueline Wilson, and whether this author is tackling grounded, real-world family drama or the more fantastical world of circus sideshows, Chloë has always noticed and latched onto the struggles of…

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Highlights Foundation: A Discussion with Executive Director George Brown 46:43

1M ago46:43

46:43

George Brown is the executive director of the Highlights Foundation, scion to the Myers family, which created Highlights Magazine. The Highlights Foundation runs workshops for small groups of authors and illustrators in its bucolic surroundings, the homestead of Garry and Caroline Myers, who co-founded Highlights for Children in 1946. George discus…

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155 – Samantha – Our First American Girl 23:36

1M ago23:36

23:36

Samantha Parkington was the first character that I read about in the American Girls book series. She was introduced when I was a little girl. I grew up on this book series and it has been wonderful to see that my daughter loves them just as much as me. She has her own dolls now, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see how well these books help te…

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154 – I Talk to an Immigration Judge about Paddington’s Passport 13:54

1M ago13:54

13:54

Paddington, the beloved creation of author Michael Bond, was recently given a British passport. But . . . how would he have qualified? I speak to my delightful neighbor (ok, let’s spell it neighbour since, after all, I do live in England) Norman, who is a retired immigration judge, about how Paddington might have been able to acquire British citize…

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Sarah Aronson, "Abzuglutely!:Battling, Bellowing Bella Abzug" (Calkins Creek Books, 2024) 52:03

2M ago52:03

52:03

In this lively interview with author Sarah Aronson, we celebrate her brand new picture book, Abzuglutely!: Battling, Bellowing Bella Abzug, illustrated by Andrea D'Aquino ‎ (Calkins Creek, October 15, 2024), which focuses on Bella's determination to fight for what is right, as part of her belief in Tikun Olam (repairing the world). We talk about Sa…

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153 – What’s YOUR Favorite Scary Story? 4:27

2M ago4:27

4:27

I loved Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as a kid. Alvin Schwartz’ retellings and Stephen Gammell’s bonechilling drawings kept me hypnotized. The excitement and fun of a good scary story has kept these books popular for generations. What’s YOUR favorite Scary Story?Av T.Q. Townsend

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Childrens' Books in Public Libraries: A Discussion with Pat (Patrick) Gracey 1:07:07

2M ago1:07:07

1:07:07

Pat (Patrick) Gracey is a senior librarian at the Toronto Public Library where he is a children's services specialist, leading the team that selects new picture books for 17 downtown locations (!). In our interview, Pat talks about the magic inherent in picture books, and focuses on some of his favorite Canadian (and semi-Canadian) picture books, i…

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152 – Another Celebrity Children’s Book 15:12

2M ago15:12

15:12

ANOTHER celebrity has decided to dabble in writing for children. Whooptie-doo. In more exciting news, co-host Chloë has checked out not just one Max Crumbly book from the library to read during the school break but also THREE volumes of the Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell. Opinion: Another Celebrity Children’s Book I spotted a literary kerfuff…

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151 – Why Can’t University Students Read? 14:33

2M ago14:33

14:33

A recent article in The Atlantic caught my attention. “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books” by Rose Horowitch shares stories from professors at elite schools who have found that over the last 20 years (the time period in which kids got smartphones . . . hmmm . . .) students’ attention spans have eroded to the point that many of them can…

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Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, "We Celebrate the Light" (Penguin, 2024) 57:40

2M ago57:40

57:40

In our three-way interview, I celebrate with world-renowned children's authors Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple (who is also Jane's daughter), their brand new picture book, We Celebrate the Light, published last week (October 8, 2024) by Rise x Penguin Workshop with the 'luminous' illustrations of Jieting Chen (Illustrator). We talk about the process b…

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Tina Shepardson, "The Sorry Seeds" (Gnome Road, 2024) 45:31

2M ago45:31

45:31

Tina Shepardson and I celebrate her wonderful new picture book The Sorry Seeds, just published (two days ago!!) by Gnome Road with gorgeous illustrations by Bong Hyun Shin. In our candid conversation, Tina reveals the true childhood story that led her to write the manuscript, and discusses her own journey from child to teacher to author, the critic…

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Kimberly Wilson, "A Credit Card Takes Charge" (Page Street Kids, 2024) 48:12

2M ago48:12

48:12

Are you ready for the story of a credit card that takes cash on a spending spree? In my interview with picture book author Kimberly Wilson, we celebrate brand new book, A Credit Card Takes Charge, published just last week by Page Street Kids (Oct. 1st, 2024). It's third in her series of hilarious, punniful picture books dealing with all things mone…

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Cathey Stefanec Ogren, "The Little Red Chair" (Sleeping Bear Press, 2024) 44:51

3M ago44:51

44:51

In this, our second interview, Cathy Stefanec Ogren talks about her brand new, wonderfully written and illustrated (by Alexandra Thompson) picture book, The Little Red Chair, just published by Sleeping Bear Press (August 1, 2024). We discuss Cathy's journey to success, the challenge of writing a picture book manuscript that 'begs' to be illustrated…

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On Haya Shenhav's "100 Rooms" 49:56

3M ago49:56

49:56

Professor Yirmi Pinkus celebrates with us the rerelease of the classic Hebrew children's book, 100 Rooms by Haya Shenhav, in a new American edition (Kalaniot Books, 2024), published (May 1st, 2024) by Kalaniot Books, with his stunning new illustrations. We also discuss his career as an illustrator alongside being an academic teaching the subject, a…

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Ruth Spiro, "One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story" (Dial Books, 2024) 47:23

3M ago47:23

47:23

In this, our second interview with prolific author Ruth Spiro, we celebrate the publication of her brand new book, One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story (Dial Books, 2024), with the stunning illustrations of Victoria Tentler-Krylov. Ruth talks about her remarkable career, writing scientific board books for toddlers (25 and counting!), as well as sto…

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Dan Gutman, "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" (Holiday House, 2024) 49:34

5M ago49:34

49:34

Dan Gutman is the renowned, prolific author of some 190 books for kids from kindergarten up to middle school. His books include Rappy the Raptor (picture book) and the "My Weird School" series (early readers) about kids who go to a school in which all the grownups are crazy. Over thirty five million books have been sold . He has also written “Wait!…

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Muslimness in Books for Young Readers: A Chat with A. M. Dassu 1:00:16

5M ago1:00:16

1:00:16

Persevering with our literary theme this season, in this episode Claudia Radiven and Chella Ward chat to A. M. Dassu about her books for young readers. Az is a children’s author of fiction and non-fiction, whose books include Fight Back (Tu Books, 2022) and Boy, Everywhere (Tu Books, 2021). Her books engage young readers with themes of migration, a…

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Charly Palmer and Karida Brown, "The New Brownies' Book: A Love Letter to Black Families" (Chronicle Books, 2023) 50:19

5M ago50:19

50:19

In 1920, W. E. B. Du Bois and the NAACP founders published The Brownies’ Book: A Monthly Magazine for Children of the Sun. A century later, The New Brownies' Book: A Love Letter to Black Families (Chronicle Books, 2023) recreates the very first publication created for Black youth in 1920 into a sensational anthology. Expanding on the mission of the…

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Don Tate, Children's Book Illustrator and Author 49:23

5M ago49:23

49:23

Don Tate is the award-winning author and/or illustrator of numerous picture book biographies, including Pigskins to Paintbrushes: The Story of Football-Playing Artist Ernie Barnes (Abrams) and William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad (Peachtree) and more recently, Jerry Changed the Game!: How Engineer Jerry Laws…

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Bonni Goldberg, "Doña Gracia Saved Worlds" (Kar-Ben Publishing, 2023) 56:58

6M ago56:58

56:58

Bonni Goldberg, award-winning poet, writer, and educator, writes non-fiction for children and adults. In our animated discussion, we talk about how her recent picture book, Doña Gracia Saved Worlds (published December, 2023, by Kar-Ben and illustrated by Alida Massari) which came about, her life and writing career, Judaism, and advice for aspiring …

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The Business of Publishing Children's Books: A Discussion with Elizabeth Law 53:35

6M ago53:35

53:35

Elizabeth Law has worked in the publishing field her whole life, first as an Editor at Viking Children’s Books and Puffin Books, as Associate Publisher at Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, then later as Publisher at Egmont USA, and most recently as the backlist and special projects editor at Holiday House Books for Young Readers. Elizabet…

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Lesléa Newman, "Like Father, Like Son" (Abrams, 2024) 43:13

7M ago43:13

43:13

In our animated interview with prolific, award-winning children's author and poet Lesléa Newman, we celebrate two of her picture books which have just launched, Like Father, Like Son: A Picture Book, published in April, 2024 by Abrams, and Joyful Song: A Naming Story, published in May, 2024 by Levine-Querido. We talk about Lesléa's journey on her w…

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Robin Newman, "Who's Writing This Story?" (Creston Books, 2024) 49:45

7M ago49:45

49:45

Robin Newman was a practicing attorney and legal editor but has more fun writing children's books about witches, mice, pigs, and peacocks. In our interview, we celebrate the launch of her new picture book, Who's Writing This Story?, illustrated by Deborah Zemke and published by Creston Books (2024), and talk about Robin's journey to literary succes…

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Jennifer Berne, "A Tour of the Human Body: Amazing Numbers--Fantastic Facts" (Astra Publishing House, 2024) 45:50

7M ago45:50

45:50

In this wonderful second interview with Jennifer Berne we celebrate the launch of her newest picture book, and the first in a series: A Tour of the Human Body: Amazing Numbers--Fantastic Facts (Number Tours for Curious Kids) published by Astra and just launched on May 7, 2024, illustrated by Dawn DeVries Sokol. Jennifer has written many award-winni…

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Marie-Louise Gay, "Walking Trees" (Groundwood Books, 2024) 57:02

7M ago57:02

57:02

Marie-Louise Gay is an internationally-acclaimed, multi-award winning Canadian author and illustrator of over 60 books. In our interview, we celebrate the recent launch of her newest book, Walking Trees (Groundwood Books, 2024), and discuss her youth, her studies and professional career, and several of her leading books, including the series featur…

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Julie Carpenter, "Harry and the Highwire: Houdini's First Amazing Act" (Green Bean Books, 2024) 50:45

8M ago50:45

50:45

In this interview, we celebrate Julie Carpenter's first picture book, Harry and the Highwire: Houdini's First Amazing Act (Laura Catalán, illustrator), published by Green Been Books, May, 2024). Before deciding to write for children, Julie was a journalist, writer and editor for over 20 years.In our conversation we talk about the magic of writing, …

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On Monsters, Goddesses and Myths: A Discussion with Author Katherine Marsh 44:54

8M ago44:54

44:54

“We’re not monsters, Mom. We’re goddesses—smart, fearless, and beautiful.” That’s the voice of Ava, the superpowered protagonist of Katherine Marsh’s captivating novel for children, Medusa (Clarion Books, 2024). Our discussion focuses on Marsh’s feminist retelling of the Medusa myth—and on the wider topic of the direction of children’s literature a…

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Laura Bower, "The Imposter" (Gnome Road Publishing, 2024) 43:23

9M ago43:23

43:23

In this heartwarming interview with Laura Bower, we celebrate the launch of her brand new, debut picture book, The Imposter, illustrated by Kerisa Greene, and published by Sandra Sutter, Gnome Road Publishing (2024). Laura talks about her life and writing career, the story behind The Imposter, and her advice for aspiring authors. Learn more about y…

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Michelle Knudsen, "Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten" (Candlewick Press, 2024) 43:05

9M ago43:05

43:05

Michelle Knudsen is the New York Times best-selling author of fifty books for young readers of all ages, including the award-winning picture books (and personal favorites) Library Lion and Marilyn's Monster. In this, our second interview we celebrate the launch of her new picture book, Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten (Candlewick, 2024),…

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Shoshanna Lockshin and Efrayim Unterman, "The Devash Megillat Esther" (Hadar Press, 2024) 38:06

9M ago38:06

38:06

The Devash Megillat Esther (Hadar Press, 2024) includes the full Hebrew Megillah text, an original kid-friendly English translation, and carefully selected commentaries from 2,000 years of Jewish tradition brought to life in newly accessible ways. Devash unlocks sophisticated texts for learners of all ages and backgrounds, encouraging deep question…

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Sue Fliess, "Octopus Acrobatics" (Albert Whitman & Company, 2024) 55:45

9M ago55:45

55:45

Sue Fliess ("fleece") is the award-winning, bestselling author of over 50 children's books including Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket, How to Trap a Leprechaun, Mary Had a Little Lab, Rumble and Roar, the Beatrice Bly's Rules for Spies series, the Kid Scientist series, the Magical Creatures and Crafts series, and many Little Golden Books. Her books h…

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Emily Barth Isler, "The Color of Sound" (Carolrhoda Books, 2024) 1:03:30

9M ago1:03:30

1:03:30

Emily Barth Isler is the author of AfterMath, an award-winning middle grade novel, and of the forthcoming picture book Always Enough Love. In our interview, we celebrate the publication of her second middle grade novel, The Color of Sound (Carolrhoda Books, 2024), the story of Rosie, a musical prodigy with synesthesia. We talk about her transformat…

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A Chat with a Children's Book Illustrator: Erin Kraan 51:11

10M ago51:11

51:11

Erin Kraan has illustrated over half a dozen children's books, with more on the way. In our interview we celebrate her latest illustrated picture book, Buffalo Fluffalo (Random House Studio, 2024) written by Bess Kalb. Erin talks about her life and career, and explains her unique process of carving her characters into wood and seeing how their quir…

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Suzanne Slade, "The Music in George's Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue" (Astra, 2021) 58:03

10M ago58:03

58:03

Suzanne Slade is the Sibert Honor author of more than 170 books for children. A mechanical engineer by degree, Suzanne writes about STEM topics, fascinating figures in history, and occasionally lyrical fiction. Her newest books include Some Days are Yellow, Shining Star: Vera Rubin Discovers Dark Matter, Behold the Octopus!, and Dazzilin' Dolly: Th…

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Heather L. Montgomery, "Sick!: The Twists and Turns Behind Animal Germs" (Bloomsbury, 2024) 41:43

10M ago41:43

41:43

Heather L. Montgomery writes for kids who are wild about animals, masterfully employing yuck appeal to engage young minds. Her 17 nonfiction books include Something Rotten: A Fresh Look at Roadkill, What's in your Pocket? Collecting Nature's Treasures, and Bugs Don't Hug: Six Legged Parents and their Kids. Here we celebrate Heather's brand new book…

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Get Signed: A Chat with Literary Agent Lucinda Halperin 34:56

10M ago34:56

34:56

Lucinda Halpern is a literary agent with over 15 years’ experience in both the publicity and agency sides of publishing. Before founding Lucinda Literary, she worked in the Publicity division of HarperCollins, where she assisted on the media campaign for Freakonomics among other New York Times bestsellers. She currently represents authors writing i…

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Laurie Wallmark and Raakhee Mirchandani, "Journey to the Stars: Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut" (Beaming Books, 2024) 47:56

10M ago47:56

47:56

Laurie Wallmark is the award-winning author of picture book biographies of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) as well as fiction. In our second interview, we celebrate Laurie's new picture book, Journey to the Stars: Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut, co-written with Raakhee Mirchandani, illustrated by Maitreyi Ghosh (Illustrator) ,…

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My Friends Maurice Sendak and Leonard Bernstein 48:51

10M ago48:51

48:51

Christopher Swann is an award-winning producer and director of documentaries, a playwright, author and editor. In our lively interview we discuss his career, his thoughts on creativity, his friendship with two legendary geniuses: author-illustrator Maurice Sendak, and composer conductor Leonard Bernstein, and the monumental films which these friend…

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Rebecca Gardyn Levington, "Afikoman, Where'd You Go?: A Passover Hide-and-Seek Adventure" (Rocky Pond Books, 2024) 58:02

11M ago58:02

58:02

In this wonderfully candid conversation with children's book author Rebecca Gardyn Levington, we celebrate her new book Afikoman, Where'd You Go?: A Passover Hide-and-Seek Adventure from Rocky Pond Books (2024) and illustrated by Noa Kelner. This is her third published picture book (her previous books are Brainstorm! and Whatever Comes Tomorrow), w…

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Talk to the Literary Agent: A Discussion with Victoria Selvaggio 1:01:54

11M ago1:01:54

1:01:54

For Victoria Selvaggio, books have always played an important role in her life. From an early age, she could easily be found reading in a corner with stacks of books or the opposite, crafting her own. Victoria was introduced to SCBWI (The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). Once again, she was hooked! Like all passions, Victoria i…

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What Makes A Great Picture Book? 54:57

11M ago54:57

54:57

Betsy Bird is the Collection Development Manager of Evanston Public Library and the former Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She writes for the School Library Journal blog A Fuse #8 Production and reviews for Kirkus. She is the host of the Story Seeds podcast as well as the co-host of the Fuse 8 n' Kate podcast that she creates…

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Meet the Literary Agent: A Chat with Leslie Zampetti 50:28

11M ago50:28

50:28

Today I speak to the wonderful literary agent Leslie Zampetti, who recently launched her own agency, Open Book Literary. A former librarian in special, public, and school libraries, Leslie’s focus is on the right book at the right time for the reader. We talk about her 'chocolate box' experiences as a champion of great children's stories. Mel Rosen…

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