One Page At a Time Podcast

Did you ever think of reading for helping to heal trauma? We talk to Jessica Sinarski about her books and reading as a way to help connect with those who have experienced trauma and help them heal. This week we are joined by Jessica Sinarski, a Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health who works with children and has so much knowledge and experience to share with us! In this episode we talk about: 1. Jessica’s experience and background working with children and people who have experienced significant trauma in their early lives as well as her passion for digging into the effects of early trauma on the brain and the different paths to healing. 2. Why and how stories and reading can play a role in helping and working with kids who have experienced trauma. “Story is a powerful tool for connecting and healing.” 3. Why it is important to bring the “big” and “scary” parts of ourselves or our experiences to the surface and process them. 4. Why picture books are a good medium for kids to be able to engage with different parts of the story, depending on their situation and needs. “That is my goal- to start young and often, dealing with the tough stuff in life.” 5. Jessica’s experiences seeing picture books help people of all ages- even adults- recognize, express or process their feelings. 6. The books that Jessica has written and how they came to be. “There are kids who desperately need these stories, ...but then they are empathy builders for kids who haven’t had a lot of stressors yet so they can be a friend.” 7. How the books can help take the shame out of having these big feelings and help both kids and adults understand where the feelings come from and how to handle them. 8. What types of books can be helpful when trying to connect with kids who have experienced trauma and a few ideas on when and how to use them. “Humans... have these little windows where we can learn... and where we’re receptive and ready and can soak things up. Sometimes that’s at bedtime during reading, but that’s where we have to be really tuned into the child, because sometimes it’s during play or it’s when we’re out for a walk…” 9. Heaps of book recommendations to help kids with their feelings and experiences! 10. Extra resources for parents and adults trying to parent and work with kids who have gone through trauma. “We can’t fix everything. Sometimes you just have to sit with it.” In Reading: Helping to Heal Trauma we mention We are so grateful to Jessica for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, her books, and her work can be found in the following places: Instagram: @rileythebrave (Jessica Sinarski) Websites: Brave Brains https://bravebrains.com Riley the Brave https://www.rileythebrave.org Common Sense Media Book Reviews https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews Books we mentioned: Riley the Brave  by Jessica Sinarski Riley the Brave Makes it to School by Jessica Sinarski (releasing June 2021) What’s Inside Your Backpack? by Jessica Sinarski The Invisible String by Patrice Karst Mo Willems (author) Hey Warrior by Karen Young Hey Awesome by Karen Young The Kissing Hand by Barbara Bain Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang You may also be interested in: Listen to our interview with Dr William Stixrud about internal motivation to read Listen to our interview with Drs Dollahite and Marks to hear insight into strengthening family relationships through reading.

This week we are joined by Dr. William Stixrud, neuropsychologist, and co-author of the widely known and regarded book, The Self-Driven Child. We talk with Dr. William Stixrud about becoming and helping your child become a self-driven reader. In this episode we talk about: 1. What is motivation in relation to the issues Dr. Stixrud addresses in The Self-Driven Child. 2.. The connection between some things we have researched and read about in Scholastic’s Kid and Family Reading Report, especially the “Decline by Nine” with the principles of child self-motivation. “I love you too much to fight with you about reading.” 3. Some words of encouragement for those who are skeptical of handing over more control of their reading and academic habits to their children. “Making peace with the fact that you really can’t force a kid to do something is really liberating as a parent.” “I want to support kids in every way to become a good reader, but I also want to pay attention to what we know about the brain. If at the end of the day, at night when a kid is tired and done with school, the idea that making them read is going to make them better, it just doesn’t make any brain sense at all.”  4. How we can help kids who are struggling with reading. “What I recommend is that they...be allowed to listen. We know that the same brain systems activate if you are listening to a story or if you are reading it yourself- the same brain systems having to do with comprehension.” 5. How we can prioritize our relationship with a child when there are struggles or friction. 6. How the difference in boys’ and girls’ physiology and development can play a role in their reading development and how important it can be to bear this in mind.  7. Some thoughts on rewards and incentives and how we can use them to our and our kids’ advantage. “It’s not trying to bribe them to do stuff we want to do, it’s...helping them beat their own goals.” We are so grateful to Dr. Stixrud for taking the time to talk with us! More information about him, his work and what we chatted about can be found in the following places: Resources we mention in Helping Kids Take Control of their Reading Instagram: @simplyonpurpose with Ralphie Jacobs Websites:  Simply on Purpose The Stixrud Group https://stixrud.com Scholastic’s Kid and Family Reading Report https://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/home.html Books The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson What Do You Say? by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson (coming Fall 2021) Grit by Angela Duckworth You may also be interested in: Fighting the Decline by Nine with Lauren Tarshis You may have missed our last episode with Kai Gomeau...

This week we are joined by a very impressive teenager! Earlier in 2020, Kai Gomeau was looking for ways to get involved in some community service, but, as it has for so many of us, Covid threw a wrench into his plans. Kai was determined, however, and decided to start his own virtual reading program- Read With a Teen.  In this episode we talk about: 1. Kai’s reading habits as a busy teenager, how and when he fits time to read in and what he likes to read. 2. How Kai's project, Read With a Teen, went from a memory from Kindergarten to a successful online program with connections all over the country and even world! “I had to go out and find another way…” 3. What Read WIth a Teen is and how it works. “He started the program not liking reading, but as a couple weeks went by… when I would offer to read a book he’d be like, ‘no no no, let me read, let me read!’” 4. Some of the sessions and experiences that Kai has had that have made an impact on him. “Part of that might have been reading with someone else that wasn’t his mom and doing it for fun!” 5. What Kai’s vision of the future of Read With a Teen is and the goals he has for himself and his program. “I’ve heard from a lot of my high school friends that they don’t like reading and that they never liked reading, so I was like, ‘huh...I should fix that.’”  In Read with a Teen with Kai Gomeau we mention: We are so grateful to Kai for taking the time to talk with us! More information about him and Read With a Teen can be found in the following places: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReadwithaTeen Books we mentioned: Pete the Cat (series) by James Dean Fox in Socks by Dr Seuss Scooby Doo Storybook Collection edited by Beth Dunfey The Book with No PIctures by BJ Novak Don’t the Pigeon Drive the Bus (series) by Mo Willems Elephant and Piggie (series) by Mo Willems Mercy Watson (series) by Kate DiCamillo Shel Silverstein (author) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee William Shakespeare (author) The Odyssey by Homer Percy Jackson (series) by Rick Riordan Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King Catch a Fire by Timothy White If you liked Read with a Teen with Kai Gomeau, be sure to check out our interview with Sarah Wood about what your child's teacher wants you to know about reading.

We both had reading goals we mastered in 2020 and want to share with you some 2020 favorite reads from us, One Page at a Time hosts, Jill Berrett Given and Amanda Fristrom As we look forward to a new year in our podcast, we wanted to take a minute and look back at the last year. It was a big year in reading for both of us, so before we dive back into the awesome guests we get to chat with, we decided to share some of our favorites of all the books we read! In this episode we talk about: What our 2020 reading goals were and how they changed and developed as the year went on. Our top five books for the year! We each had our own criteria for picking our top books, so we ended up with a pretty diverse list! We will link to all the books we picked below. How the pandemic and other events in 2020 changed our (and so many other people we have talked to!) reading habits and limited the scope and type of books we read. And finally, we wrapped up the episode sharing our 2021 reading goals with each other (and all of you)! We talk about our reasons for reading fluffy fiction. Interested in learning more about just one of the benefits of reading fiction? Here's the Harvard Business Review article and the research study Amanda refers to about how fiction positively affects decision making. In 2020 Favorite Reads we mention: Amanda's reads: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson Lovely War by Julie Berry The Four Kingdoms (series) by Melanie Cellier Jill's reads: The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan The War That Saved My Life/The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley We also mention: Holes by Louis Sachar Chronicles of Narnia (series) by C. S. Lewis Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine A Boy Called Bat (series) by Elana K. Arnold Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  Sophie Kinsella (Author) Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern Shannon Hale (author) Gail Carson Levine (author) In 2020 Favorite Reads we also mention these resources: Everyday Reading and here is the 2021 Reading Log Adam Sockel, Professional Book Nerds for a podcast on book recommendations (here's our interview with Adam about Professional Book Nerds) Superhero Book List (from yours truly) Princess Book List for all ages (also from yours truly) For our entire reading list: Interested in seeing all 300+ books we read in 2020? Or to follow us on Goodreads? Here's the link to Jill's year in review and Amanda's year in review for all the fun stats and links to all the books. For our entire lists together, organized by category/series and with our recommendations (because let's be honest, we wouldn't re-read all of these or recommend some of them to you) we will be publishing a separate blog list soon. Just what did reading more than 200 books in 2020 do to Amanda? Find out 20 lessons from reading 200+ books in 2020 in Amanda's blog post all about it, coming soon.

The (first?) grandparent edition of How we read with Jean and Mark Yockey helps us all to gain the perspective of a parent who raised their kids on books and now read to their grandchildren as well - wherever in the world they are. This week we are joined by Jean and Mark Yockey, parents of our one and only Amanda! They wear so many hats, including educators, PhD holders, a nurse, an entrepreneur, and, what they joined us especially to talk about: grandparents! Books were always a huge part of their lives as they raised their family and the theme has carried on into their grandparenting. In this episode we talk about: 1. A little bit about how their family’s book collection evolved through the years, through many moves to new cities, states and homes and now as the kids have grown up, left home and started families of their own. 2. Their experiences being the parents of teenagers with different reading styles and interests. 3. The evolution of their experiences from parents to grandparents when it comes to reading.  “it’s different if you see somebody in a picture or on a computer screen, vs seeing them in person... After one story, though, then it’s like, ‘okay... I remember this and life is good.’” 4. What do they like about reading with their grandchildren? 5. Their experiences reading with one of their grandchildren who is on the Autism spectrum. “Books are a good way to introduce him to other things in the world that he is a little more reluctant to open up to.” 6. The benefits of revisiting a familiar or favorite book to help kids through concerns or difficult times. “There’s a fair amount of uncertainty and loss of structure [right now]..that we can’t control, but you can always go back and revisit the magic of your friends that are in books, even if you can’t see your real friends as much.” 7. How they juggle and manage to read to as many of their 7+ grandkids as possible at one time- both in person and virtually! “I don’t run around as much as I used to; I can’t keep up with them! It’s a good opportunity for me to sit down and relax and rejuvenate, too.” 8. What are some of their favorite things to read with their grandkids? 9. How they tailor their reading and discussion about books to their grandkids’ different ages. 10. Thoughts on how parents of adult children can help encourage their children to make books a part of their grandkids’ lives. We are so grateful to Mark and Jean for taking the time to talk with us!  In this How We Read with Jean and Mark Yockey we mentioned: The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone Mercer Mayer (author of the Little Critter series) The Berenstain Bears by Stan and Jan Berenstain  Go Dog Go! by P. D. Eastman Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman Robot Bot Bot by Fernando Krahn Llama Llama (series) by Anna Dewdney Never Let a Unicorn Scribble!   by Diane Alber You may be interested in: Episode 29: Bringing out the best in princesses and superheroes We talk about how to discuss books with our children - and when those books have something you don't like in it.

Just how does a dyslexic become an author of a series of picture books teaching language and grammar rules to children? Kimberlee Gard shares her story with us. This week we are joined by children’s book author Kimberlee Gard, who is an inspiration for anyone who has a loved one who struggles with reading or is experiencing the struggle themselves. Growing up with dyslexia, she, in her own words, “spent her childhood running from books instead of reading them.” As time went on, she gained the tools and skills she needed to not only unlock the joy of books, but has become the author of them! She has written several picture books and is passionate about the power that books have to change children- especially ones who may not follow the same path to a love of reading that their peers might..  In this episode we talk about: 1. What it was like for her growing up with dyslexia and not being able to read by herself until she was about ten years old. “That really set me apart and way behind my peers...it makes you feel different; it makes you struggle with who you are.” 2. A few of the tools that Kimberlee learned along the way in her journey of learning how to read and form a positive relationship with reading and writing. “It can change a child’s life to be encouraged by focusing where their attributes are instead of where their struggles are.” 3. How her struggle reading actually helped to turn her into a storyteller and led to her writing career and how it affects her writing today. “I think that struggles can sometimes become a gift, and I know that is true for me.” 4. Why Kimberlee decided to write a children's book about punctuation of all things! “The majority of the time, punctuation is not taught until children are far past the initial stages of reading and because of this, children have to go back and relearn how to use punctuation or they just discount it and don’t use it at all!” 5. How her “Learning is Fun” book series was born out of her desire to focus on where she struggled as a kid and create tools to help other children. In How Did a Dyslexic Become an Author,.?! we mention: We are so grateful to Kimberlee for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her and her books can be found in the following places: Instagram: @kimberlee.gard Websites: Kimberlee's website Books we mentioned: The Day Punctuation Came to Town by Kimberlee Gard The Mighty Silent e! by Kimberlee Gard The Little i Who Lost His Dot by Kimberlee Gard Karma Wilson (author) If you like this episode, you may be interested in listening to episode 23: Building Character with Picture Books with Mary Costello

We know, talking finances with kids doesn't usually rank high on a parent's list of highlights. Moneybunnies may just be able to help you out with that, however. This week we are joined by Cinders Mcleod, cartoonist, illustrator and author extraordinaire. She taught herself everything she knows about finances during her decades-long career with publications all over the world (even making it into the Guiness Book of World Records!). In recent years, she has been sharing her hard-earned wisdom with the world through her illustrated picture book series, Moneybunnies, which are wonderfully imaginative and a wonderful way to start conversations about money and finances with children. In this episode we talk about: 1. Moneybunnies! Cinders grew up not really talking about money in her home, so she began wondering and pondering on it from a very early age. Her ponderings came into play during the 2007-08 financial crisis, when more people were concerned about teaching kids about money, and she decided to turn them into a series of books to help kids navigate the world of money. “I left my newspaper to focus on a series of books that could help kids navigate the world of money, because I wanted to write the books that I really could have done with when I was a kid.” 2. The individual books in the series and what they are all about.  3. The universality of the books- Cinders created her own world to set the books in, a bunny world, so that children all over the world can understand and relate to the stories and, by extension, the principles they teach. “My intention isn’t to tell parents how to do it, but to get the conversation started.” 4. Some thoughts and tips on actually starting conversations about money with children and specifics about how the Moneybunnies books and other resources Cinders has on her website can play a part in the conversations. 5. Cinders shared some feedback she has received from people who have read and used her books. “I wanted through my social comment cartoons to help the world, but I think fate directed me to something probably more important, which is helping children get a good start at having better lives...if I can do that, that’s pretty magic!” 6. How the humor and very approachable illustration in the books make them very palatable to both children and adults, which came from both her background as a cartoonist as well as her experiences with her own children. 7. Possibilities of starting conversations with your kids when you as the parent or adult might need to instigate them rather than waiting for your children to come to you and ask the questions. “I’m really proud of what I learned in my life because I had to, and if I can share [those] little things I learned with children, then maybe I can help them skip a few steps!” 8. We wrapped up by taking advantage of chatting with a cartoonist to get her thoughts on cartoons and especially cartoon books. In "Show Me the Money...Bunnies! Talking Finances with Kids " we mention: We are so grateful to Cinders for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, her books, and the Moneybunnies’ world can be found in the following places: Websites:  https://www.moneybunnies.com Books we mentioned: Earn It by Cinders McCleod Spend It! by Cinders McCleod Save It! by Cinders McCleod Give it by Cinders McLeod is now available! Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson Want to be sure your child understands Difficult concepts related to financial literacy? Listen to our episode with Sydnie Brinkerhoff, The Development of Language.

Book recommendations, printable reading lists, a free ecourse on raising a reader and more all reside at this website, but here we interview Janssen about what everyday reading looks like to learn what goes into this powerhouse of information. This week we are joined by Janssen Bradshaw, the woman behind the incredibly popular website and instagram account, Everyday Reading. While she seems to have a hand in everything from designing rainboots to perfecting the chocolate chip cookie, her background as a librarian led her to bringing us the support and book recommendations that make her sites stand out. In this episode we talk about: 1. Janssen’s background from growing up in a “serious reading family” to discovering her own reading tastes as an adult and even becoming a school librarian in Boston before she started having her girls. 2. How her website started and evolved into what it is today. “I thought, ‘I’m going to start reading again!’ So I went to the library, and I just wandered through all the stacks and I thought, ‘I have no idea even what to read!’” 3. What it was like to be a school librarian in Boston and some of the lessons she learned from those experiences. 4. What it takes for Janssen to make her epic book recommendation lists and some of the resources she uses for them. We learned she has a whole post on her website that compiles those resources, which she shared with us:  https://everyday-reading.com/how-i-find-new-picture-books-and-where/ 5. How book tastes are very unique and your taste may not line up with someone who is recommending books to you, but how there are books out there for everyone. “There’s never better conversations on my blog or instagram than when I say, ‘what book does everybody love that you can’t stand?’” 6. What are some of the elements that make a book one of Janssen’s “favorites” and what are some of Janssen’s most popular recommendation lists from her website. 7. Where someone can start when they come to her website for the first time and get the most out of the information that she has compiled over the years. 8. Advice on what to do when the kids in your life start to get opinions about what they want to read and how to balance letting them read what they want while still suggesting and reading your book picks with them. “Just because they don’t like it now doesn’t mean they’ll never like it.” 9. Some tips for anyone who is struggling finding books that their kids will read or having other kids of friction when it comes to kids and reading. “I feel like as a parent...my job is to make reading fun and something that they enjoy.”  10. We wrapped up with a little bit (or a lot) of love for audiobooks and how amazing they are for kids! We are so grateful to Janssen for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, her website, and her oodles of excellent book recommendations can be found in the following places: To find more about what Everyday Reading looks like: Instagram:  @everydayreading Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/EverydayReadingBlog Websites: https://everyday-reading.com Books we mention in What Everyday Reading Looks Like: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain Don't miss our previous interview with Dr. Sarah Coyne about using books to re-write the way popular characters are seen in your home.

We help you bring out the best in princesses and superheroes in your books - whether they are for you or your children! We know. You don't know what to think of your toddler trying to climb walls like Spiderman and your daughter singing "Let it Go" for the bajillionth time. Luckily Dr. Sarah Coyne has done the research and spills all for ways we can bring out the best in princesses and superheroes using books about these beloved characters. This week we are joined by Sarah Coyne, professor and a director at the School of Family life at Brigham Young University where she studies gender, body image, children, and adolescence. Her studies are vast and varied, but she joined us today to chat about a topic that many people have strong opinions about- superheroes and princesses.  In this episode we talk about: 1. How an experience with her then-three-year-old daughter asking if she was too fat sparked Dr. Coyne’s interest in the scientific study of princesses and superheroes. “[A colleague] said, ‘I don’t really have any research to back me up here in terms of scientific studies,’ and I thought, ‘well that’s what I do for my job, so I think I’ll do a study on Disney princesses!’” 2. What some of the results of Dr. Coyne’s studies on the effects of both princesses and superheroes on young children have been. 3. Some of the criticisms of princess and superhero stories, but also how they are changing with time and thoughts on how we can consume them rather than simply give up on them. “There’s all these beautiful themes that are mentioned in the princess movies, like loyalty or defending your family members or following your dreams or how to work really hard and not give up when people are mean to you...I think if we focused on those messages and those themes we would do a lot better than generally focusing on appearance or how pretty they are, which is sometimes what we do.” How to focus on the good using books 4. How we can focus on the good in these stories and characters using books. “If you’re watching a movie, it’s hard to pause it and be like, ‘okay, let’s talk about what’s going on here,’ but with a book it feels more natural to do that… It’s a really beautiful opportunity to be able to talk about some of those good themes we find in princess movies as opposed to watching a move.” 5. How we can take a child’s more superficial interest in a character or story and help them see different aspects and attributes of those beloved characters that we would love for our kids to emulate or internalize.  6. We dip just a bit into Dr. Coyne’s studies about aggression in children and adolescents and the role superheroes might play in that. She had some great thoughts on using those stories to start conversations and using them to learn and grow. “I’m not a big fan of banning things just flat out; I really believe that media can be such a valuable tool in all sorts of different ways… Media is just a tool and you can use a tool for both good and evil.” In Bringing out the Best in Princesses and Superheroes we mention: We are so grateful to Dr. Coyne for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her and her research can be found in the following places: Websites:  https://sarahmcoyne.com Social Media Curriculum for 5-8 graders- https://sarahmcoyne.com/resources/ Freakonomics Episode (Dr. Coyne is a contributing guest) Does Hollywood Still Have a Princess Problem Books we mentioned: Frozen Storybook Collection by Walt Disney LeapStart Disney Princess Shine with Your Vocabulary My Little Pony Friendship Adventures (series) by Olivia London One Page at a Time's princess book recommendations We give you a list of some of our favorite princess books and some ideas for positive themes you can talk about with your child. One Page at a Time's superhero book recommendations

We are focusing on focus and helping kids read independently in this episode - a sometimes overwhelming subject. If you have a wiggle-worm or reluctant reader in your life, this may be a helpful listen. This week we are joined by Kristen Berrett, an educator who has worked with non-profit youth mentoring organizations for many years. She is an avid reader (not surprising, as she is one of co-host Jill’s five sisters) who joined us to share her thoughts and years of experience working with children and teenagers from all sorts of backgrounds. In this episode we talk about: 1. How many parents and others who work with kids would love for said kids and teens to read more, but aren’t sure how to help them have the focus needed to read independently. “If we are talking about teaching a child the skill of being able to focus and read independently, just the same with any skill- practice makes perfect.” 2. Several things that Kristen has studied and researched that can affect a child’s ability to focus (and, by extension, their ability to read independently). Two main ones that she has focused on in her career are screen time and childhood trauma. “Even as I’m working from home today I have like 12 internet browsers open and I’m going back and forth between all of them and it’s not teaching anybody- kids or adults- how to focus on one thing.”  3. Things that Kristen has learned both through her research as well as through working with kids that can help children improve their ability to focus. 4. How meditation and mindfulness is a growing idea in schools, after-school programs and even families that can help kids “get their brain back into a place where they can focus.” “Even just a few minutes in nature every day can help a kid learn how to calm their mind and slow things down so that they can focus on other things during the rest of their lives.” 5. Some techniques that Kirsten has seen actually help kids improve the effects of childhood trauma, which can be a big factor in kids’ ability to focus. 6. The unique classroom experience Kristen had when she was teaching- elementary school physical education and high school leadership classes for Latinos and refugees-  and how she used books in her classes. “Because of the demographics of the classes I was teaching, we had a lot of conversations about race and about what that means, to be different from other people...and the book really opened up a lot of those conversations.” 7. Independent reading and young children, starting habits early and how audiobooks can play a role in that. 8. Research and resources Kirsten has used to build her knowledge base in this subject. We are so grateful to Kristen for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, and some of the things we chatted about can be found in the following places: Books we mention in Focusing on Focus: Helping Kids Read Independently The Deepest Well Nadine Burke Harris Paul Tough, author Peaceful Piggie Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean Blue Willow by Doris Gates Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell We also mention: Better Screen Time - a great resource for helping you keep the tech in your home in check, no matter how old your children are. You may also be interested in our interview with Lauren Tarshis from Scholastic, Fighting The Decline By Nine.

Dealing with Covid-19 using books may sound overwhelming or like a perfect fit - or likely somewhere between these two on the sliding scale. We wanted to give you a look at what's happening in One Page at a Time and also a couple resources you can look into if you wish. In this episode we talk about: 1 Jill and Amanda are both dealing with Covid-19 in different ways, since we have different personalities and different situations. The one commonality with everyone is that this is an unexpected and life-altering period in our lives. We all handle it in different ways, and that's totally okay. 2 We very quickly list some of the resources we are aware of that are currently available to help us all during this time. Check the end of this post for links and more info. 3 Finally, we both feel as though some of the unpublished interviews we have done may be helpful for many of us now. Therefore, we've changed our schedule around and you can expect to hear from authors Dealing with Covid-19 resources: We are Teachers This may be the most concise and inclusive list of "virtual author activities" that we have seen. This lists a lot of authors and illustrators doing drawings (think Mo Willems) and many read alouds (think Oprah Winfrey). It's sectioned off into 3 age categories, so don't get too overwhelmed by the length of the list. If you're going to start somewhere, we recommend you start here. A Kid's Book About Covid-19 Big fan of A Kid's Book series like us? Download their great ebook on Covid-19 for free at the link above. In general, these are great books about subjects that can be difficult one way or another, so it may be worth perusing their shop, as well. (not affiliated in any way, just like their books) What is a Pandemic? Free e-story Teachers Pay Teachers is a treasure trove of great resources, and this free story is definitely one to read. It's graded K-3rd grade, though my 5-year-old had a harder time with the text. Wide Open School This is one of the resources we have that covers kids Pre-K to Grade 12. I will quote the website, "As parents, you may be adjusting to the idea of having your kids at home all the time. To make learning with them more accessible, we have been busy compiling the best free online resources." If you are feeling a bit lost and on your own, this is a great start for schooling. Kate Messner Author and former teacher, Kate Messner has shared a page full of resources that are even divided by age. As a parent, I think this is a useful page, even though it is intended for librarians and teachers. She includes a link to publisher guidelines for online read a louds, if you have been wondering about that. She also has links to several of her own children's books on YouTube. Author Penpal: Kimberlee Gard We have a great interview we will be publishing soon with Kimberlee about her books. The Day Punctuation Came to Town is my personal favorite, and she is an absolute delight. She just announced on her instagram account that she will respond to anyone who wants to write to her, pen-pal style. Storyline Online Celebrities reading books can never get old, right? These are picture books, heads up. Story Seeds Podcast story about Corona Virus Story Seeds is a fabulous podcast that shows up regularly in our bedtime routine at Amanda's house. Jason Reynolds, author of the newly released Stamped, gives 8 tips for keeping the new "villain" in town at bay. It's not so much a story, but definitely worth a listen (it's 4 minutes) to see if you feel it would be helpful for your family. Brain Pop video and curriculum on Covid-19 The video by Brain Pop is great for any age, and if you have school-age kids, be sure to look into the accompanying reading, vocabulary, quiz, etc. This is a great way to be sure you and your child are on the same page with understanding such a difficult subject. Libro.fm

Loving Bookstores from Afar may seem impossible, given the nature of brick-and-mortar stores. Add in the current #stayhome world we are in, we fear for our sanity and for the bookstores around the world. Libro.fm can help with both these concerns. This week we are joined by Stephanie Ballien, the director of marketing for a digital company called Libro FM. She worked with many other major brands before finding her passion and home at Libro FM. She hails from Seattle and enjoys life there with her two children. In this episode we talk about: 1. What Libro FM is. It is a company that provides a way for you to buy audiobooks through local and independent bookstores that they have partnered with- a great way to support bookstores while still getting the digital content we love! 2. How the partnership with bookstores makes Libro FM different from other audiobook platforms and what features they are able to bring to their customers thanks to that partnership. 3.  A speed-round of Frequently Asked Questions that Stephanie handled like a champ! So much good information about them, how they work, how much it costs, and so much more in such a short amount of time (you get to own the audio file! They have monthly sales! You can get a refund if you did not like the book! You can pick a bookstore to support!). 4. When we recorded and originally aired this episode, the world was in the middle of dealing with the outbreak of COVID-19. We chatted about what Libro FM was doing to support the local bookstores that they partner with, many of which had to close down while their cities tried to contain the virus. 5. And, as a final wrap-up, we got Stephanie about the latest book that she has read and fell in love with. In Libro.fm: Loving Bookstores From Afar we mention We are so grateful to Stephanie for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, and LibroFM can be found in the following places: Instagram: @librofm @Childrenslitlove Websites: https://libro.fm Email: hello@libro.fm Books we mentioned: Stamped by Jason Reynolds Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer  (series) Disney's Frozen Anna and Elsa sister series by Erica David Nate the Great (series) by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat A Boy Called Bat (series) by Alana K Arnold Related Episodes If you're looking for another great way to listen to audiobooks, be sure to listen to Episode 9: Getting to Know Overdrive and Libby with Adam Sockel We also talk about listening to audiobooks in one of our earliest interviews with Family Looking Up in Episode 6: Finding Books for your Family

What do we mean by healthy bodies, healthy books? We share how can you use books to help your family stay healthy, and what are some great options to read together. This week we are joined by Coleen Graham, a RN who has worked in a major pediatric hospital for the past eleven years. She also has three kids of her own, so she has had plenty of experience teaching kids about being sick and staying healthy in all sorts of settings. Along with nursing she also teaches preschool and the occasional yoga class, so we are very grateful that she was able to take the time to chat with us about this topic that has been on many parents’ minds lately! In this episode we talk about: 1. Coleen’s job at the hospital and what she does there. She explains her unit as a “step-down NICU.” She mostly works with infants and toddlers, although they have recently started getting children of many different ages. 2. What she prioritizes as a nurse and a mom when she teaches her kids about their bodies and staying healthy.  3. How she has used books to teach those things to her kids and why picture books do such a great job at putting these complicated topics on their level. 4. How she has seen books used at her hospital unit. For instance, she has seen a feeding tube kit that comes with a story book and coloring book that talk about what it is, how it is used, how they can talk about it, etc. Since her unit is mostly younger kids, they do not use them to explain what is going on as much, but they have books that are for the kids and parents to use while they are there, which helps to bring something familiar and comforting to a scary situation. “The parents are happy to see a book that they are familiar with and they are happy to read to their child and it kind of makes a scary hospital experience something a little less scary.” 5. Coloring books and what a great tool they can be. Coleen has used them when teaching her kids about their bodies and she made a great point about how kids are often times better able to listen to things we are trying to teach them when their hands are busy doing something else... like coloring or drawing! 7. How she has decided what to teach her different children at different ages. 8. A few of their family’s favorite books for talking about bodies and health. 9. How our emotions and mental health can affect our physical health and how we can help our kids with their emotions and especially to identify and communicate them. 10. All three of us chime in with some books that might be good for older children, teenagers or even adults who want to We are so grateful to Coleen for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, the books we chat about, and other resources to help us teach our kids about being healthy can be found in the following places: In Healthy Bodies, Healthy Books we mention: Websites: Kids Health.org Google Scholar Books: The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist by Stan and Jan Berenstain What are Germs? - By Katie Daynes (Usborne) My Body - Usborne The Usborne Science Encyclopedia by several authors The Pigeon Needs a Bath by Mo Willems Standin’ Tall Cleanliness by Janeen Brady Little Monkey Calms Down by Michael Dahl Lurlene McDaniel (author) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach The Rent Collector by Camron Wright The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak and Julian Frost Magic School Bus: The Giant Germ by Scholastic The Big Book of the Body - Usborne Daniel Visits the Doctor - Daniel Tiger book Looking for more on "healthy" books for your family? Look at this blog post Want to read about the Covid-19 financial crisis of 2020?

Building character with picture books is not even possible, we here at One Page at a Time argue that it's fantastic. We hear about how one Bookstagrammer is using picture books to help their whole family learn 12 Character Traits in 2020. This week we are joined by Mary Costello, the amazing woman behind the website, Children’s Lit Love. Mary spent years gaining her education in Child development and Elementary education before teaching elementary school for ten years. When he oldest was born she began using that wealth of knowledge and experience in her own home and now shares it with us on her website and Instagram account.  In this episode we talk about: 1. How she went from being the book recommendation lady for all of her friends to her website now, which still has plenty of book recommendations, but also fantastic information on children’s literacy in general. 2. Their family’s journey this year to focus on developing different character traits with their children. They wanted to be very intentional about teaching their girls certain things, so they pick a new trait each month to talk about. Mary puts together the books and other things they have used so far and shares them all on her sites. 3. We talked a bit about the nitty-gritty of how exactly they have been putting this character trait plan into practice in their family and what roles she and her husband play in what they do. 4. Mary had some thoughts on how to do something similar if you do not have the same support from a spouse. She especially points out that by the end of the year she will have twelve character traits-worth of lists and information that anyone can use, thus cutting down on a ton of work and preparation for someone who wants to try it! 5. How has it been going so far for them? In Mary’s own words, “It is going so much better than we had imagined!” It has been fun and unifying for their family and they have been able to see the differences in their girls that their efforts have made. 6. Why books are such a good fit for what she and her husband are doing with the character traits in their family this year.  7. How Mary handles the gathering and organization of the books she collects and uses for her monthly topics.  8. And some great book recommendations to round us off! We are so grateful to Mary for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, her sties, and their family’s character traits development journey can be found in the following places: In Building Character with Picture Books we mention: Instagram: @childrenslitlove Websites: https://childrenslitlove.com Books Molly and Mae by Danny Parker Mindset by Carol Dweck The Power of Showing Up by Daniel J Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson Clementine (series) by Sara Pennypacker Henry Huggins (series) by Beverly Cleary Ramona (series) by Beverly Cleary Sharing a Shell by Julia Donaldson Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson Valentine Cats by Jean Marzollo Excited for One Page at a Time's Summer 2020 books and activities? So are we! Get started with the first week here

This week we are joined in a discussion of How We Read with Amanda Pilmer Roberts, a “semi-retired” librarian, as she describes it, who has a great love of (and talent for) music, dance and theater. She has degrees in Theater, Musicology and Library Science and has spent her varied career working in unique school libraries, singing in choirs, choreographing musicals and now, her latest adventure, raising her beautiful baby daughter.  In this episode we talk about 1. Amanda’s unique career in equal parts theater and libraries. She gives some great insights into what goes into many librarians’ careers and gives us a sense of how many different types of libraries there are, which many people aren’t aware of! 2. How being a librarian has influenced Amanda’s approach to books with her family now that she has her daughter. Suffice it to say, she will never hesitate heading to a library and asking a librarian for help when they are in need of books or information! 3. What reading looks like with her baby, who is just younger than a year old. This is a hard stage for many people to read to their kids at, as they are active and mobile, yet not always engaged in book, and Amanda shares what works for her and her baby. 4. Both Amanda and her husband are actively involved in reading with their daughter and she talks about what the looks like in their family. They had talked about it and knew that books were going to be a part of their family’s life even before they were married and had kids and started their book collections for their future family long ago.  5. We talk about tracking the books our kids read and Amanda makes a great point that she wishes she had kept track when she was younger, since there are books that she remembers and wishes she could find then again, but doesn’t remember enough about it (...the cover was blue…?). 6. Amanda wraps up by sharing with us a technique she used as a school librarian to help her students to pick books to read. She used a system from Scholastic called PICK (link to it below). It’s a great system helpful in a school as well as family setting! In How We Read with Amanda Pilmer Roberts we mention: Books The Princess Bride by William Goldman Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease and Cyndi Giorgis ABCs of Physics by Chris Ferrie The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood If you enjoyed listening to Amanda Pilmer Roberts, try one of these other episodes: Episode 17: How We Read with Rachel Lambourne Episode 13: From Reluctant Reader to Librarian with Harold Hayes Episode 11: How We Read with Cathy Balfanz Episode 01: The More You Read the Better you Get with Cyndi Giorgis

This week we are joined by Jamie Shaner, a professional organizer who founded Home Solutions of WNY, Inc. in 2005. She is also an avid perennial gardener who loves playing in the dirt,  and enjoys reading and listening to all kinds of music. This was an interview we looked forward to for a long time, both for her expertise as well as because of her approach toward books, which to quote her is: “As a professional organizer, I'm authorized to say there's such a thing as too many suitcases, too much jello in the pantry, or too many dolls with eyes that move, but rarely ever too many books.”  In this episode we talk about: 1. Note that Jamie’s book philosophy is that one can rarely have too many books (not never), so she does share with us some circumstances that may show that we have books that might be better served finding a new home for. 2. For all of our remaining books, we talk about finding ways to store books appropriately using the space we have available. One missed book storage opportunity that both Amanda and I are guilty of is picking short bookcases- why limit yourself to that when we could find one that goes all the way up the wall that can use that rarely-utilized vertical space. 3. We were very interested to ask Jamie her thoughts on Marie Kondo, the rather famous organizational expert who has gotten some flak through the years for her sometimes sparse attitude towards owning and storing books. Jamie gave us her personal method of helping her clients organize: “Do you need it, do you use it, do you love it (if it is something loveable), and do you have the space to store it?” She shares with us how she would apply it specifically to books and it is incredibly helpful! 4. If we do every find ourselves needing to downsize our book collection, Jamie also had thoughts on what to do with the ones that we, as she put it, “release out into the universe for someone who does not have these books of their own.”  5. We also got into the organization of books once you have the spaces set to store them. The librarian half of our duo loved this part of the discussion and, while we recognize that everyone is going to have their own “cataloging” system for their home collections, she gave us some great thoughts and tips if you are struggling managing it. We are so grateful to Jamie for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her and her company can be found in the following places: In Organize yourshelf: storing books, we mention: Websites: Home Solutions WNY Inc University of Buffalo Annual book sale How Amanda's bookshelves are changing as a result of Jamie's interview Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HomeSolutionsOrganizing Books we mentioned: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo Ann Patchett (Author) Barbara Kingsolver (Author) Anne Tyler (Author) Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

This week we share with you a great strategy for learning a new language: reading! If you've ever tried learning a new language by reading novels for fun, you may have experienced the great benefits this form of studying has. After all, if we know it is helpful for our kids learning their native language, it makes sense that free reading in a new language is a good idea. This week we are joined by Camilla Bates, a small-town Spanish teacher (as she describes herself). She grew up in Northern Minnesota and Michigan and is now settled in rural Western Colorado, where she and her husband are raising their two boys. She has taught Spanish for more than fifteen years, has written two books and set up a website to share ideas and resources with other language teachers.  In this episode we talk about: Learning a new language by reading 1. How her interest in Spanish and eventually teaching it got started (slowly!). She started off taking Spanish classes herself in high school, never thinking she would stick with it. Something kept going, however, and by her third year she had discovered 2. The link between “free reading” and language learning. She learned about the important link between the two in conferences and now includes it in her classes. She wanted to give her students enjoyable things to read and wrote a four-part story with another teacher. It opened the world of writing to her and she has continued to write Spanish stories and has published two books so far, including one about a student trying to learn how to speak Spanish, which her students very much relate to! 3. While offering her students this “free reading” time to solidify the vocabulary and other things they are learning about the language, Camilla talks about the benefits of reading fiction.  “Most studies have shown that we actually learn more from reading fiction than we do from reading non-fiction, which seems counter-intuitive, but....studies have shown!” While she does include non-fiction books in her classroom collection, a great deal of it is fiction. 4. Teaching high school, Camilla is dealing with many students who do not regularly read for themselves, which poses challenges. “By the time I have them in high school, I would say 75% of my students identify as not liking reading. So when they come into my room and they are reading...- not just reading, but reading in a second language- I want it to be as comfortable an experience as possible… I don’t require them to do anything at the end of it. They literally come in, they choose a book, sit down and read.” At the end of the semester, however, she asks them something that they have learned from reading and the answers she gets are “spectacular.”  5. Along with the “free reading” that she has her students do in every class period, Camilla also reads stories aloud to her students when teaching them new material, which helps students at every level for different reasons! 6. Camilla’s second book, Soy Carlos, was written because people always ask her how they can learn Spanish when they are not able to take a class. She always tells them to read in Spanish, but it is often difficult to find material at the right level, so she wrote a graphic novel aimed to help people learn Spanish on their own! As a Spanish teacher, she is in a great postition to give us advice if we want to learn a second (or third or fourth, etc) language. She reminded us to start small- don’t immediately dive in and try to read Harry Potter. She gave us some great resources to get started, which we will link to below. In "Learning a new language? Grab a novel!" we mention: We are so grateful to Camilla  for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, her books, and her website can be found in the following places: Facebook Websites: Smalltown Spanish Teacher's website https://fluencymatters.com https://www.tprsbooks.com

Have you ever read with your spouse? Maybe listened to a book in the car together? We get lots of great ideas from Lucia and JR Ratliff on how they read together, and then Jill and Amanda talk about how it went with their husbands when they brought up the possibility of reading together. This week we are joined by married couple Lucia and JR Ratliff. Natives of the US, they are currently experiencing life in host Amanda’s neck of the woods- the United Arab Emirates. She is a songwriter and teacher while he is a professor and they have four kids. They have been reading together since the early days of their relationship and now have years’ worth of experience and advice to share with us! In this episode we talk about: 1. How did they get started? “Just a matter of, we only have one book, but we both want to read it, so we’ll just read it out loud!” As it went on, their voices couldn’t keep up with them, so they switched to audiobooks. They listen or read while doing other things- such as working out or playing tetris as well as in the car. Quite often it also happens when they are in bed at the end of the day, when they utilize the handy timer function on many audiobook players so as not to lose their place when they fall asleep! 2. How has reading together affected their relationship? It gives them something beyond their kids and everyday lives to joke about, relate about and talk about. “It definitely added another dimension to our relationship, because we were doing that together…” 3. How do they decide what books to read? Goodreads, recommendations from friends, Audible suggestions similar to books they have enjoyed, reading their way through the collections of authors they like. They take turns picking the books so that both of their tastes and interests are covered. 4. How and when do they talk about the books that they read together? It is usually mixed in with their everyday conversations. Their morning routines are a great time to chat about what they listen to the night before, while they are in the car or even as they are messaging each other throughout the day, when a thought occurs to them or something else they read connects to it. 5. Where are their kids during all this book listening? Sometimes the kids are around! Usually it is when they are all in the car and Lucia picks one that is appropriate for all of them (“Lucia is the audiobook CEO around here!”). They usually stick to children’s literature when they are all together, however, at times parts of the books they read as a couple stick out to them that they want to share with their kids and listen to it together. 6. Where could a couple start who have never read together? Start with what you already enjoy doing together. “I think couples already kind of know what they enjoy doing together and most things come in book form!” Taking turns is important as well, because it helps you get to know your partner in a new and different way, or gives you clues as to what is on their mind when you read what the other is into at the moment. 7. Audiobooks vs. reading out loud to each other will come down to each couple’s preference. The Ratliffs have their reasons for preferring audiobooks, but each couple will have to figure out what works best for them! We are so grateful to Lucia and JR for taking the time to talk with us and can’t wait to dive into this list of recommendations they gave!  In How We Read with Lucia and JR Ratliff, we mention a lot of books: The Twilight Saga (series) by Stephanie Meyer Stephenie Meyer (author) Brandon Sanderson (author) Brandon Mull (author) Brené Brown (author) Anne Lamott (author) Roald Dahl autobiography (There are two books) Harry Potter (series) by J. K. Rowling Beyonders (series) by Brandon Mull The Lunar Chronicles (series) by Marissa Meyers Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell ...

If you're wondering about how to better your marriage with sacred text, you're in the right place. In preparation for Valentine's Day, we thought we would focus a bit on the marriage relationship specifically. This is a continuation of the conversation we aired in episode 15: "Holy Script!" Sacred Text in the Home, with Dr. David Dollahite and Dr Loren Marks. We look specifically through the filter of sacred text in this episode, but much of what we discuss applies across the board for reading with your spouse. This week we are again joined by Doctors David Dollahite and Loren Marks of the American Families of Faith Project and professors at Brigham Young University. The first part of the interview, which we published last month (Episode 15), was focused on families interacting with sacred text, while this second part focuses more on the marriage relationship specifically. In this episode we talk about: 1. Our thoughts matter and words matter even more, as they turn into actions and, as the poet Emerson said, our character. Faith is not a magic pill. Many times it becomes a tool of power or to dominate. There is danger to faith when not applied with compassion and wisdom. It has been shown in studies many times over that religion, faith and spirituality is powerful- potentially powerfully positive, but also powerfully negative. 2. Use approaching sacred texts in a marriage as a way to honor the agency of each person involved, their time or their styles of study. Doing it to check off a box, imposing one’s approach, views or values over another’s, trying to do it when one party is not ready, or is distracted, tired or not ready to engage can be problematic. 3. We also looked outside of sacred texts and touched on the closeness that can come from couples reading other literature together. Dr. Marks and his wife would read out loud to each other as they did the dishes. 4. We touched on the role that mental health plays in marriage when it comes to faith and an individual’s readiness to participate in joint study. They referenced studies that show problems that can arise from the intersection of faith and mental illness in marriage and families, however, they also emphasized that, “Those couples that are able to draw from their faith, their sacred texts and their traditions, ways to be compassionate, understanding, flexible, long suffering, gentle, patient, etc. etc. etc., will do well. Those people who choose to try to dictate to their spouse how they should think about or how they should act in relation to their faith, those persons who insist that their spouse agree with them or toe the line that they would like toes, or change themselves to be more like I am...those marriages are going to have serious trouble.” 5. In our attempts to stay synchronized as a couple and in a place where we can both be ready to use our sacred texts in our marriage as well as our families, they mentioned a concept from marriage researcher Dr. John Gottman called the “Magic 30 Minutes.” When couples take 30 minutes of their day to talk to each other and listen. When kids are involved, it is almost impossible to talk to each other, so some couples use a cup of coffee together, or a walk or a drive together to stay on the same page. 6. As we apply our sacred texts and the examples of couples and marriages within them, to our marriage relationships, we should maintain a view inward- how does this apply to ourselves, how can this make ourselves better, as opposed to asking the other person to be better or do better. 7. Approaching scripture study as a couple as well as with our children gives us a wonderful opportunity to honor both members of the couple’s preferences and work through differences. “We have had to balance and take turns and try to honor each other’s preferences. Our children have seen us work that through. They are well aware that Mom feels strongly about this and Dad feels strongly about othe...

Our most requested topic? How people are reading in their homes! How We Read episodes talk about just that. If you're looking for ideas on how to introduce books into your home or up your family's book game, or if you're looking for some great book recommendations, you are in the right place. This week we chat with our next “How We Read” guest, Rachel Lambourne. Rachel is the daughter of Brigham Young University professor Dr. David Dollahite, who we recently interviewed as well. She is a mother of four children, ranging in ages from pre-teen to toddler. She’s been a voracious reader from her childhood and has passed her reading appetite onto her children. This was not accomplished without a great deal of effort and creativity on her and her husband’s part and we are thrilled to have her share all sorts of wonderful ideas and a truckload of amazing book recommendations! Rachel Lambourne talks with us about: 1. Audiobooks! After her own books-on-tape experiences as a kid and teenager, she is a big fan of audiobooks with her own kids. They use then in the car, but also, quite brilliantly, she has used them for years as a way to get kids to have “quiet time” once they grew out of naps.  2. “Healthy” vs “candy” books. This was a system born when Rachel was trying to explain to one of her kids all the different kinds of books that are out there. She related them to food- there are all sorts of foods that do various things for our bodies and books are sort of the same. There are books that are easy and fun, but maybe don’t do a whole lot for our minds and then there are books that challenge us or make us think. Rachel told us more about her system of having her kids to read books they maybe wouldn’t pick up on their own as a way to earn screen time. 3.  With this system, Rachel always has a supply of books that she sets aside for her kids to choose from if they want and she talks about different ways that she finds and sort of “vets” books for them as well as the experience of seeing some of her favorite books with “new” eyes as her kids read books she loved as a kid. 4. Along with reading the books, part of Rachel’s “system” is that they have to show what the books was about or what they thought about it by talking or writing about it. It has opened up great lines of communication for her and her husband with their kids, about the books, but also other part of their lives! 5. Rachel and her family lived abroad for a few years and were able to travel quite a bit. They used books for preparing their kids for different trips as well as during the actual travels. They read Peter Pan before going to see the Peter Pan statue in London, Pippi Longstocking when they visited Sweden, etc. 6. Even if you aren’t travelling, books can be a great way to get to know where you live in a new way. Rachel and her family now live in the Bay Area of California (US) and they have had a great time finding books that take place in areas around them now. Rachel left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. She invited us to join her doing a read-athon with your families this week. Get some treats and books you’re excited about and read all together! We are so grateful to Rachel for taking the time to talk with us! We’ve got links for all the awesome books we chat about this week for you to peruse: Books we mention: audiobooks: The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey Nate the Great (series) by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat Magic Treehouse (series) by Mary Pope Osborne Other books we mentioned: Lloyd Alexander (author) American Girl (one series for each girl) Edward’s Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan The Giver (series) by Lois Lowry Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie A Bear Called Paddington (series) by Michael Bond Winnie the Pooh (series) by A.A.

We had heard of some of the benefits of reading aloud to kids, but we were blown away by The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction. This week we are joined by a writer extraordinaire- Meghan Cox Gurdon. Her writing gigs include a weekly column and children’s book reviews for the Wall Street Journal, which she has been doing for the past fifteen years, as well as her first book, The Enchanted Hour, which is all about kids and reading. She has read to her five children since the day she brought her first-born home from the hospital and now that her kids are almost all grown, she finds herself reading aloud with her husband during those hours that used to be filled with reading to their children.  In Reading: An Enchanting Hour we talk about 1. Reading aloud is an inexpensive, yet powerful way to give children what they need to develop their little brains when they are young. 2. Scientific evidence is now showing what parents have seen in their children for years- reading aloud creates conditions for optimal brain development, social skills, impulse control and more. Meghan connected with a research team that showed her their results from MRI scans of the brains of 3-5 year olds and the results they are finding are  “everything that anecdote has suggested to us it would be.” 3. Meghan had some great thoughts about where digital books fall in the range of book vs screen-time scale. We all agreed to the many great benefits technology brings to our lives, but when it comes to reading with our kids, by using digital devices both us and our kids know that a distraction is just a finger swipe away, which can diminish the benefits of the experience for us and them. 4. One benefit of reading aloud with kids (especially those physical books) that we hadn’t talked about on our podcast yet that Meghan brought up was how it can build children’s attention spans. It allows them to “focus and concentrate and build their powers of attention.” Being able to focus on things and make sense of what is being said to them are absolutely necessary life skills that are strengthened by being read to. 5. While Megan’s book mainly focuses on young children, she is passionate about the benefits of reading to kids of all ages- and beyond! If your kids are middle schoolers and you’ve never read to them, that’s okay! Start now! Start today! Just give it a go- even if it feels odd at first. Stick with it and you will feel the magic! 6. While the benefits of reading aloud to older children and adults are different, they are still very real. There are studies that are starting to look into what it does for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia, as they hear poems and stories they are familiar with. It can be a way to communicate with someone with whom communication is difficult, such as one suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s, or even just a teenager with whom you are struggling to connect with. 7. Another idea to expand your reading aloud world is to read with your spouse. That idea might comfort those of us (coughJillcough) who are sad to think of the day when our kids get older and aren’t around to be read to! Meghan left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. She invited us to take the leap if we haven’t already and read out loud to someone we love- read whatever appeals to you, be it poetry or an article from the paper, but just do it! And after hearing of all the amazing benefits that come from it this week, we wholeheartedly agree with Meghan and echo her challenge. We are so grateful to Meghan for taking the time to talk with us about the benefits of reading aloud and her book, The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction! More information about her, her book, and the amazing benefits of reading aloud to one another can be found in the following places:

This is the first of our sub series of episodes that will focus on the question, "Why should you read?" Shorter than our regular interviews, these episodes are intended to be easy to digest, easy to share, and most of all, inspiring. Dr. Loren Marks of the American Families of Faith project and professor at Brigham Young University tells us how much impact reading with your child - particularly in ages 0-6 - can have. This is an excerpt from a full-length episode, 15: "Holy Script!" Sacred Text in the Home with Dr. David Dollahite and Dr. Loren Marks.

To talk about sacred text in our home, this week we are joined by Drs. David Dollahite and Loren Marks, two professors at the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. They have worked for years on a research project called American Families of Faith, which has given them a great deal of insight into the lives of families who are active in all different kinds of faiths and how these families have used reading sacred texts in their family life, which is what chatted with them about. In "Holy Script!" Sacred text in the home we talk about: 1. What the American Families of Faith Project does and some of what their research has shown them. 2. What exactly are sacred texts? Each religion considers differently, but in general, for Muslims it is the Koran and the deeds and writings of the prophet Muhammad, for Jewish people it is the Torah and Talmud, Christians have the Old and New Testament, etc. 3. Developmental psychologists pretty much agree that ages 0-6 are the most developmentally for children. Keeping that in mind, may times we underestimate our young children and with some guidance, enthusiasm explanation and perhaps most importantly, some stories and narrative, these kids are capable of gaining surprising depth in their understanding of faith. Reading these religious texts with our kids, whether it is the actual texts or more kid-friendly versions, adds another level to the bonding and development that already occurs when we read other stories with our children.  4. What about our kids who are older than six? Even if those early years are the building of children’s developmental foundations, the doctors have found in their research that there is “explosive building” on that foundation in the ensuing years, even into early adulthood. This is the time that children will start to ask questions and our dialogue with them becomes rich and interactive. We also need to remember that our traditions and ways of going about things like reading sacred text in the home with our children will change and evolve as our children grow. We may continue to do it through the years, but exactly how it is done will look different year to year.  5. Based on their own experience as well as their research, they have found that these studies work best when there is an open dialogue between children and their parents. Both parents and youth enjoyed conversations about religious things more when they were initiated by the youth, when parents found ways to relate the conversation to the youth rather than abstract theology, when the parents kept their parts brief and more. They give us plenty of great ideas for this type of reading with our older kids! 6. Reading religious texts is something that can benefit from taking the time to personally prepare for those times we do it as a family, but, recognizing that the phase of actively raising children is a time- and energy-consuming one, do not discount the study and preparation you have done in this area leading up to this time of your life. 7. Families with interfaith relationships may need to go about things differently, but to successfully include religious texts in your family’s habits, the different members must learn to respect the views and beliefs that each other hold. This also is a huge part of what goes into adult children’s decisions to stay with their family’s faith or not- the relationships and respect of the family they grew up in. Drs. Dollahite and Marks left us with a couple of great ideas of how to get started on putting their insights into practice this week with sacred text in the home. Dr. Dollahite invited us to prayerfully consider the way that we are engaging in sacred texts personally and in our marriage and parenting, and ask if what they are doing is enough and be open to the possibility that perhaps there might be an adjustment might be worth trying. Dr. Marks invited us to be gracious and patient with ourselves and our efforts in th...

Are you an interactive journal fan? Unfamiliar with them? We talk with author Paula Spencer Scott about how a love of writing can help foster a love of reading and how to use interactive journals to strengthen our bonds with our children in interactive journaling in the new year with Paula Spencer Scott. This week we are joined by Paula Spencer Scott, author and co-author of more than a dozen books. Her work includes Surviving Alzheimer's and The Happiest Toddler on the Block and four different interactive journals. One of her journals, Like Mother, Like Daughter: A Discovery Journal for the Two of Us was a joint project with her own daughter, Page Spencer. She put all this knowledge and experience to work raising her and her husband’s six children and we are so glad she joined us to chat about all of this! In this episode we talk about: 1. “Writing is a skill deeply fused with reading.” The two skills go hand-in-hand, but we often overlook the writing part of the equation at home with our families. 2. Interactive journals are a great way to start incorporating writing time into your family time. These journals provide you with prompts to get you started and some, like two of the ones Paula has written, are designed for two people to write together. We talk about the bonding experience of reading together, but these journals can create a bonding experience through writing! 3. Paula has seen many benefits come from keeping a journal in her and her kids’ lives. Anything you do longhand is great for fine motor skills practice. Journaling helps kids become closer observers of what is going on around themIt creates a time capsule where you can go back and remember what happens in their lives and how they change.Emotional benefits- it is a safe place to vent, use their imaginations, set goals, work through how life works and social systems. 4. Another great idea Paula gave us is to do vacation journals. She would give her kids blank books for trips they took for them to write their stories and create a momento. This adds a whole new level of using books when you travel! 5. Paula reminds us that journals should be fun! Have special colored markers or a book they pick out themselves. Don’t correct their grammar or spelling- the important thing is that they are just doing it! 6. Along with keeping journals, Paula had some other great ideas to write more at home with our kids. She suggested letting our kids see us use our skills and write things down, even when we could do the task using a device. Have a dedicated writing space with fun pencils, colored paper, dry erase boards or chalkboards. Using sidewalk chalk to write. Have your kids write thank you notes or birthday cards. Her kids loved creating and writing scavenger hunts for each other.  Paula left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. She invited us to pick a fun book together with your child, whether it’s an interactive journal or just a blank notebook, get a couple of fun pens and start with a question to them. Once they write their answer, have them write a question for you to answer. For younger kids, ask them the questions and write their answers and responding questions for them. Interactive Journaling in the New Year We are so grateful to Paula for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, her books and her journals can be found in the following places: Websites: Paula Spencer Scott's website You can find Paula's interactive journals along with others at her publisher's website, Peter Pauper Press. Books we mentioned: The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About The Mind by Alison Gopnik The Philosophical Baby: What Children’s Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love and the Meaning of Life by Alison Gopnik Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Do you have a reluctant reader at home? Perhaps even yourself? Have you become distanced from your local, public library? Hear an inspiring story about a mom's persistence paying off big-time and how this now-bookworm loves his job as a public library director - and of course, get lots of ideas about resources that may be available to you at your library, in this episode: From reluctant reader to librarian. This week we are joined by a wonderful man and strong librarian- Harold Hayes, director of the Samuels Public Library in Front Royal Virginia. His career in public libraries has fostered his interest in things such as access to information and the role literacy and information have on societies and the democratic process. Harold is a proponent for books and reading both in his personal and professional life and is passionate about reading aloud to children, a passion that came about at least in part because of his own experiences struggling to read as a child. From those struggles years ago to his role today as a public library director, his is an inspiring story! From a reluctant reader to librarian: 1. Harold’s rough start with reading- he struggled for years and did not start reading proficiently until he was in 6th grade. 2. Despite his struggles reading himself, he stayed interested in books and he credits his “saintly mother,”(Harold’s words!) who he said read to them a lot and, “always put... those stories out in front of us that captured our interest and therefore challenged our ability to read at a higher and better level…” 3. The summer after Harold’s fourth grade year his family took a road trip from Wisconsin down along the Mississippi River and she read the book Tom Sawyer out loud to him and his four siblings as they drove, following a similar path Tom Sawyer travels in the book. It made the story alive and memorable for Harold, who, at the time, could not have read and understood that book himself. 4. To go from such a reluctant reader to the career he has now, Harold had to turn some corners. In the sixth grade, Harold found a book at a library used book sale and used it for a book report he was required to do for school. It was about a boy and his dog and something about it really clicked with Harold and he devoured every dog story he could find, “harassing [his] poor school librarian” for more.  5. Looking back on his reading journey, Harold’s advice to anyone going through similar experiences with their children is to look in to Jim’s Trelease and the benefits of reading aloud as well as to let yourself give kids what they want to read, as opposed to what you think they should read. 5. Harold has worked in public libraries for years and he told us that one of his favorite things about it is the fact that public libraries are service-oriented places and he loves helping people. He especially loves solving the little mysteries that people come in with- finding answers for them. It is a good reminder that librarians are there to help us and we aren’t inconveniencing them with our kids and our questions! 6. While the exact programs differ, almost every public library will have programs for kids and teenagers. Things like story times or Books and Barks (kids can read to a trained service dog), so check out your local library for what they offer! 7. Although we may think of library programs as being for younger kids, most have them for all ages, including teens. Those older kids can also be volunteers at the library and help with those programs that they love! Harold left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. He invited us to read out loud to our children and, of course, go visit your public library! In this episode we mention: Websites Samuels Public Library Facebook page Books: Click here for a complete list of our episodes.

with Martha Brockenbrough How do you tell your child the beautiful truth about Santa? Martha Brockenbrough told her daughter, Lucy, via a heartfelt letter that she then turned into a book. We hear the story behind this beautiful way to help your child through this major life transition from a Santa-believer to a member of Santa's team. This week we are joined by Martha Brockenbrough, writer, teacher, musician and creator of Grammar Day (May 4th- mark your calendars!). She was an editor for MSN, written for NY Times, taught high school and, of course, written books in all genres and for all reading levels. She currently teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts and continues to write books that look for hard truths and help her readers see that, in her words, “uncomfortable doesn’t mean unfair.” She joined us to talk about one of her picture books, Love, Santa: the beautiful truth about Santa and gives us some amazing thoughts on Santa and helping our kids navigate their feelings about the big man. Tell your child the beautiful truth about Santa: 1. Love, Santa is just one of the many picture books that Martha has written, but it’s the one we wanted to chat about (‘tis the season, after all!). She shared with us the background and development of the book, from the letter she wrote to her own daughter in that “questioning Santa” moment, to a blog post that spread like wildfire, to finally the beautifully designed picture book it is today. 2. While the book is often used as a tool to help parents have what can be a hard conversation with their children, it is so full of love that it makes what could be a cold, hard truth become a warm, magical time that welcomes the child onto Santa’s “team,” where they get to help spread the magic for others.  3. Once our kids are out in the world we cannot always control what they hear and what they learn, so being prepared for these kinds of conversations and thinking of them as “the greatest privilege of parenthood...loving our kids, even when they find out the world isn’t necessarily what they thought.” 4. Just like you always have granola bars in the glove box, to be ready for whatever parenthood throws at us, we can think ahead, have a plan and be ready for these moments. For instance, Martha knows that she won’t lie to her kids, so when asked point-blank about certain things (like Santa!), she knows what direction she would want to take the discussion. 5. She had some great thoughts on how to make the conversation about Santa a positive experience, including expanding her earlier, wonderful thoughts on welcoming the child to Santa’s team: “You’re on Santa’s team now. What do you want to give to the world? Is there someone who needs something? Is there something you have to offer? What is it? Let me help you do that. Give the kid the power! There is nothing that feels better than being generous and helping others.” 6. Martha’s daughter Lucy, whose question about Santa sparked the idea for the book in the first place, wrote a song called “Santa is Love” for her mother’s birthday one year. The song is Lucy’s interpretation of the experience she shared with her mother learning “the beautiful truth about Santa.” It is a wonderful companion to the book and a wonderful gift to her mother. If curious, the song can be found on iTunes and YouTube! Martha left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. She challenged us to get ourselves a book, maybe one that we wouldn’t otherwise have read, and ask why this person wrote it and why did it get loved enough to be published and see if we can expand the corners of our world just a bit. We are so grateful to Martha for taking the time to talk with us! Mentioned in this episode: Martha's website Lucy Berliant's song she surprised her mother with: Santa is Love Books we mentioned: Love, Santa Cheerful Chick Alexander Hamilton,

This week we are excited to launch our How We Read series, where we talk with Cathy Balfanz. Cathy is a mother of four, has moved all around with her husband’s military career and with those moves has had the opportunity to try out all sorts of learning experiences and opportunities with her kids. Her children are in the pre-teen/teenage years now, and Cathy shares her knowledge and insight into what reading and a love of books looks like in older children in her home. Listen to our interview with Cyndi Giorgis, of the Read Aloud Handbook In How We Read with Cathy Balfanz we talk about: 1.The Balfanz family moves around - a lot. This means Cathy has had the opportunity to experience many different school systems, including a 2-year stint homeschooling her children. 1. With all of their moving and experience living in many different places, Cathy and her kids have encountered all different kinds of school systems and even did a 2-year stint of homeschooling. During those years, Cathy chose a literature-based curriculum and developed a new perspective an even deeper appreciation for the many ways to use literature in their lives. Even though her kids are in public schools now, they still use the skills and habits of using literature in all aspects of learning at home with them now.. 2. Like many of us, Cathy loves The Read Aloud Handbook, and we were very interested to hear what reading aloud can look like as kids reach preteen and teenage years. She admits that it is not as straight-forward as it is when kids are younger, but even though it looks different, those bonding, reading aloud together experiences can still happen! Sometimes she just reads the first few chapters of a book together with her older daughters and then they take it from there. Sometimes they listen to an audiobook together. And sometimes she still even reads picture books with them! There is no limit to those amazing picture books out there, so grab one and read it with your teenager! 3. Another way Cathy incorporates books into all aspects of her family life is to keep books out in the house. She keeps “book baskets” in the main living areas that Cathy keeps stocked with books. She rotatest them, choosing a range of reading levels and subjects- ones that go along with the time of year, or holidays or about things her kids are particularly interested in. This keeps books in the forefront and it also keeps her teenagers exposed to those precious picture books even as they get older. 5. We chat about our feelings about audiobooks and, although a bit apprehensive at first, Cathy has learned the great value of audiobooks. They are a wonderful way to enjoy a book as a family, turning a simple car ride to the grocery store into a bonding experience! While it shouldn’t replace reading together with your kids, it is a great way to get more literature into your lives! 6. One thing Cathy has noticed as her children have gotten older is how reading, and the quality of books her kids are reading, has affected their writing and even speaking vocabulary levels. 7. One last thing that Cathy has learned in her journey of navigating the world of books with teenagers so far is that not all Young Adult books are created equal. She listened to an episode of Sarah Mackenzie’s Read Aloud Revival podcast where she heard the advice that Young Adult is a genre, not a reading level, which really struck a chord with her. She has definitely learned that for herself as she helps her teenagers find new books to read and she recommends spending some time and effort researching good books that will interest our kids. There are a lot of great resources and book lists out there to give you a start, many of which we will link to below. Cathy left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. She invited us to try to read out loud to our kids every day this week. Then,

Jill and Amanda, hosts of One Page at a Time, take a break from our usual interview and instead bring you a few tips to keep your family reading over the many holidays being celebrated all over the world this time of year. In this episode we talk about: Tip one: When you read for yourself, let your kids know what and that you are reading, and then tell them about what you read! Tip two: Choose a designated adult/older child to read aloud for the entertainment while everyone is working in the kitchen. Tip three: If you struggle remembering to have your kids read when they are off of school, set aside family reading time and do it all together. Tip four: Turn reading from a solitary activity to a group activity with book clubs, competitions, talent shows of who does the best voices when reading picture books, or other incentives. Bonus: We know there are plenty of you who will be spending the holidays catching up on the show The Crown. If you, like us, love that show, then we have put together a list of books you just might enjoy as well! Check it out our website (LINK) and happy reading!

From author interviews to book recommendations galore, we interview Adam Sockel about his podcast, Professional Book Nerds. This bonus episode is actually the tail end of Episode 09: Getting to know OverDrive and Libby. Adam works for OverDrive, the company that brings ebooks and audiobooks to thousands of libraries around the world, and gets an inside scoop with publishers and authors along the way. In this episode we talk about: How Professional Book Nerds came to be - Adam’s co-host suggested they take all their office book buzz to all of us via their podcast. Because of OverDrive’s access to publishers, Adam is able to fill more than 400 episodes with amazing author interviews and great book recommendations.We talk about how Adam and Jill talk a lot about seasonal books, or books that evoke the feelings of a particular season, like murder mysteries in “spooky season.” They bring details and book groupings that are unique to their podcast because of their passion for books and the authors that write them.Adam has a bit of a unicorn job in the book world, in that he knows about books in advance from the publishers. Their listenership has grown enough that publishers approach them for the podcast, and if Adam finds out a book is coming, he will go directly to the publisher and ask for an early copy so he can promote all of these books to the librarians who stock their Libby collections. A big thank you to Adam, and his co-host, Jill, for their dedication to this great podcast. Professional Book Nerds is wherever you listen to your podcasts. Give it a listen, head to their website, and tell us which book you’re reading on Libby right now!

This week we are joined by Adam Sockel, social media specialist for OverDrive and co-host of OverDrive’s delightful podcast, Professional Book Nerds. This all basically means he runs OverDrive’s social media, gets to field questions about OverDrive and their accompanying app, Libby, all day and gets to read as many books in as many different formats as he possibly can. Adam joined us to answer some burning questions about OverDrive the company, OverDrive the app and, of course, our beloved Libby app.  In this episode we talk about: We start off by mentioning Overdrive’s own podcast, Professional Book Nerds. Adam and his co-host, Jill (different Jill from One Page at a Time’s Jill), talk with authors and leave fantastic book recommendations in their great podcast. We talk more about this later on.Next up, Adam tells us what Overdrive and Libby are. Overdrive, the name of both the company and the original app, works with about 43,000 libraries and schools all around the world to provide audiobooks and ebooks to people of all ages. This includes about 95% of all libraries in the United States. Libby is the new-and-improved app by Overdrive.Adam aced our speed round of questions Amanda pulled off Google regarding Overdrive and Libby; these are getting to the root of many searches. Here they are: How many books can you check out on OverDrive at a time? Depends on your library; most are between 8-10, though some go as high as 50! Can I use OverDrive on my Mac? Yes Is OverDrive being replaced by Libby? No - OverDrive covers some areas, such as vision disabilities, better and will remain in use, though Libby is the easier and more user-friendly of the two. Can I use OverDrive without a library card? No, you need access to someone’s library card. Is Libby by OverDrive free? Yes, 100% Does Libby sync with OverDrive? Yes, both audio and e-books Does Libby automatically return books? Yes How do I add more libraries to OverDrive? Go to the “add a library” button in either OverDrive or Libby, search for your library, and input your library card. Does Libby search all libraries? It is going to very soon. Can you renew books on Libby? Yes - 3 days before your books are due, it will ask if you’d like to renew. Renewal length is dependant on your library’s policy. If someone has a hold on that book, you will be added to the hold queue instead of renewing. Does Libby sync across all devices? Yes, as long as you are logged in on all those devices. Where does Libby download books? To any device you have the app downloaded on. The files are tiny, thankfully! Can you borrow picture books or comic books on OverDrive? Yes, indeed you can. How to get set up with Libby: download the Libby app on your device(s) of choice. Put in your zip code, select your library, put in your library card (or get one - and you can get one automatically if you’re in a service area for an Instant Digital Card using your phone number). You may also be able to pay an annual fee for a card to select libraries. And Jill reminds us to check the libraries around you to see if any offer cards to neighboring counties/zip codes. Having access to multiple libraries gives you access to those libraries’ collectionsFor those living outside the US, check your library to see if they use OverDrive. And, don’t forget your permanent address if you are an expat like Amanda. If your library doesn’t offer OverDrive services through Libby, you can ask your library to get Libby.If you have exhausted all your personal options, you can share a card with a family member - an added thought is to consider adding your children’s library cards to your account so you can use content filters and you can toggle to their account and see what they are searching for and reading.Libraries receive more funding based on their usage and circulation, so using Libby is good for a library!

Get some ideas for how you can improve your traveling by using books. This week we are joined by One Page at a Time co-host, Amanda Fristrom! Amanda is probably among one of the more well-traveled people out there, having visited 6 continents, 63 countries and 49 of the 50 United States. She has many talents, such as possessing a vast knowledge of spices and the ability to design a whole line of handmade toys centered around camels. She chatted with us about the role books have played in her travels all over the world, both for herself as well as her kiddos. In this episode we talk about: 1. We dive on in with Amanda’s tips for using books in the prep and lead-up to travels. They have a book of all the world flags that they use to show their kids the flags of the countries they are visiting. They can then use this knowledge to help kids connect with the place they are visiting, as they find flags while they are out and about. Bonus: finding flags can also be used as a distraction for antsy kids! 2. Books can also be used to introduce kids to a new language or landmarks they will be exposed to when they are in the new location. There are plenty of books with these things geared towards kids; Amanda shared the ones her family uses.  3. One more tip for the lead-up to trips, Amanda has her kids go on a “screen freeze” for up to two weeks before leaving for a trip, to get everyone ready and excited for screen time while travelling. 4. During the actual traveling to the new destination, Amanda has Kindle Fire’s for her kids that she loads with books that can be read off-line and a couple reading apps (details below). Kindle has versions of books that are interactive; the books are read to them, the kids can turn the pages and interact with elements on the pages. Amanda has learned through experience that e-books work best for the actual travel time, although she does pack some “emergency” books in a carry-on to use if needed (low battery on devices, long delays, etc). 5. For herself, Amanda likes to have a physical book, so she has found a genre that works well for her for travelling (autobiographies). Everyone’s travel books will be different depending on your tastes and needs, but when travelling with kids you will most likely need a type of book that you enjoy, but isn’t too engrossing, so won’t mind getting interrupted while reading it (kids needing things, pausing to enjoy scenery, etc.). 6. Book Crossing is a fun website that lets you leave a book in a location with a code printed from the website and then you can track if someone finds and takes your book to a new place! 7. Eventually you will make it to your destination and books can still play a part! Amanda has found that keeping her kids’ bedtime routine as close to what they do at home makes a huge difference in their travels. Books play a big part in their bedtime routine, so she keeps that up while travelling. She either uses the books she brought in her “emergency” supply, borrows from people if visiting family or friends, or sometimes finds new books in stores while travelling.  8. Travelling can be scary and stressful to kids, with an overload of new places and experience. Reading to them is one way to calm them and bring them back to a comfortable and familiar thing. The same can apply to you, as well- taking some time to read your own book can help you fight jet lag, decompress and settle down.  9. If travelling to visit family, reading together- even older kids reading to the younger ones- will give family members that your children may not get to see as often that bonding time and is a wonderful way to bring the family together.  Amanda left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. She invited us to write down a quick plan of how we are going to use books in whatever travel is coming up in our lives. Books can play a powerful role in our travels and they shouldn’t ...

This week we are joined by Sarah Wood, the teacher that every parent hopes that their child will get each year. She has taught various grades of elementary (primary) school for the past twelve years (she is on lucky year 13 of teaching!) and in her spare time you can find her in the dance studio and hanging out with her awesome two-year-old son. Sarah is passionate about books and uses them in all sorts of ways in her classroom and with her own son. She was gracious enough to spend some of her precious non-teaching time to chat with us about what she sees from our kids in her classroom and how reading plays a role in that! In this episode we talk about: 1. Teachers can, in general, tell which kids read and are being read to at home. They look forward to going to the school library, can talk about their favorite book or use character names or titles in conversations and often read at a slightly higher reading level. On the flip side, it is harder to find books for kids who do not read at home that they like to read or listen to and are easily distracted during reading times at school. Sarah noted that she only applies these observations to typically developing children, taking out, for instance, children who are still learning English, etc. 2. We asked Sarah what she wished she could sit down and tell the parents of all her students and she told us that, no matter their age, all children want to be read to! The minute she picks up a book in her class, who basically never stop talking, you can hear a pin drop. 3. Sarah uses different kinds of books all the time in her classroom. When teaching math in first and second grade, for example, she would find a picture book with examples of symmetry and use the examples to visually show that example. With her current class of fifth-graders one of the reading rotations that she does is reading with a buddy- reading out loud to each other- and they love it! 4. We chatted about some great ideas of how to use those same principles at home with our kids! There is an instagram account that Sarah loves and uses called The Book Report, which is run by a former teacher, now stay at home mom, who uses books all the time at home with her kids. She also loves a website called Reading Rockets, which has resources and videos with suggestions on all sorts of things, like, how do you read non-fiction books at home (links to both of these are below). Her best suggestion, however, is to simply find something that your child is interested in, gather books about that subject and then go out in the world and connect those things. Read books about fire trucks and then go to a fire station and see read fire trucks. Find books about rocks and minerals and then go dig around your backyard and see what kinds of rocks you can find! She did share the tip to find the book first and then plan the activity, because it does not always come together when you try and do it the other way around. 5. Sarah herself has a two-year-old son and she has been exploring the world of reading as a parent as opposed to a teacher. It is just as important to her at home, however, as it is in her classroom. She even used one of her son’s favorite books, Vroom Vroom Garbage Truck, in her fifth-grade class when teaching about onomatopoeia!  We are so grateful to Sarah for taking the time to talk with us! More information about what we chatted about today can be found in the following places: Instagram references: @the.reading.report Websites mentioned: Reading Rockets https://www.readingrockets.org Books we mentioned: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate Vroom Vroom Garbage Truck by Asia Citro My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller (follow-up to her book, The Book Whisperer)

We are joined this week by the hosts of the delightful podcast, Family Looking Up, Camille, Beth and Andrea! Their podcast, now in its third year, explores all aspects of motherhood, something that they know plenty about themselves with a gaggle of children distributed among the three of them. They joined us to share some of the wisdom they have gained through the years, reading, and more specifically finding books to read, with their kids of all ages. In this episode we talk about: 1. These three women are all very well-read, but their styles, their tastes, their methods and their searching habits differ, so we spent some time chatting about how they find books for themselves! 2. Recommendations. Firstly, from friends. Find which friends you have similar tastes and opinions about books with and they will be a rich source of book suggestions. Then, once you find your golden source of recommendations, keep track of the suggestions you get somehow! 3. Goodreads. This is a well-known site to many, but if you have not checked it out yet, take a look! It is a website and an app and it has reviews of most any book you could be curious about. 4. How do all these ladies do their reading? It depends! One likes to mix it up with hard copies and e-books on her phone while another almost exclusively listens to audio books. Find what works for you! 5. Saying to find the friends who share your taste in books is all find a good, but how do you go about that in real life? Just start talking about it! Ask anyone for recommendations and over time you will find the ones who  6. Finding audiobooks. How? Where? For those of us lucky enough to live in a country where they are available, the apps Overdrive and Libby are wonderful resources. They are where your local public library’s e-book and audio book collections live. You can check books out right there on the app! The downside of these apps are that you are limited as to how many books you can check out and have on hold and the more popular books will be on hold with longer waits. Audible is a service through Amazon that will give you instant access to the books you want (no waits!), but it costs. Once again, all the ladies have different ways of making these services work best for them and their families.  7. Along with their own reading habits, these women are also doing their best to raise their kids as readers. They have found several sources that have helped them along the way. As their kids read more, they cannot keep up and read every book their kids are reading, so they rely on research from Google or sites like Common Sense Media and Goodreads to be informed about what their kids are reading. 8. As we have talked about before, and will continue to talk about on our podcast, do not underestimate the listening level of your children! It will broaden their horizons and help them get over fear of bigger books and other forms of literature. These lovely ladies each left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. Andrea invited us to let our children have a say in what they are reading (hashtag let them read!). Beth suggested rediscovering the joy of reading making it fun with things like movie parties or cousin/friend kid book clubs. Camille invited us as adults to branch out from our norm and try something we wouldn’t normally pick or use a different book format than you usually do. There are some surprises waiting out there for us if we look in different places! We are so grateful to Camille, Beth and Andrea for taking the time to talk with us! More information about them and their podcast can be found in the following places: Instagram: @familylookingup Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/familylookingup/ Websites: http://familylookingup.com Books we mentioned: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith (the ladies didn’t mention this one by name,

This week we wanted to give you all a chance to get to know us a little better and we are starting with One Page at a Time co-host Jill Berrett Given! Jill is life-long bookwork, advocate for local libraries, has a masters degree in Library Science and is the mother of three children ages 6, 4 and 1.5.  In this episode we talk about: 1. Costumes! Jill’s family are all big Halloween enthusiasts. So much so that they plan their theme (because of course they do group costumes) and costumes all year long! She chats about their process of choosing and making their costumes each year. 2. We dive right in and chat about some books with great costume options in them to get your creative juices flowing! Why books? They are such a great, visual sources of inspiration, that’s why! 3. Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Jill and Amanda even take a trip down memory lane and chat about a sewing a stuffed Hobbes for each of our first borns (pattern available here: https://www.instructables.com/id/Stuffed-Hobbes-with-pattern/) 4. Dragons love Tacos by Adam Rubin. Dress your whole hoard up as dragons, or, if you have one who isn’t feeling the dragon vibes, then they can be the taco! 5. We pause our book list to discuss how we feel about dressing up as princesses for a book character day. Hey, if a princess book gets your child excited about books, then we say go for it! 6. Eloise by Kay Thompson. While Jill may spend a year planning and sewing their costumes, if you are looking for something less...involved, this little girl is a great choice! Her black skirt, white blouse, knee socks and red bow can be pulled together with easily found pieces that can even be used again after the dress-up event! Bonus! 7. Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire. Jill admits that the amazing yellow dress worn by the little girl in this book is a costume she dreams about how she would draft and sew someday! 8. Mr. Panda series by Steve Antony. Jill was gracious enough to give everyone a sneak “peek” at her family’s costumes for this Halloween: black and white animals inspired by Mr. Panda and all his black-and-white animal pals! Jill left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. She suggested that if you don’t know where to start when putting together a book-inspired costume, because it is such a visual subject, start by just looking at the books we talked about today! Hopefully the wonderful illustrations and endearing stories in each and every one of them will spark an idea for you! We had so much fun chatting with each other and hopefully letting everyone get to know us a little bit better! If you are curious about Jill’s epic Halloween sewing adventures, she has an Instagram account for her creative pursuits, which can be found at: Instagram: @jillybugscreates Additional books we mentioned: Chikka Chikka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.  Where’s Waldo by Martin Handford

We are joined this week by behavior analyst, Sydnie Brinkerhoff. She is a world traveler, fellow book-lover and heart-warming optimist. Children of all ages adore her, which comes in very handy in her professional world. She has degrees in Communications and Special Education, emphasizing in Verbal Behavior. If you aren’t sure what most of that means, you are in good company! We weren’t quite sure about it all ourselves, which is why we asked Sydnie to come chat with and help us out! In this episode we talk about: 1. What verbal behavior even is! A short and sweet definition is that verbal behavior is different forms of communication. Sounds, gestures, sign language, words, etc. 2. Verbal behavior is separated into six different categories, or verbal operants. Sydnie breaks down exactly what those six operants are and gives examples of them. 3. While most kids will learn how to communicate just fine without us as parents and caregivers understanding what these operants are, understanding them will give us the power to help our children in a new way. “In typically developing children these different operants will develop on their own. They don’t need any extra work, you don’t have to understand [it] for these operants to develop. ...But if you do understand it you can be a big help.”  4. Books are a great way to put this knowledge to work! You can identify which operants you want to work on with your child and use both the text and pictures (Sydnie gives us permission to go off-text and not just read the story, gasp!) to focus on those operants. 5. Knowing the different operants and when they start to develop in a typical child can also help you read to kids of all ages- especially newborns and small babies, which many people wonder about. You want to start the habit of reading to them as early as possible, but how do you read to a baby who does not understand the story? You can look at which operant the baby is developing then and use the book to emphasize it! 6. Sydnie created a chart for all of us to use (shout out to all our fellow visual learners!) that identifies the six operants, what they are, an example of them, as well as an example of how to use them when reading a book with a child. It is available to download for all who subscribe on our website!  Sydnie left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. She invited us to remember that environment has a huge effect on children’s development of language and we all have the power to help grow their language, even with something as simple as reading a book with them. So, everyone, go use your power this week!  We are so grateful to Sydnie for taking the time to talk with us! More information about verbal behavior can be found in the following places: Websites: Carbonne clinic http://carboneclinic.com Books we mentioned:

We are joined this week by author Linda Liukas, who created a wonderful series of children’s books called Hello Ruby. Linda got the idea for her books while learning computer programming herself and describes her books as “the world’s most whimsical way to learn about technology, computing and coding.” Linda also founded Rails Girls http://railsgirls.com, which organizes workshops to teach the basics of programming to girls and women. She joined us to talk about Ruby, her books and a brand-new YouTube series, Love Letters for Computers, that goes hand-in-hand with the Hello Ruby books. In this episode we talk about: 1. Whimsicality! Linda and her Ruby books are proof that computer science and whimsical things are not mutually exclusive! 2. A universal desire to expose our kids to the technological world- her books have been translated into 28 different languages and are used by parents and teachers all over the world. 3. How Ruby came to be. While studying some “dull” (Linda’s words!) programming textbooks at Stanford University, Linda began doodling a young girl in her books, thinking about how a six-year-old girl would explain the concepts to her. Thus Ruby was “born!” 4. Exploring the idea that programming could be taught through stories rather than concepts. “I do feel that there is value in having these strong characters that...the children will memorize and remember as they grow older. Maybe they don’t actually make the connection of how they relate to the world of technology...but they have this strong emotional feeling that, ‘oh techonology is something that I can feel fearless and curious about; that I feel welcome to. I think that is what books can do far better than apps and other ways to teach.” 5. Ruby is joined by a whole cast of characters that were inspired by different aspects of computers, like Ruby herself (Ruby is a Japanese programming language). While you don’t need to know the inspiration behind each character to enjoy the story, there are plenty of easter eggs for parents and teachers familiar with the tech world to find on each page! 6. Even though our kids are growing up surrounded by technology and start using it proficiently at a very young age, there is great value in teaching them (and ourselves if we are not familiar with it) about what goes into creating these things. “Kids who know how to play games are consumers of technology, not creators. The fact that they can use apps does not mean that they have some magical understanding of...computer science.” 7. We as parents do not need to be an expert on the subject when introducing our kids to new information, we can be more of a “curator.” 8. Studies are showing that kids, especially girls as young as 5 and 6 are already developing self-limiting ideas about who can or can’t be a computer scientist. 9. Coding may be touted as a useful skill, but it can also be beautiful and interesting and “intensely creative.” Linda believes that we need more materials that show the “practicality of engineering meeting...the beauty of [the] arts…” 10. While it wasn’t their intended purpose, the Ruby books are being used more and more as a teaching tool in classrooms, so Linda has created a YouTube series, Love Letters for the Computer, intended as a resource for primary school teachers, with plans of a book to go along with it in the future. Linda left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. She invited us to check out the computer building activity https://www.helloruby.com/play/2  on the Hello Ruby website. We have done this with our own kids and we agree with Linda- it is a hit with kids of all ages and is a great activity to go along with the Hello Ruby books! We are so grateful to Linda for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, her books, and more can be found in the following places: Instagram: @lindaliukas

We are joined this week by Lauren Tarshis to talk about her work with Scholastic’s Kids and Family Reading Report, specifically a section they call the “Decline by 9,” which is a trend Scholastic’s Report has noted where children’s interest in reading sharply drops around age nine.

We are joined this week by Cyndi Giorgis, co-author of the latest edition of the acclaimed and respected book, The Read Aloud Handbook, originally written by Jim Trelease. She is also a former first grade teacher, school librarian, committee member for numerous children’s book awards such as the Caldecott, Newbery and more, author and publisher, and is passionate about reading aloud to audiences of children. She joined us to chat about The Read Aloud Handbook and shared many of the benefits that come with reading aloud to kids of all ages. In this episode, we talk about: 1. How Cyndi became involved with The Read Aloud Handbook. 2. Benefits of reading aloud with kids. The main benefit Cyndi gave us was the bonding that occurs when you read to children. Additionally, reading aloud gives children access to a much larger vocabulary of words and facts than they would hear in their everyday life. 3. The benefits of reading aloud extend to kids of all ages- maybe even more so as they get older. Research shows that reading aloud to kids starts to drop off around age seven, but we need to remember that a child’s listening level is much higher than their reading ability, so if we stop reading to them as they get older, they are missing out on all of these books and stories they cannot read themselves. 4. Reading out loud to older children can be a way to start conversations about things we aren’t sure how to talk to them about. 5. There is a difference between kids reading to themselves and reading aloud to them. Reading aloud to them gives them access to stories that they may not be able to access on their own. By reading aloud, we are also able to share, or “bless” a book with them the book- it is a gift we give them. 6. What can families who do not already have the foundation of reading in their homes do? Kids need to see their parents reading. “Parents need to maybe rediscover themselves as readers.” Designate times in your day that you will read aloud to them, such as at a meal time or bedtime. Even listening to an audiobook in the car with your kids gets you started in the right direction. If a child is reluctant, be patient and find the materials that they are excited about- be it poetry, graphic novels, nonfiction, pop-up books, etc. 7. Being read to by fathers and other men are an important part of the equation. With many teachers being women, it is more rare for kids to be read aloud to by men outside of their homes. Consequently, kids may not view reading as a thing that men do, which could affect them as they get older. 8. Included in The Read Aloud Handbook is what Cyndi calls a “treasure of books.” The first half is research, reading dos and dont;s, etc, but the second half is suggestions of great books to read aloud, separated into all different genres and reading levels. They are all great books and tested for reading aloud! Cyndi left us with a great idea of how to get started on putting these great ideas into practice this week. She invited us to believe in the power of stories. When we read about someone like us, someone who inspires us or a place we don’t have access to, it can change our lives! We are so grateful to Cyndi for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her and The Read Aloud Handbook can be found: Instagram: @cyndigiorgis Twitter: https://twitter.com/cyndigiorgis Facebook: The Read-Aloud Handbook  Website: https://www.cyndigiorgis.com

Jill and Amanda introduce ourselves and give you an insight into what is coming up on One Page at a Time.