Podcast appearances and mentions of antoinette portis

Poor Betsy had a bit of a mix-up. In her defense, she had her reasons. Anyone who is familiar with the Children's Literature Association Phoenix Awards may be aware that they reward children's books that didn't receive major awards when they first came out, but 20 years later they can now. And Not a Box by Antoinette Portis is the most recent winner of the 2026 Phoenix Picture Book Award. Pretty cool, right? So Betsy figured it would be an ideal book to do with Kate this week... without ... checking..... the pub date. Yeah. Turns out, Not a Box came out in 2007, not 2006. So, technically, we are breaking our 20 year rule. But only because Betsy trusted the Phoenix Picture Book Award committee to also do their homework. We're sure they had their reasons. We just should have done our own home work as well. Good thing it's a fascinating book. For the full Show Notes please see them here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/02/09/fuse-8-n-kate-not-a-box-by-antoinette-portis/

嘉宾 | Guest：Antoinette Portis is an award-winning American author and illustrator of picture books. Her debut title Not a Box became a contemporary classic, followed by Not a Stick, Wait, A New Green Day, Hey, Water! and others.Her work is celebrated for its elegant minimalism, visual wit, and a profound respect for children's creativity and perception. Before becoming a full-time author-illustrator, she worked as a creative director at Disney. Portis's books invite readers to rediscover the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary.01:56 — Staying Connected to the Inner ChildPortis shares how curiosity and noticing small things fuel her creativity.03:48 — Why Structure Matters in Picture BooksShe explains how structure creates page-turn magic and supports imagination.06:43 — Early Creative MemoriesChildhood moments that shaped her as an artist and maker.09:30 — Encouragement vs. DiscouragementHow adults influence a child's sense of creative identity.13:09 — The Making of Not a BoxThe writing class insight that transformed her approach: honesty over cleverness.14:32 — Sparks Behind Hey, Water! and Other BooksHow observing shapes in nature became a foundation for new ideas.16:54 — Children's Emotions Are as Complex as Adults'Portis discusses how picture books should honor children's inner lives.19:10 — Powerlessness & the Story Behind WaitA real-life moment becomes the seed for a book about noticing.23:34 — Creative Blocks & Letting Ideas BreatheWhy not every idea opens up right away—and that's okay.24:14 — Longing as a Creative ForceThe emotional core behind A Penguin Storyand her process of 87 drafts.29:31 — When a Book Feels Like Wrestling an AlligatorPortis reflects on creative struggle and persistence.35:31 — Advice for Young CreatorsThe episode ends with encouragement for kids and aspiring storytellers.你可以在这里找到我们 | Where to Find Storyland：https://storyland.education/wechat: Storyland童书研究所（ID:STORYLIVING)

Welcome!

On last week's episode, "Imagination Time!," we flexed our imagination muscles with three kids — Shaelan, Sameia and Hunter. After recording, our host — Todd Loyd — was lucky to explore the power of imagination with Antoinette Portis, the award winning author/illustrator of "Not a Box" and many other modern classics in children's picture books. This conversation with Antoinette will help parents and caregivers learn more about where imagination and inspiration come from. It will help them think about how to learn FROM kids about using their imaginations to change the world. This season, in addition to our regular episodes with and for kids, we are including bonus interviews with luminaries like Antoinette to dive into the social and emotional topics we explore on Little Kids, Big Hearts. We hope parents and caregivers love ❤️ these conversations as much as we do.  Antoinette made her picture-book debut with the New York Times best-selling "Not A Box," an American Library Association Seuss Geisel Honor book, and one of the New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Books of the Year. She was a recipient of the 2010 Sendak Fellowship. Antoinette got a BFA at the UCLA School of Fine Arts and then spent years in the world of design and advertising. She was a creative director, then a VP, at Disney before she took a flying leap to pursue her sixth-grade dream of writing and illustrating picture books.Find more resources and activities to keep the learning going online at playsparkler.org/podcast.

Giuseppe Castellano talks to best-selling illustrator and author, Antoinette Portis, about how creative expression can help one navigate life's hardest challenges; what Maurice Sendak meant when he told her that illustrators need to be “secret agents”; where we can find the ideas for our creative expression; and more.

We Review the book "Not A Box" by Antoinette Portis.Support the show

Welcome!

Ashima Goyal is a writer, an editor, a socio-emotional learning educator, an artist, a community-builder (and visionary behind Romania's first Karma Kitchen), a cook (and food blogger!), and a spirited volunteer. Her service has spanned from online space-holding, to hands-on direct disaster aid in grassroots villages after serious floods in Uttarakhand, to transformative 'hands, head, heart' retreats. Her work has focused on transforming her environment by first transforming herself through small acts of service. Her mantra is "bloom where you are planted." Her education includes Electrical Engineering from IITB and Masters in Social Policy & Development from London School of Economics. She taught mindfulness to elementary school kids in Mongolia and Romania, and currently develops learning products that bring holistic education to school students. Through this interaction we learnt Ashima's definition of mindfulness and her approach to cultivating mindfulness. We understand the subject from the lens of children and how we can learn from children to be present, and at the same time support them in retaining their attention and awareness as they grow into adults. Ashima touched our hearts with her shining eyes, ear to ear smile, and simple explanations. Ashima has also shared with us some wonderful resources for further reading and exploration: Pebble Meditation: Book: A Handful of Quiet https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13590614-a-handful-of-quiet Wait: by Antoinette Portis https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22718683-wait Mindful Games by Susan Kaiser Greenland https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29236414-mindful-games If you liked listening to her, don't forget to subscribe to our channel. This podcast is brought to you by Eka Meditation. Eka is a yoga and meditation app from India. We also organise daily meditation and yoga classes on zoom. Learn more on our website: www.ekameditation.com You can download the eka app from www.ekameditation.com and use the code 'RADIO' for a week's free access to the app. Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ekameditation&hl=en_IN&gl=US IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eka-yoga-for-mental-health/id1490547025 Follow us - https://www.instagram.com/ekameditation/ On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmq... On Twitter: https://twitter.com/ekameditation

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis - Read by Martyn Kenneth On The Lights Out Podcast. Now with over 500 Ad-free Bedtime Stories for Boys and Girls around the world - FOREVER

Rebroadcast from Jan. 27, 2016: Antoinette Portis stops by to chat about her amazing picture books, including WAIT, NOT A BOX and BEST FRINTS.

do some creative or playful things: mix some dirt and a little bit of water and paint with mud make “clean” mud dough make “mud muffins”  play “Stuck in the Mud”. It's just like freeze dance. Sort of. And it's played without mud. :) read with a buddy or by yourself: read Mud by Mary Lyn Ray read A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis read Yucky Worms by Vivian French — then go dig in the mud for worms read Little Blue Truck with a Gospel perspective write about what you are thinking and seeing and experiencing: print these journal response pages as a booklet share what you have learned with someone else: teach this to someone using this guide  

Neal Porter, Editorial Director of Neal Porter Books at Macmillan’s Roaring Brook Press, has an indepth discussion with Theo Baker.Part One: On Porter’s start in the industry, and working with his authors and illustrators, including the story behind the Caldecott medal-winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee, written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. Part Two: On the different way Porter’s authors and illustrators work, including author/illustrator Antoinette Portis, author/illustrator Laura Vaccaro Seeger, and the pairing of author Patricia MacLachlan and illustrator Hadley Hooper on The Iridescence of Birds. Neal also discussed his many roles (and hats) as an editor, and shares his thoughts on the children’s book industry and how it’s changing.Support the show (http://scbwi.org/join-scbwi/)

A cardboard box (shoe boxes, amazon boxes, small boxes, etc) is the perfect thing to use to help kids think flexibly, be creative, and set the groundwork for problem solving.A book I love to read to spark a child’s creativity with cardboard boxes is called:Not a Box by Antoinette Portis.She also wrote another great book, Not a Stick.Set out open ended creative materials, like markers, tape, glue, construction paper, etc and see what kids create!Feel free to visit encourageplay.com to read more about social skills and play.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and you’ll get notified when new episodes launch.Want to help others find us? Share this podcast with others, and rate and review us where you listen to the podcast.If you prefer video, we also have a video version of the podcast available on YouTube!

"An Ode to Rejection" is by Marlene Woods, copyright 2018, used with permission. Marlene originally published this poem on her website iloveyougram.com. Read Marlene's bio. Special guest in studio today: James! The books James talked about are: Pocketful of Nonsense by James Marshall. Little Golden Books, 1992 Not a Box by Antoinette Portis. HarperCollins, 1996 President Squid by Aaron Reynolds. Chronicle Books, 2016 My First Book of Baseball by Sports Illustrated Kids. Sports Illustrated, 2016 The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley. Scholastic Press, 2001. Thank you so much to Adam Kluger and Francis DiClemente for sending us feedback about favorite authors. Check out Francis's bio. Read Adam's bio or check out his collection Desperate Times. Special guest in studio today: Josh! The books Josh talked about are: The House With a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs. Dial Books, 1973 A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick. Vintage Books, 1991 It by Stephen King. New English Library, 1987 Bigfoot and Joshua by Peggy and Bob Bishop. John Hinde Limited, 2008 11 Experiments that Failed by Jenny Offill. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011. 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to do Anymore by Jenny Offill. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2004. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss. Random House, 1938. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. HarperCollins, 1952. We also talked Nancy Pearl today! Hear her on our local public radio station. See you next week for season 2!! Kris  

Antoinette Portis stops by to chat about her amazing picture books, including WAIT, NOT A BOX and BEST FRINTS. This is a recommended – best of Picturebooking episode

Andrew & Polly talk about BOXES in a special interview with Antoinette Portis, author of Not a Box. This episode also highlights The Box Project with Eliza Gregory - and, of course, thanks to our kid experts: Ruslan, Gavin, Manny, Charlie, Penny, Ainsley, Liliana, Lane, Guy, Grey, Sadie & William. Subscribe to Ear Snacks here: http://bit.ly/earsnacks // To support Ear Snacks, visit andrewandpolly.com

Keri and her grandson Alex read Not-A-Box, our best Easter basket book.