Podcasts about Candlewick Press

Now in year three of my Pride Month Feature coverage on the show, I'm more excited than I've ever been about shining a light onto the diversity of projects representing queer focused characters and getting to chat with the creators who make them. For myself, Pride this year feels like a more somber affair as the current administration seeks to not only suppress the struggle of the queer community but also to attempt to eliminate their history and in the most extreme cases, invalidating that certain people even have the right to exist but instead of getting down about it, let's flip the script so it is my pleasure to host comic creators Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett to talk about their engaging new graphic novel out now Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day from Candlewick Press. I encourage everyone to pick up Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day and to approach it with an open and curious mind. I went into it not knowing exactly what to expect and came out with a much more rounded historical perspective and love the use of a comics formatting to make what many consider a drier subject matter with history in general, far more engaging. Buy it direct from Candlewood Press. Alex's website Alex on BlueSky Further education as discussed by Alex and Andrew on the show Ajuan Mance author of Gender Studies: The Confessions of an Accidental Outlaw Bishakh Som author of Spellbound Breena Nuñez and Lawrence Lindell (I mispronounced "Lindell" and am really embarrassed!) creators of the indie comics collective Laneha House Sensitivity readers used in the book: Writing Diversely Hans Lindahl Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day From the publisher An essential introduction to trans history, from ancient times to the present day, in full-color graphic nonfiction format. Deeply researched, highly readable, and featuring a broad range of voices. What does “trans” mean, and what does it mean to be trans? Diversity in human sex and gender is not a modern phenomenon, as readers will discover through illustrated stories and records that introduce historical figures ranging from the controversial Roman emperor Elagabalus to the swashbuckling seventeenth-century conquistador Antonio de Erauso to veterans of the Stonewall uprising Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. In addition to these individual profiles, the book explores some of the societal roles played by trans people beginning in ancient times and shows how European ideas about gender were spread across the globe. It explains how the science of sexology and the growing acceptance of (and backlash to) gender nonconformity have helped to shape what it means to be trans today. Illustrated conversations with modern activists, scholars, and creatives highlight the breadth of current trans experiences and give readers a deeper sense of the diversity of trans people, a group numbering in the millions. Extensive source notes provide further resources. Moving, funny, heartbreaking, and empowering, this remarkable compendium from trans creators Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett is packed with research on every dynamic page. PATREON We have a new Patreon, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CryptidCreatorCornerpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you like what we do, please consider supporting us. We got two simple tiers, $1 and $3. Want to know more, you know what to do. THE ORDER OF THE NUN-YA STARBURST: VIOLA Make sure to check out our friend's new crowdfunding campaign ⁠The Order of the Nun-Ya Starburst: Viola⁠ that I mentioned in the episode. ⁠(LINK)⁠ ARKENFORGE Play TTRPG games? Make sure to check out our partner ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arkenforge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Use the discount code YETI5 to get $5 off your order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome!

ILYASAH AL SHABAZZ – Third daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, is an educator, social activist, motivational speaker, and author of award winning publications: (1) Growing Up X (Random House) a coming of age memoir; (2) Malcolm Little (Simon & Schuster), a children's illustration book and (3) X, A Novel (Candlewick Press) a young adult historical fiction. Ilyasah promotes higher education for at-risk youth, interfaith dialogue to build bridges between cultures for young leaders of the world, and she participates on international humanitarian delegations. Ilyasah produced training programs to encourage higher education sanctioned by City University of New York's Office of Academic Affairs. She served for twelve years on the Executive Youth Board for the City of Mount Vernon, including appointments as Director of Public Relations, Director of Public Affairs & Special Events, and later promoted to Director of Cultural Affairs. She is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee at West Virginia University. She is a mentor for Nile Rogers' We Are Family Foundation. She mentors at various group homes, lock-up facilities, high schools and college campuses through production of The WAKE-UP Tour™ X-Tra Credit Forums—her exclusive youth empowerment program. Ilyasah has retraced her father's footsteps to the Holy City of Mecca, explored religious and historical sites in both Egypt and Jordan as the guest of HRH Princess Alia Hussein, participated in interfaith dialogue study programs under Rabbi Nancy Kreimer and Dr. Aziza Al Hibri, and served as member of the American Interfaith Leadership delegation that participated with the Malaria No More Foundation in Mali, West Africa. Ilyasah also served as a member of the United States delegation that accompanied President Bill Clinton to South Africa to commemorate election of President Nelson Mandela and the economic business development initiative. Ilyasah serves as Trustee for the Harlem Symphonic Orchestra, The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, and The Malcolm X Foundation. She is a member of the Arts Committee for the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center and a project advisor for the PBS award-winning Prince Among Slaves documentary. She holds a Master of Science in Education & Human Resource Development from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from SUNY/New Paltz. Ilyasah is currently an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and resides in Westchester County, New York.For further information, please contact, Dr. Jamal Watson, at jamal@ilyasahshabazz.comwww.ilyasahshabazz.com http://Twitter.com/ilyasahshabazzX: A NOVEL, Candlewick Press. (1/2015) MALCOLM LITTLE, Simon & Schuster. (1/2014) GROWING UP X, Random House. (1/2002)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

Welcome! ⚫ Today, listen to K read aloud Circle by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen ( ages 3 - 8 ). Every weekday, we will read  aloud a new kids book. Circle was published by Candlewick Press in 2019. Join us tomorrow to hear a new kids book read aloud by K! Thank you for tuning in to Storytime with K. In this space, we will read aloud your favorite kids books with new episodes posted Monday through Friday! Whether you use reading time to help build reading skills, learn English, or help your little ones fall asleep, this podcast has exactly what you need. Follow along on Instagram to see what book is next! You can find podcast versions of these stories on most podcast platforms, such as Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Overcast, and more! New episodes posted daily Monday - Friday! VIDEO OPTION AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE - Learn to read, learn English, or simply enjoy the illustrations in the book! *This podcast is meant for entertainment purposes only* #circle #kidsbooksreadaloud #storytimewithk

Welcome! ✈️ Today, listen to K read aloud Maisy Goes On A Plane by Lucy Cousins ( ages 3 - 8 ). Every weekday, we will read  aloud a new kids book. Maisy Goes On A Plane was published by Candlewick Press in 2015. Join us tomorrow to hear a new kids book read aloud by K! Thank you for tuning in to Storytime with K. In this space, we will read aloud your favorite kids books with new episodes posted Monday through Friday! Whether you use reading time to help build reading skills, learn English, or help your little ones fall asleep, this podcast has exactly what you need. Follow along on Instagram to see what book is next! You can find podcast versions of these stories on most podcast platforms, such as Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Overcast, and more! New episodes posted daily Monday - Friday! VIDEO OPTION AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE - Learn to read, learn English, or simply enjoy the illustrations in the book! *This podcast is meant for entertainment purposes only* #maisy #maisymouse #storytimewithk

Are you nurturing and advocating for yourself? In this episode, I talk with Nadine Pinede about dimming your inner critic to a whisper and:  • Learning to advocate for yourself when you have an invisible illness and/or are a person of color  • Soothing pain and discomfort through MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) and Self-Compassion practices  • Seeing yourself and others for who they truly are, not the groups they belong to  • Channeling grief and pain into creativity and writing  • Slowing down to see how everything is connected  Nadine is the daughter of Haitian exiles who were forced to leave their homeland because of a dictatorship. Her mother was no doubt sharing enthralling tales of Haitian history and family lore when Nadine was in the womb. Nadine is an author, poet, editor, educator, and translator who created her own interdisciplinary major at Harvard and then continued on to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. She also has an MFA in fiction and poetry and holds a PhD from Indiana University. Nadine's upcoming debut novel from Candlewick Press, When the Mapou Sings, is dedicated to her first storyteller, her mother, who encouraged her to write her own stories.  Keep in touch with Nadine: • Website: https://nadinepinede.com  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadinepinede  Resources Mentioned: • When the Mapou Sings by Nadine Pinede: https://bookshop.org/a/63892/9781536235661  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for Pain: https://www.ummhealth.org/umass-memorial-medical-center/mindfulness-managing-pain-introduction  • Fierce Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff, Ph.D.: https://bookshop.org/a/63892/9780062991065 • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: https://bookshop.org/a/63892/9780060838676Thanks for listening! You can read the full show notes and sign up for my email list to get new episode announcements and other resources at: https://www.sensitivestories.comYou can also follow "SensitiveStrengths" for behind-the-scenes content plus more educational and inspirational HSP resources: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sensitivestrengths TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sensitivestrengths Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sensitivestrengths And for more support, attend a Sensitive Sessions monthly workshop: https://www.sensitivesessions.com. Use code PODCAST for 25% off. If you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast, it helps Sensitive Stories reach more HSPs! This episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for treatment with a mental health or medical professional. Some links are affiliate links. You are under no obligation to purchase any book, product or service. I am not responsible for the quality or satisfaction of any purchase.

Hi everyone! My guest today is Neha Rawat is a children's book illustrator from India. She graduated and worked as a software engineer for five years, after which I started my freelance illustration career. Her clients include Harper Collins, Candlewick Press, and Running Press. Neha's site Thanks for listening!

Welcome! ⬛ Today, listen to K read aloud Square A Shapes Story by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen ( ages 3 - 8 ). Every weekday, we will read aloud a new kids book. Square A Shapes Story was published by Candlewick Press in 2018. Join us tomorrow to hear a new kids book read aloud by K! Thank you for tuning in to Storytime with K. In this space, we will read aloud your favorite kids books with new episodes posted Monday through Friday! Whether you use reading time to help build reading skills, learn English, or help your little ones fall asleep, this podcast has exactly what you need. Follow along on Instagram to see what book is next! You can find podcast versions of these stories on most podcast platforms, such as Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Overcast, and more! New episodes posted daily Monday - Friday! VIDEO OPTION AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE - Learn to read, learn English, or simply enjoy the illustrations in the book! *This podcast is meant for entertainment purposes only* #shapes #kidsbooksreadaloud #storytimewithk

Welcome!

Welcome! ⚽ Today, listen to K read aloud Maisy Plays Soccer by Lucy Cousins ( ages 3 - 8 ). Every weekday, we will read aloud a new kids book. Maisy Plays Soccer was published by Candlewick Press in 2014. Join us tomorrow to hear a new kids book read aloud by K! Thank you for tuning in to Storytime with K. In this space, we will read aloud your favorite kids books with new episodes posted Monday through Friday! Whether you use reading time to help build reading skills, learn English, or help your little ones fall asleep, this podcast has exactly what you need. Follow along on Instagram to see what book is next! You can find podcast versions of these stories on most podcast platforms, such as Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Overcast, and more! New episodes posted daily Monday - Friday! VIDEO OPTION AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE - Learn to read, learn English, or simply enjoy the illustrations in the book! *This podcast is meant for entertainment purposes only* #maisy #kidsbooksreadaloud #storytimewithk

Welcome!

In this episode, I'm joined by the delightful Kid-Lit author Cynthia Platt. We talk about the process of writing her debut intergenerational, dual-timeline YA novel, Postcards For Summer, which I adored reading. Cynthia shares what she's learned about finding a rhythm as a writer, granting herself permission to explore varied interests, and giving herself grace when life interrupts. She discusses her journey from editor to author and how she had to get out of her own way to begin a writing practice. Her love of reading and the magic of writing for young audiences is simply infectious. We also discuss the challenges of writing dual timelines and drop some great tips on how to keep track of information and plotlines. We also dig into the personal challenges of crafting a novel as a neurodivergent human.Cynthia was such a lovely guest. I hope you enjoy this episode and soak up all the inspiration and magic this author has to share with the world! 00:00 Finding Your Writing Rhythm01:31 The Magic of Writing for Young Audiences 03:09 Cynthia Platt's Writing Journey08:00 Exploring the YA Genre13:59 The Challenge of Dual Timelines23:07 Navigating Life's Interruptions27:47 Current Projects and Final ThoughtsGuest Bio: Cynthia Platt is the author of the YA novel Postcards from Summer, the middle-grade novel Parker Bell & the Science of Friendship, and picture books including Grow, Easter Starring Egg, Panda-Monium, and A Little Bit of Love. She's also written numerous Curious George books, stories, and early readers for the Khan Academy Kids learning app. Her latest board book, Happy Halloween, Teal Pumpkin!, published in July 2024.When not writing, she teaches at Lesley University's MFA in Creative Writing program and formerly worked as a children's book editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Candlewick Press.Connect with Cynthiacynthiaplattbooks.comInstagram: @cynthiaplattbooksBlue Sky: @cynthiaplattSupport the Show. To become a supporter of the show, click here!To get in touch with Stacy: Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co https://www.writeitscared.co/ https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/ Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared: Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Welcome!

Welcome! ⛺ Today, listen to K read aloud Maisy Goes Camping by Lucy Cousins ( ages 3 - 8 ). Every weekday, we will read aloud a new kids book. Maisy Goes Camping was published by Candlewick Press in 2004. Join us tomorrow to hear a new kids book read aloud by K! Thank you for tuning in to Storytime with K. In this space, we will read aloud your favorite kids books with new episodes posted Monday through Friday! Whether you use reading time to help build reading skills, learn English, or help your little ones fall asleep, this podcast has exactly what you need. Follow along on Instagram to see what book is next! You can find podcast versions of these stories on most podcast platforms, such as Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Overcast, and more! New episodes posted daily Monday - Friday! VIDEO OPTION AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE - Learn to read, learn English, or simply enjoy the illustrations in the book! *This podcast is meant for entertainment purposes only* #maisy #kidsbooksreadaloud #storytimewithk --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/storytimewithk/message

In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Cátia Chien!Cátia Chien is a children's book illustrator from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She is currently working in New York City. She graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 2004. She has produced work for several publishing companies, including Random House, Penguin Books and Candlewick Press.Buy The Bear and the Moon here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-bear-and-the-moon-matthew-burgess/14350474?ean=9781452171913and her other books here: https://bookshop.org/contributors/catia-chien-00827b04-86e9-47f1-82d2-fbf0ddba864eand check out the rest of her art here:https://www.catiachien.com/SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwiBecome an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWISupport the show

Michelle Knudsen is the New York Times best-selling author of fifty books for young readers of all ages, including the award-winning picture books (and personal favorites) Library Lion and Marilyn's Monster. In this, our second interview we celebrate the launch of her new picture book, Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten (Candlewick, 2024), a poignant story of mistaken identity and revelation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Michelle Knudsen is the New York Times best-selling author of fifty books for young readers of all ages, including the award-winning picture books (and personal favorites) Library Lion and Marilyn's Monster. In this, our second interview we celebrate the launch of her new picture book, Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten (Candlewick, 2024), a poignant story of mistaken identity and revelation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One morning in rural Alabama, Michael's granddaddy unexpectedly dons a fancy suit. Now, Granddaddy was ordinarily a man who wore coveralls and work clothes, and it wasn't a church day, either, so Michael knew that something really special must be happening. He put on a necktie, himself, for whatever the occasion. This was the civil rights era in the South, and the occasion, as it turned out, was voting day–the first one that Granddaddy–or anyone in Michael's family–was allowed to vote. Michael's teacher said that a law had just been passed making it so. But, as he soon learned, in the South of the 1960s, the journey toward racial justice was long.  It is, in fact, a journey we're still on. On this week's episode, Granddaddy's Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box. Published by Candlewick Press, this award-winning book, written by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein, and illustrated in vivid watercolors by James E. Ransome, was published in 2015 and shares one family's struggle for voting rights in the civil rights era South. Today, we'll walk with Michael and his granddaddy to the polls, exploring how this story can shine a light on an important period of American history–and on the promise of one voice, one vote, through the discussion of this book.  Host Sarah DeBacher is joined by fellow registered voters, Susan Larson, who hosts another book-loving podcast “The Reading Life”, children's book author and public scholar, Freddie Evans and philosophy professor and author of multiple books on teaching philosophy to the youngest among us, Thomas Warternberg. We will also hear from Crystal, in conversation with her two daughters, 10 and 6-year-old Bow and Arrow, and from a grandmother, Carmen, who, along with her 8-year-old granddaughter, Alexiah, and her younger bestie, Leilani, talk about Granddaddy's Turn.

Author Anne Twist joined the Love & Lattes Podcast to discuss her delightful debut children's book Betty and the Mysterious Visitor! Order Betty and the Mysterious Visitor: https://amzn.to/3qPDZdWFollow Anne Twist: https://www.instagram.com/annetwist/https://twitter.com/MrsAnneTwistFollow LOVE AND LATTES PODCAST: https://www.loveandlattespodcast.comhttps://www.amazon.com/shop/loveandlattespodcasthttps://www.facebook.com/loveandlattespodcast https://twitter.com/loveandlatteshttps://www.instagram.com/loveandlattespodcast https://www.youtube.com/@UCP69oqs58BfIzXNysgfAcVw #annetwist #emilysutton #bettyandthemysteriousvisitor #loveandlattespodcast  ​

Since Chris Haughton begun writing and illustrating children's books about a dozen years ago, he has conquered the heart of millions with his engaging stories and unique, beautiful artwork. His first book, A Bit Lost has been translated into 35 languages and has won awards in 12 countries including the Dutch Picture Book of the Year. Oh No George! came out in 2012, SHH! We Have a Plan in 2014, Goodnight Everyone in 2016, Don't Worry, Little Crab in 2019, and Maybe in 2021. In this wonderfully frank conversation, we discuss his life, his publishing career (beginning in South Korea), his craft, advice to aspiring writers and illustrators, and celebrate his most recent book, Well Done, Mummy Penguin (Candlewick Press, 2022). Mel Rosenberg is a professor emeritus of microbiology (Tel Aviv University, emeritus) who fell in love with children's books as a small child and now writes his own. He is co-founder of Ourboox, a web platform with some 240,000 ebooks that allows anyone to create and share flipbooks comprising text, pictures and videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this episode, husband and wife collaborators Brad & Kristi Montague take us behind the scenes of their picture book, THE FANTASTIC BUREAU OF IMAGINATION.This episode is sponsored by Candlewick Press, and the picture book THIS IS A STORY, written by John Schu, illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Click here to order a copy.This episode is sponsored by Heinemann and their professional book, THE LITERACY STUDIO, written by Ellin Oliver Keene. This episode is sponsored by Candlewick Press, and the picture book THIS IS A STORY, written by John Schu, illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Click here to order a copy.

In this episode, children's literature collaborators (and brothers) Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey take us behind the scenes of their books THE OLD TRUCK and LINK & HUD: HEROES BY A HAIR.This episode is sponsored by Heinemann and their professional book, THE LITERACY STUDIO, written by Ellin Oliver Keene. This episode is sponsored by Candlewick Press, and the picture book THIS IS A STORY, written by John Schu, illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Click here to order a copy.

Janet Costa Bates, author of Time for Bed, Old House and Rica Baptista: Llamas, Iguanas, and My Very Best Friend, talks to Candlewick Press about her childhood reading experiences, her “quilting” writing method, and her path to publication. Episode Show Notes: Lee and Low interviews Janet. Janet talks to Sonja Cherry-Paul on The Black Creators Series podcast. Learn more about Janet at janetcostabates.com.

Barb brought two books which tell similar stories about following your own vision of who you are! They are: “Sadiq wants to Stitch”, written by Mamta Nainy, illustrated by Niloufer Wadia and published by Karadi Tales (2020) and “Julián Is a Mermaid” written and illustrated by Jessica Love and published by Candlewick Press (2019). Listen to Landa and Barb as they gush over the beautiful illustrations in both books…and mutually lament over how little they know about visual art. BOOK AND AUTHOR LINKS! Sadiq Wants to Stitch: https://www.karaditales.com/catalogue/picture-books/sadiq-wants-to-stitch/ Julián Is a Mermaid: https://jesslove.format.com/julian-is-a-mermaid ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES! https://www.greaterkashmir.com/todays-paper/editorial-page/masculinity-in-the-context-of-kashmiri-society https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/03/02/how-indians-view-gender-roles-in-families-and-society/ https://www.coneyisland.com/mermaidparade https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100332/ https://www.transhub.org.au/101/gender-affirmation

All About Koalas Join us today as we learn about these cuddly animals. Sources: https://bear.org/classification-of-black-bears/ https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/mammals/koala/ https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-do-koalas-eat.html Saxby, Claire, and Julie Vivas. Koala. Candlewick Press, 2017. Sotzek, Hannelore, and Bobbie Kalman. A Koala Is Not a Bear! Crabtree, 1997. Send us listener mail! Send an audio message: anchor.fm/inquisikids-daily/message Send an email: podcast@inquisikids.com

Chris Van Dusen, illustrator of the Mercy Watson books and author-illustrator of Hattie & Hudson, The Circus Ship, Randy Riley's Really Big Hit, and Big Truck, Little Island, talks to Candlewick Press about his childhood, his work for children's media giants like Nickelodeon, and his art outside of the world of kid lit. Episode show notes and cited sources: Chris talks about his childhood in this interview with Reading Rockets. Portland Press Herald offers a deeper dive into Chris's life. Chris discusses his early career in illustration in this interview with L.L.Bean. Chris talks about his work for Nickelodeon and Disney magazines. Learn more about Chris at chrisvandusen.com.

All About Hedgehogs Join us today as we learn about these prickly mammals. Sources: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/where-do-hedgehogs-live-in-the-wild.html ttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/hedgehog https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/hedgehog Bader, Bonnie. Hedge-Hedgey-Hedgehogs. Penguin Young Readers, an Imprint of Penguin Random House, 2016. Miller, Sara Swan. Moles and Hedgehogs: What They Have in Common, Grolier, New York, NY, 2001. McGuinness, Jane. Prickly Hedgehogs!, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA, 2018. Send us listener mail! Send an audio message: anchor.fm/inquisikids-daily/message Send an email: podcast@inquisikids.com

For our thirteenth episode, we talk to Sarah Combs, author of Breakfast Served Anytime and The Light Fantastic. Sarah shares her love of writing groups, reading "at whim" and a writing prompt that works for all levels and genres. If you're gearing up for National Novel Writing Month, you may find her prompt especially helpful."It can be pretty scary to have a blank page in front of you and hope to see a novel draft by the end," she says. "So maybe it makes things easier if you think of scenes as the building blocks of a novel. And if you create a scene one by one, then eventually you might have a novel."About Sarah CombsSarah Combs is the author of the young adult novels Breakfast Served Anytime and The Light Fantastic, both from Candlewick Press. She lives with her family in Lexington, where she leads writing workshops at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.Join the Prompt to Page Writing GroupWednesday, Oct. 26, 6:00 p.m.Spend time working on a cross-genre writing prompt, get feedback, and share writing and publishing tips with a supportive community of other writers. Open to all writing levels and genres (fiction, poetry, memoir, family stories, etc.).Registration is required.SubmitWe'd love to see what you're writing! Submit a response to Sarah's prompt for a chance to have it read on a future episode of the podcast.

How Is Silk Made? Join us today as we learn about the process of making beautiful silk cloth. Sources: Llewellyn, Claire. Silk. Franklin Watts, 2002. Sobol, Richard. The Story of Silk: From Worm Spit to Woven Scarves. Candlewick Press, 2012. Send us listener mail! Send an audio message: anchor.fm/inquisikids-daily/message Send an email: podcast@inquisikids.com

Why does the world of young adult fiction seem to have more wizards, werewolves, and vampires in it than astronauts and engineers?And why have the writers of the blockbuster YA books of the last 20 years fixated so consistently on white, straight, cisgender protagonists while always somehow forgetting to portray the true diversity of young people's backgrounds, identities, orientations, and experiences?Well, you could write a whole dissertation about those questions. But instead, my friend and colleague A. R. Capetta and I went out and assembled a counterweight. It's a YA science fiction collection called Tasting Light: Ten Science Fiction Stories to Rewire Your Perceptions, and after more than two years of work, it comes out today—October 11, 2022.Tasting Light highlights the plausible futures of science fiction rather than the enticing-but-impossible worlds of fantasy. Don't get me wrong: I love both kinds of stories. But fantasy doesn't need any extra help these days—just turn on your favorite streaming TV network and you'll see show after show featuring dragons, magic, and swordplay. There's some great science fiction out there too (The Expanse, For All Mankind, the never-ending Star Trek universe), but it isn't nearly as pervasive.The two genres do different kinds of work, and I think Hollywood and the mainstream publishing world have been focusing so hard on one that the other has been getting edged out. That's too bad, because to me, fantasy is the literature of escape, longing, and lost worlds, while science fiction is the literature of hope and possibility. And hope is something we need more of these days.As a project, Tasting Light was born at Candlewick Press, a prominent publisher of YA and middle-grade books based here in the Boston area. Candlewick had formed a pair of collaborations with the MIT Press called MITeen Press and MIT Kids Press, and they were looking for someone to put together a YA-oriented science fiction collection under the MITeen Press imprint—a book that would do for the YA market what the MIT Press and MIT Technology Review's Twelve Tomorrows books (one of which I edited in 2018) was doing for mainstream sci-fi. Namely, prove that it's stil possible to create technically realistic “hard” science fiction in the style of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, or Robert Heinlein from the 1950s and 1960s, but do it in a way that speaks to readers now in the 2020s. (For more on the Twelve Tomorrows vision listen to my 2018 episode Science Fiction That Takes Science Seriously.)At the same time, though, MITeen Press wanted to open up space for stories that reflect a wider range of human experiences and perspectives. So they recruited A. R. and me to edit, and we went out and recruited the smartest, most accomplished, most diverse set of authors we could find to write hard sci-fi stories with heroes who would be recognizable and relatable to young adults today.As you'll hear in today's episode, that includes William Alexander, whose story “On the Tip of My Tongue” follows two young people of unspecified gender as they attempt to tame the loopy orbital mechanics of a space station suspended at the L1 LaGrange point. It includes the Chicago-based thriller and sci-fi writer K. Ancrum, who wrote a lovely story called “Walk 153” about a the complex relationship that develops between a lonely, infirm, elderly woman and the college student who helps her experience the outside world through his GoPro-like body camera. And it includes the prolific Elizabeth Bear, who wrote a story called “Twin Strangers” that tackles the issues of body dysmorphic disorder and anorexia through a story about two teenage boys and their misadventures programming their “dops” or metaverse avatars. There's also a luminous story by A. R. themself called “Extremophiles,” set amidst the ice of distant Europa. And there are five more remarkable stories by Charlotte Nicole Davis, Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson, A.S. King, E.C. Myers, and Junauda Petrus-Nasah, as well as a gorgeous comic / graphic novella by Wendy Xu about a sentient robot and the teen girl who discovers it in the forest.The reviews of Tasting Light have been wondrous and welcome. Kirkus Reviews gives it a rare starred review and says “Capetta and Roush introduce engaging, thoughtful, beautifully written entries about identity and agency, all unfolding within the bounds of real science.” Publishers Weekly calls it “dazzling” and notes that “the creators seamlessly tackle relevant issues such as colonization, misogyny, transphobia, and white entitlement in this eclectic celebration of infinite possibility and the ever-present human spirit.” Buzzfeed says “Each story is unique, brilliant, and brimming with hope.”I hope the three excerpts you'll hear in today's episode will entice you to get a copy of Tasting Light for yourself; it's available at Amazon and everywhere you buy books. Or if you decide to become a new supporter of Soonish on Patreon at the $10-per-episode level or above, between now and December 31, 2022, I'll send you a free signed copy of the book!For more about this episode, including a full transcript, please visit http://www.soonishpodcast.org/soonish-509-tasting-light

We had the pleasure of chatting with Chaz Hayden, author of the new book The First Thing About You. Tune in for real talk about being a disabled author and creating the disability representation you want in the world. Thank you to Candlewick Press for sponsoring this episode! Click here for a transcript for this... The post Episode 108: An Interview with “The First Thing About You” Author Chaz Hayden appeared first on The Accessible Stall.

I cannot overstate the importance of Cece Bell's EL DEAFO. For both us, as a society, and for the prestige that it brought to graphic novels with the citation of that Newbery Honor, the first graphic novel to earn that shiny silver sticker! Get to know how Cece Bell came to be in her Origin Story!Jarrett: Hello everyone. My name is Jarrett Krosoczka and I wanna say hello to my friend, Cece Bell. Cece: Hi everybody. Hi Jarrett. It's so nice to see you. Jarrett: Oh, it's nice to see you. You're I miss you. I haven't seen you in so long. Even... Before the pandemic, we hadn't run into each other on book tour. Cece: It had been a long time, I guess we probably haven't seen each other for four years. Maybe. Jarrett: It might be. Yeah, it might be. I always see your silly and goofy posts on Instagram. So I really feel like we, we haven't missed a beat because I've been following along, you made a beautiful drawing for your mom on her birthday. Cece: Oh, yes. I did. Yeah. I, yeah, we, I've actually been off of Instagram for a little while because I was finding that it was too much of a pull away from, my productivity. So I'm allowed to look at it every Sunday. Jarrett: Ah! Cece: Nothing for the rest of the week. It's hard. Jarrett: I feel like if I did that, my thumb would always be like, ah, I need to look and scroll and see things. That is some amazing willpower, Cece Bell. So I, we know your story somewhat from your book, El Deafo, and as a person who's also written a graphic memoir, you decide like what you're gonna put on the page, what doesn't make it to the page.And I've said this to you a bunch, and you've heard this a million times, but El Deafo is... Such a powerful book and it's a pillar in graphic novel history because your book was the very first one ever to get a Newberry silver sticker like that really pushed the whole medium of graphic novels forward.And of course, when you sat down to make that book, that was nowhere near in your head. And we'll get to that. But before we do, I'm interested in how Cece Bell became Cece Bell, the graphic novelist, the cartoonist, the author. What are your earliest memories of drawing and making and reading comics tell us a little bit more about what your house was like growing up in regards to like the creative sources you consumed and created.Cece: Okay. Wow. Let's see. I think I always like drawing and mark making and that kind of thing. And let's see. I do remember when I got very sick in 1975 when I was about four and a half which is where the book El Deafo starts, that I did a lot of drawing there in the hospital. And my parents think that I drew probably 100 drawings of the same thing over and over again.It was just a little girl with a green face underneath the rainbow. Her body was shaped like a triangle and I just drew that repeatedly over and over. And that was probably an early experience of drawing being therapy in a way. But I always drew that was basically the only book that I would check out of my school library every Friday, the same Ed Emberly book; Make a World. And I really wasn't interested in reading that much. I could read, I didn't have trouble with it, but I just wasn't interested. I wanted to be making things. so Ed Emberly was a major part of my life.And gosh, my... My home life, I was really lucky. My father was a doctor and my mother was a nurse. And I wasn't limited financially, basically. And it was a very supportive household, but in the book, there's this feeling that that my parents are fairly normal people and my siblings are fairly normal people.And if I had focused on my family instead of on just the story of me coping with my deafness in school and at home it would've been much, much stranger. My family is bonkers weird and they are very funny. Oh, my goodness. They are just so weird. My mom is so weird. My dad is... We're just weird.And so I, I tamped that down a lot because... The focus wasn't on that. It was on deafness and feeling isolated. So anyway, but my family was, yeah, there was my mom. There was a picture of my mom. Nuts, very dramatic and funny. And I think I get a lot of my storytelling abilities from my mom's side of the family and word play and nicknames and all that stuff comes into play.And then my father's side is very really talented with hand skills. My grandmother was an amazing seamstress and my great grandmother was an amazing seamstress, but she was also a sign painter. I always found that really cool. A sign painter. Wow. I think that sort of some of the mix of who I was growing up and a huge focus on weird and probably Ed Eberly and the fact that my father got weekly issues of the New Yorker were major influences the New Yorker cover and then the New Yorker cartoon in the inside.That's a little bit of, a little bit of what was going on around me. Jarrett: Okay. So I want to meet these people who are more cuckoo bananas than Cece Bell, because you are so wonderfully and beautifully... Goofy and fun. And you might be the only person I know who consistently uses the hot dog emoji in text messages, so... Cece: That's the best one ever!Jarrett: I imagine that must have been, yeah, I guess that makes such sense. What - may I ask? What did your siblings grow up to do? Cece: My siblings they struggled more than I did in terms of - this is gonna sound strange, but in a lot of ways, my hearing loss ended up being a real gift and the main way that it did that is I ended up getting attention from our parents.That... More attention from our parents than my older siblings did, which was extremely unfair, but that's just how it happened, how it played out. And so they really struggled. They struggled with that lack of attention and just, they are my sister is five years older and my brother is seven years older and they're growing up was very different from mine, even that slight not generational, but time period was different.And so they, they are probably the funniest, most creative people that I know, but neither one of them has found that lifelong dream career, which is something I struggle with them. That sense of guilt, even though what happened, wasn't my fault. I'm deeply aware of how much it changed things for them.And it's a, it's an interesting thing, but they are so funny. If you think I'm funny, spend time with them and you'll just think that I'm as dull as a brick because those two and when we all three get together, it is just, it's pretty magical. And I'm so grateful that we get along and that we're as close as we are.They're terrific siblings. Yeah. Jarrett: Wow. What that is a, what a beautiful testament of your love for them. And their love for you comes across so clearly in the book, in regards to you, the baby of the family and they're concerned for your health that's, and I connect to that as well, because I too was, the baby of the family, and there was a lot of trauma going on.And with that, I got a lot of attention. And I loved drawing as a form of escape. And I'm so touched to hear that your time in the hospital was spent drawing because that is a testament to the power of creating in the arts to get you through some hard times. Did you ever have an epiphany along the lines where you realized this thing could be a career for you?Like this drawing thing? Cece: That took a while. I was in school, in high school and the first part of college I was really super academic. And some of that was pressure from my own self, but also pressure from my dad. I think my dad wanted me to be a doctor like him, and I've have found that's a theme among a lot of cartoonists and illustrators that there was this parent who pushed, but pushed them to be something that they didn't want to be.And that child like me in my case I think [inaudible] has a similar thing. And the name is leaving me... American born Chinese? Jarrett: Oh, Jean Yang.Cece: Helped me. Yeah. Yeah. Just that, that pressure. And There was that, but in school I was really academic trying to fulfill this thing for myself and for my father and overcompensating for the deafness.I didn't want people to think of me as "that deaf kid". I wanted them to think of me, " that smart kid". And so I worked really hard and I never considered art as a career because it didn't seem like it was even doable. It wasn't doable. So when I got to college, I was an English major and I hated it.I hated it. I don't know what I was doing. Having to write papers and read books and but while I was in college, I met Tom Angelberger, who ended up becoming my husband and he was an art major and I did take some art classes. There he is! There he is. He's so smart. And we started hanging out and I think he recognized that I was pretty good at it.And I think he also recognized that I was unhappy as an English major. And so it was Tom who encouraged me to switch majors and just go for it. And I did, and suddenly I was happy and it was the best move I ever made, but it took a while longer to figure out what I was going to do with it. Jarrett: Wow. You know... I obviously I know that you and Tom really support one, one another artistically, but I didn't realize he was really such an integral part of your origin story of you becoming the Cece Bell that we all know, that we know is the name on the spine of the book, the name on the front cover with all of those shiny stickers. And, yeah. And so you were college sweethearts, and then you both got catapulted out into the real world. And so what happened from there? Did you graduate with an English degree?Cece: We, no, no. I got out of that as quick as I could. I keep saying I don't like reading and I do, but the book has to get me.Or it has to interest me from chapter one. And if it doesn't, I throw it out. So there were a lot of books that didn't interest me in chapter one in the English department, but I was out of there, but no, we I ended up getting a degree in fine arts and Tom did two, and we went to the college of William and Mary, which is in Williamsburg, Virginia, and which isn't really known for art. It's known for like business and physics and science. But we finished school and then we took a trip around the country together in an old Volkswagen van. And then we decided, because we survived that we could get married and survived that too. So we got married and I decided to go to graduate school at in Ohio. And so we got married right before that. And so at this point we were just 22. We were super, super young. And I decided I needed to, I wanted to become an illustrator. That I wouldn't have fit in with the whole fine arts crowd. I had this vision that I would have to go to New York city and drink champagne and talk about art and that just founded atrocious.So I thought; "Illustration!" And so I decided to go to a graduate degree in design and illustration, and Tom went with me and basically... He worked in a factory and juggled on the weekend, and that... And he paid for all of the time I was in graduate school. And then and then I finished and then we moved back to Virginia.He learned a lot from what I was learning. So it was neat. I would share my projects with him and talk about everything with him. And I think he picked it up through osmosis, but he actually, his path was really different. He was working in a factory, but then eventually ended up becoming a newspaper reporter, both in Ohio and then back in Virginia.And he was really good at it. And I think that's how he became a writer, was through newspaper writing. And his first book, which was about a group of kids exploring the local sewage department. That was based on a story that he wrote for the newspaper. Anyway he's a huge - Tom Angelberger is probably the reason I'm talking to you right now is because he put me through school.He was the one that, I think he understood me before. I understood me in a lot of ways. Jarrett: Wow. Wow. Wow. I, that's beautiful. I feel like that story you just told us could be... Like a limited series on a streaming service. That is just such a beautiful, that could be a romantic comedy or something, Cece, that's amazing. Wow. So you landed back in Virginia, you got hitched you got hitched and smart to travel across country together to see if you could survive that your relationship could survive that before marriage that's smart. That should be a requirement. So why, so he was writing for the newspaper.And were you like what were you hoping to do with your illustrations? Did you have books for kids in mind? Did you like what were you thinking? Cece: Gosh, when we moved back to Virginia, I was, we were both 25 and we moved back mostly because Tom was homesick for the mountains. I would've stayed in Ohio.And I actually applied for a job at American Greeting, which was, or I think it's still in Cleveland and did not get that job. What were they thinking? But I didn't get hired by American Greeting. And I was bummed cuz it was in a, that the office space was just beautiful and the employees would get these like every other year sabbaticals and it was beautiful.So I was pretty sad, but Tom wanted to go back to Virginia and I did. And so we did, and when we first came back Tom had trouble finding a newspaper job, but I got a job as an illustrator and designer for a small company. That made exotic pet supplies.So for three years I was making packaging and writing copy and doing all this stuff for this little company in Virginia. And the work was really great because it forced me to learn how to use Photoshop. And at the time it was called Freehand, like illustrator. You may remember Freehand.Jarrett: Yeah.Cece: And it forced me to learn to use the computer. I, my time in graduate school, the computer stuff was just starting. It was more, we were using a Xerox machine and cutting and pasting and using all that old, Ruby list kind of stuff. So the computer was still really new. So that job was good because it forced me to learn those things.But I was working for the devil. Satan himself was my boss and I had to get outta there. And so I don't know if you've ever seen this show, The Prisoner, the it's that British show and the beginning, the introduction has the prisoner is an FBI - not FBI, Secret Service agent. And he he quits his job and he like throws his keys down and storms out.I had visions that, that, that was how I was going to quit. But instead I got up like at 5:30 in the morning and I wrote a note and I put it in an envelope with the key. And I crept into my boss's office and put the envelope on his desk and it basically said I quit and don't contact me ever. And then I snuck out and I was at no two weeks notice.Ugh, I was pretty shabby, but I was so glad to get out in there. And then from that, I started freelancing at this crazy local paper... Paper product place that licensed stuff. Like I got to make folders that featured N-Sync and the, whatever those boys are called, those boy bands. Yes, I Want it That Way.And I got to make all these school supplies for N-Sync and with the Crayola stuff on there, and it was this crazy hodgepodge. It was the best job. And so when I was doing that, it freed me up to start thinking about kids books and my graduate thesis had been this wackadoodle children's book that will never is the light of day, but the illustrations are great.And the story's not so good, but I thought the illustrations were great, but anyway So then I started to think; "Maybe I can do this." And I finally had an idea that I felt like it was good enough to pursue, and I pursued it and I made this really polished dummy that I could that I could send out.And at the time Candlewick Press was accepting ,accepting work without an agent, unsolicited stuff. So I sent it to Candlewick and like three months later there was a message on the answering machine. Which of course I didn't understand because I don't understand that. I don't understand answering machine messages, but Tom was there once again, Tom did a rescue and he is; "Oh my gosh, it's Candlewick Press!".And So I didn't, I, that was it. That was my end. And the rest is history . Jarrett: And what book was that? Cece: That book was "Sock Monkey goes to Hollywood."Jarrett: Oh, yes. I remember the Sock Monkey books and, wow. That's right. Wow. So what and what year was that? Cece: Oh, my gosh, that came out.Oh yeah. So the, that was the year 2000 was when I got the message from Candlewick, but it didn't come out until 2003 because I didn't have an agent. And I had to get a lawyer to help me read the contract as those contracts are... It wasn't until later that I got an agent, and God bless agents because I never wanna read another contract ever again. But it just took a long time because it was my first and I didn't have representation at the time. So that came out in 2003. Jarrett: Yeah. Cece: Yeah. Jarrett: Yeah. And because now I'm connecting all of the dots, because then... It was maybe a few years after that is when I first met you and Tom at, we were in a gallery show together and I had just thought; "That's the famous Cece Bell, she's been around. "These books have been out for years now. And I don't know if I'm allowed to talk to the famous Cece Bell who makes the Sock Monkey books." And there, you were just getting started. Cece: Yeah. Oh, I really was just getting started and I wasn't famous at all. I remember Ashley Bryan was there and Grace Lynn was there.Jarrett: Yeah. Cece: And at the time I was a huge Grace Lynn fan, still am, but I think, I still think of her as this icon. She already felt iconic that all the way back then. And I was so in awe of her and that sensation that I had, then it's still there. Anytime I see her, I just turn a jelly like; "Oh, it's Grace Lynn! Baah!"And so she was there and I remember the book that you were talking about was the the animal punk rock band. Jarrett: Yeah. Cece: Book. Yeah. Jarrett: Yeah. Punk Farm! Cece: And you already had the JJK thing going on. You were like Mr. PR and... Jarrett: No, but I was only a few years in then too, that my first book was 2001 and Punk Farm was 2005, I think.Cece: Punk Farm.Jarrett: Still trying to get my stuff out there, and learning how to be on stage. Cause I used to have incredible stage fright. I hated performing. I hated going on stage. And then that became part of the job that I have. So I'm curious and because I know for me, I had been working on Lunch Lady that whole time.But the world wasn't quite ready for kids graphic novel. So you're plugging away on these picture books. How does El Deafo thread into that? I'm assuming that was something that was knocking around your head for, so for some years, right? Cece: It, in fact it was not knocking around my head at all.And honestly I was purposefully not writing about my experience on purpose and it's much like how I was in school. I don't want anybody to know this thing about me. And I want everybody to think I'm smart. And I had the same feeling about my picture books and early reader books. I just wasn't ready to talk about it in any way, not just in books, but in any and every way.There was an event that happened in which I had this really difficult interaction with a grocery store cashier. And she made me feel like the lowest person on earth. And it was all because I couldn't understand her. And I was so upset by that interaction and the person I was most upset at with myself, because at no point during that interaction, did I ever say; "I'm deaf!" Or; "I have trouble hearing." Or; "Could you please repeat that?"Because I had so much trouble saying those things. I still had not come to grips with a lot of it. And at that point I was 40 years old. 40! And I was so mad... At everything. And I was mad at hearing people for not understanding and just frustrated and mad at me. And so I started a website and the website was called, eldeafo.com.And El Deafo really was the nickname that I called myself, as a kid, but only to myself, nobody else knew about it. And I just started writing about it. And my post were more about more directed at hearing people like; "This is what you should do if you're talking to a lip reader." That kind of thing.But then I wrote a little, my, my origin story. I wrote that up and a friend of mine who was a wonderful writer named Madeline Rosenberg. She was reading it and she said; "Oh my goodness, you have got to turn this into something. Please turn this into something, please turn it into a graphic novel." And so we have Madeline Rosenberg to thank for this.And so it was her encouragement and I had just read Raina Telgemeier's Smile, and that thing's a masterpiece. And I could see, I could tell that Raina's methods would really work for a story like this. And I was really excited about it because from the word go, I knew that they were gonna be rabbits.And I knew that the speech bubbles were going to be... The most important part of telling the story of my experience with deafness. So that's how that all came to me. And I was ready. I was ready. I felt like this book is going to be my calling card. This book is going to tell the world for me that I'm deaf.And then sure enough, after the book came out, I was finally able to talk about it. It was like, it worked. Yay. Jarrett: Yeah. Cece: And it was such relief. Jarrett: And I, and again, I could understand that journey. So earlier when I was talking about I, I was making Lunch Lady I probably should have compared it more to Hey Kiddo in that for me too.When I was first getting published and news reporters would wanna ask, they ask; "Why were you being raised by your grandparents?"" And I thought, I don't want that to be, I don't wanna be labeled as the child of an addict. I wanna be the Jarrett, who's making the books and I wanna be the Punk Farm guy or the Lunch Lady guy.And, but then there's this thing that you've lived and you're processing it and it's trauma and you're an adult, but you're still dealing with it. And then suddenly this thing that you've wanted to put inside a box your whole life, you're gonna put in a graphic memoir, like a hundreds of pages for everyone to see what was the creative process like for you?And I love that you made them rabbits. That's it's so perfect cuz of the ears, but also because you're Cece Bell, it's just so silly. Like they could have been talking hot dogs and it's still would've worked, but could you tell us a little bit about... The creative process and how that intersected with the emotional journey you had.Cece: Wow. I was, when I decided to commit to it, I was really excited about it. And I think because I didn't have any experience with graphic novels. I knew that I had to do a little bit of studying up and probably like a lot of folks who were in this business. I started with Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, which is, probably the most important book about comics I've ever seen.And I read it three times. I was just amazed by the whole thing. I read it three times. Once I, after the third time I thought to myself, I'm ready. I'm ready to go. And the process was just, I basically did a a notebook dump. I just wrote down everything I could remember, but I limited myself to the moment that I lost my hearing to fifth grade, and I just wrote all my memories down all my experiences and then tightened that up into an outline.And it was the outline and a a chapter. I drew out a chapter and that's what I sent to Susan Van Metre at Abrams Books. She was at Abrams at the time and she was Tom's editor for the Origami Yoda series. And I was really impressed with her. I had met her a couple of times and something told me she was the right person for it.That's what I sent to her, but the process was just a lot of back and forth between doing just these little sketches for each page kind of blocking out what's supposed to happen and then writing out what people are supposed to say, and then just mushing it together. And the process felt very organic compared to picture books, the picture books, I always feel like you've gotta get the text absolutely perfect. And there was a lot less of that for me, with the graphic novel, it was so much looser and more fun, I think. And that's all I can, that's all I can say. It was just, it was a really good experience. Jarrett: That's and that, that book is such a gift. I still have. The advanced reader's copy that they handed out to promote the book.I'll never, that's maybe in 50 years, I'll sell it on eBay to get me through . But I think it's only with the medium of comics, like a prose novel would not have worked to tell this story as effectively, because with your visuals, you are able to play with the word balloons and the size of the text to really help me and hearing people understand your journey and, and that obviously that's a help to us with hearing, but for, the whole generation of kids who are growing up with hearing loss and who are deaf.Have you - that - I can't even imagine what this book has meant to them. And I'm assuming you hear from readers with hearing loss and deafness could you share a few stories like that must get emotionally overwhelming at times? Cece: Sure. There have been, the response was just so positive.The kids that I've heard from who have had experiences like mine, they just get so excited to see their story and to see something that's familiar to them. It's not exactly their story maybe, but they get it. And they're really happy to have something to show their families and their friends. "This is what it's like!"And... Also just a lot of kids have had the experience of hearing their teacher in the bathroom. And it's great to have that validated. "Yeah. I've been there too. Yay." That's probably, everybody's favorite part in the book. That's my favorite part in the book. That was the chapter that I submitted to Susan that yeah. Hearing teacher. Jarrett: That's perfect. Cece: Yeah. So the kids have been great. And, but somehow the more affecting stories for me were the adults who had grown up in a very similar way that I had with the same equipment, even the phonic ear and the microphone and many of them said; "This is the first time I have ever seen anything remotely, like my story in a book."And I ended up making friends with a lot of adults with hearing loss, which wasn't something I had a lot of, I'm very much in the hearing world because my family is all hearing. And I think for so long, I thought of myself as a hearing person. I am, I'm a hearing person when I stick my hearing aids in and I'm a deaf person when they're out, but I'm both of those things all the time I'm in between all the time.And so it was just really cool to get this new group of people who completely understood and just... Those are the ones that get me. But then in terms of the kids, probably my favorite story ever was a little girl who was struggling with having to get hearing aids. And she was very afraid of it all.And so she found my book and read it, and that helped her be less afraid. And she was at the audiologist office. And at that point she was very comfortable and okay with everything she was going through. But there was a little boy at the office who was crying and she happened to have her copy of El Deafo and she gave him her copy. Ugh. And that was just that really got me so...Jarrett: Wow!Cece: It was just neat. It's neat that it's being used in a helpful way. And I never thought that I would ever create a book that would help people, my other books that are just silly and funny and goofy. Sometimes I feel guilty for those books. I'm like; "Sure, maybe they help kids read, but what good are they doing?" So it's really nice to have this one book that I know helps people, Jarrett: Yeah. Yeah. And, that's something that I struggled to... Especially when we're seeing every awful, horrific headline in the news. And there have been times where I've worried; "But what does this silly story matter?"But they do, those silly stories do matter. I under- I understand that inner struggle because you have made something that connects with readers on this whole other level. So I'm curious, I'd like to know a little bit more about this Apple TV+ limited series of El Deafo. It, my kids requested to watch it because they had read the book and what you did with the visuals in El Deafo, the book to help hearing people understand your deaf experience.The sound scape in the TV show helped me understand on a, on an entirely different level. And it, I had to say Cece, it felt like a animated special we've had for decades. It felt like a Charles Schulz, Peanuts, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, special. Like it was that level of just beauty and taking the time to tell the story.How did that come about? Cece: Wow Jarrett. You just said the magic words to me. That was what I wanted. I wanted that peanut feel that Christmas special Peanuts feel. Where it's not exactly perfect, but the imperfections or what make it interesting, there's something really unusual about that Charlie Brown, Christmas special that on paper, it shouldn't work at all. It's a mess. Even some of the story doesn't make sense and yet you stick it all together and yay. It works. But so thank you for that. That means a lot. So that television show came about a he's my friend now, but back then, he wasn't my friend.He was somebody. Greatly admired and still admired, Will McRob who is one of the co-creators of one of my favorite TV shows of all time, the Adventures of Pete and Pete, which was on Nickelodeon in the 90s, he, out of the blue sent me an email and said; "I like your book. Let's turn it into a show!"And so that was how it got started, but it took him a long time to convince me because I felt like the book was I don't know, to me, at least it felt sacred and I didn't wanna mess that up. And I knew that there were a lot of fans of the book who also felt that love for it. And I didn't wanna mess that up, but I started to think, there's not many, if any characters on TV who are like me in that we are deaf people who have chosen or because of our circumstances, we have gotten through life with hearing aids, not without, but with, and you don't see very much of that on TV and in a movie. And in fact, when there are deaf characters in movies, at least, like back in the 70s and 80s, when we grew up not only was the deaf character made fun of, but the equipment was too, the actual hearing aid was somehow part of the... Was being made fun of, and, hearing aids are not perfect and they're greatly flawed little things, but they've really helped me and the phonic ear from the book I'm in... Once again, I would not be here talking to you without that piece of equipment. I don't think maybe I would've, but I don't think so, but anyway I just started to think, this kind of needs to be this could be really good for deaf kids and hearing kids to have a show like this. So that's how it came about.And I signed on once I I was very demanding. I had to put on those big girl pants and be like; "Ra ra ra!" Which is not my usual way. But anyway I said it can't be just a series that, goes on a, goes off on its own. It needs to be based on the book. And I want it to look like the book and it can't be 3D animation.I was like; "Absolutely no 3D, has to be 2D." And my other thing was; "We have to mess with the audio. The audio has to reflect the book in some way." So those were some of my demands. Also the main character had to be played by someone, a kid who also has hearing loss, but is using adaptive equipment to help her.And in that case, we got a lovely young lady, Lexi Finigan who uses cochlear implants a little bit different from what I do. But she was just fantastic. So I was very demanding. Jarrett: I I'm so glad that you were because, so often these animated adaptations of work the author of the underlying material is the last person they wanna work with. And I think that the work suffers from that cuz so it really, you went in there with, a limited amount of things that would really like you're quote-unquote "demands". And I, and I get it cuz you have to be assertive in these situations. To say; "Here's what's really important to me." And understanding like a book is a book and a and a TV show is a TV show. Like you're telling story with anything that's animated or film. You're telling stories with visuals and sounds, and time, which is different than a book. And you all just hit it right out of the park.I, when it comes to the Emmys, I hope you win all of the awards for this piece. It's an instant classic. It's just so perfect. And you narrat I could, I didn't know that. So I put it on and I, and my wife, Gina was in the other room she came and went; "Is that Cece? Cece's voice is coming from the TV?"Cece: Yeah, that was pretty neat. At first the director who is. From Lighthouse Studios in Ireland, a woman named Gilly Fogg, who was absolutely terrific, when she first heard that I wanted to narrate it. Oh, not that I wanted to narrate it, but just the idea of a narrator. She said; "Oh no, we don't want that. That's, no thank you." But Will, and I, when we were writing the script together, we realized that if we were going to mess with the audio, that it was going to be confusing and that we needed there to be a voice ex- kind of just explaining, giving kids a few clues that no, your TV isn't broken because the narrator's voice would come on and it would be clear.And and like I think every now and then the narrator says something like, everything was quiet and I think the audience needs that. Otherwise they're gonna be, hitting their TV. "What's wrong?" She did not like that idea. The director said; "No, no narrator." And so Will said; "What if Cece narrates it?"And then she just lit up and she said; "Aha, yes, that's what we need to do." Because it did need to be my voice. You've probably heard people talking about the deaf accent, where there are certain sounds that I don't hear very well. And so my voice is a little different and that was important.People need to hear what that voice sounds like, which is why one of the reasons why we cast a deaf actress, because we need to have that specific sound. And I used to be very ashamed of that deaf accent, but not anymore. I don't really, that's just how I talk. So that is how that came to be, but I had to take acting classes, Jarrett, I am now... That's the end. And the woman - I know I am acting.And she was fantastic. I think I had about three or four sessions with her and it was almost more like therapy. I don't know she was magical and she's a lovely woman. And just, it actually really helped just, it was more about "here's how to take direction and then use that direction and go with it."And this all happened during COVID. And so I recorded all of my lines in my bedroom. They sent me all this equipment and Tom and I set it up and I was pretty much in my closet. And that it was pretty neat. It was pretty neat getting to do the whole thing from home. Jarrett: You, but, okay. But you do deserve the limo.That's gonna bring you to the studio. So I hope that we get something more so that you can have a personal assistant that you throw your phone to, and if you don't like the food, they prepared, you just throw it against the wall in a fit of rage. I guess you could do that for Tom.I guess you could like Tom, could, he would do that for you. If that's gonna make you happy, like he would totally be game for that Cece: It was frustrating that I didn't get to have some of the experiences, like I was supposed to be able to go to Ireland and hang out with the animation studio for a couple weeks.Wow. So that got canned. And I was supposed to go out to LA to to work with the audio team. That didn't work. But the funny thing is that because we had all of our meetings on zoom, it was actually better because when I'm in a meeting, oh, like around a table in real life, I miss probably 70 or 80% of what's being said, because I lose the thread.If that makes sense. I can't, I can only do, one or two people. And then I'm lost because of their lip reading. But with everybody's face right in front of me, everybody's facing me, look at me, , they're all facing me. That makes me sound like they're looking at me, we have to look at our computers, right?You have to look at our computers when we do them. And so I didn't miss anything. And... That gave me a lot more confidence to help run the show. Oh yeah. So it was actually a benefit in a weird way that we were all stuck at home Jarrett: A as well. You should run the show Cece, wow. That all of your hard work as a team made for a beautiful animated program, and there's, as I said, it so reminded me of the Charlie Brown specials, cause it also took its time. There was moments of silence. There, there were moments where it wasn't just a lot of fast cuts and my five year old son who... Has a very short tension span. Loves video games. Like it, it actually was very calming to him. We'd watch it at the end of the day, as a treat, as a family watch and he would ask for Cece, he wouldn't call it El Deafo, he'd say, could we watch Cece?And so they all connected with you on this whole other level. So we're gonna wrap things up in a bit be before we do in the chat. So what I'll give you one audience question, cuz I don't wanna keep you too much longer. What are you working on Cece? Is there anything you can tell us about? What do we have to look forward to? Cece: Oh so I am working on of all things, an alphabet book. That's crazy, but so I love music and that's something that a lot of hearing folks are surprised by that.Deaf people can love music and my hearing aids are pretty good. And I grew up with my older siblings bringing in all this great music usually from thrift stores. And we had this fantastic turntable, that we used at home. That is mine now. Thank goodness. Great speakers. And so I really love music and I especially love the visuals that went with the music, the album covers.So this is an alphabet book of fake album covers that are animals playing different genres. And and all I'm making memorabilia and writing songs and smushing it all together in this book. So part of it is hopefully it'll be fun, but it's a very personal project because as I've gotten older, I am losing more hearing.And now it's a genetic hearing loss because my father and his grandfather and father, on down the line, they all had pretty significant hearing loss. So I'm starting to lose. My ability to appreciate music, which sucks in a big way. So this is my my outpouring of love visually for music.And it's been so much fun. I'm doing all the hand lettering. I'm doing weird paintings and it's been a lot of fun so far, but a lot of work because it's so personal, I'm taking my time with it. And my editor is Susan Van Metre, the same one who is working, who worked on El Deafo with me.And I just got an extension, Jarrett. Yay! The best thing ever to happen is when you tell your editor, "I need more time" and they give it to you. So that's what I'm...Jarrett: Awesome. Cece: Very personal and I just wanted to do something that didn't have so much of a story, just fun. And there's thought of a story that the story of my own personal relationship with music, but but that's what I've been working on.Jarrett: Oh we will be patient Cece Bell! It has been very challenging, challenging times and concepts lately, cuz of the pandemic deadlines have seemed like wonderful suggestions. I know my editors won't want to hear that, but it's been, to get that art out of you also need to be in a pretty decent enough Headspace.So I'm glad to know that. Yes, you're getting more time and we are gonna get more Cece Bell and the world and we're also, we're lucky to have you in this world. We're lucky that you make art. We're lucky that Tom Angelberger supported you and took you off that track and put you on a different track that you wanted to be on.And what a beautiful thing to have anyone in this world who would love you so much to show you your true self and what an amazing story from the exotic pet packaging to N-Sync. I did not think I would be able to run a thread between Cece Bell and N-Sync in this interview, but wow. Wow.That's very cool. I will think of you whenever I see an N-Sync lunch box at a thrift store or something like that. . Cece: Oh, please. Yeah. If you ever find school supplies like a notebook and folders, I should have sent you pictures. They're they're just I know everything about Justin Timberlake.Let me tell you, I know everything about, the way he looked and his signature, we got to use all this stuff that they sent us. It was great. Jarrett: Ah I'm gonna make...Cece: I would say a lot of the same things about you. Your work has been so important and inspiring and funny and and your support of other authors and illustrators is amazing. I think I'm a little bit more self-centered honestly, you're just like "everybody else is fantastic!" And I really appreciate that. You're really good about doing that. So thank you.Jarrett: I appreciate that your kind words, but in a way, what we all do is self-centered because we're scratching that creative itch we've always had.And, we're lucky enough that we love to make books and we didn't forget who we were as kids and kids find those really funny or entertaining, or they get to see themselves reflected in that true life experience. I...Cece: Yes.Jarrett: ... Cannot pass up a chance to make a really bad pun in this moment.Cece, I'm gonna sign off by saying... Bye bye bye. It was so bad, right? That was so stupid. That was such a bad joke. Ain't no bad joke. Ain't no lie. I say it. It might sound crazy, but it ain't no lie. Cece I appreciate you. And thanks for taking the time to chat with us today. Cece: Absolutely. Thank you, Jarrett.

Flavia Z. Drago, author-illustrator of Gustavo, the Shy Ghost, Leila, the Perfect Witch, Monsters Play... Counting!, and Monsters Play... Peekaboo! talks to Candlewick Press about her childhood, what it means to have the support of her family, and her love of monsters and spooky things.

Lindsay Eagar, author of The Patron Thief of Bread, Hour of the Bees, Race to the Bottom of the Sea, and The Bigfoot Files, talks to Candlewick Press about her childhood and family, fairy tales, and bread.

Panelists include:   Cindy Williams Schrauben https://cindyschrauben.com/ Cindy Williams Schrauben lives in Michigan where she writes books for kids that range from the truly serious to the seriously silly. Before embarking on this path, Cindy held positions as a teacher, administrator, and more. She loves sharing the message that ‘It's never too late to dream!' When not writing, working with other authors, or honing her craft, Cindy might be found dissecting her grandsons' shenanigans for story ideas, reading on the floor in the bookstore, or eating ice cream…ideally all at once.   Shannon Anderson www.shannonisteaching.com https://www.twitter.com/shannonteaches https://www.facebook.com/authorshannonanderson https://www.instagram.com/shannonisteaching https://www.linkedin/shannonisteaching Shannon Anderson has taught for 25 years and is now an award-winning children's book author and national presenter. Shannon loves to do author visits and PD's for teachers. You can learn more about her at www.shannonisteaching.com.   Gaia Cornwall Gaia Cornwall loves making books for kids! Her first book, Jabari Jumps, received a Charlotte Zolotow Honor, among other accolades. Look for her latest book, The Best Bed for Me, out this spring from Candlewick Press.

The poet Walt Whitman wrote in his 1867 edition of Leaves of Grass that New York was a “City of the world! (for all races are here, All lands of the earth make contributions here…”) How that city came to be on the island of Manhattan, and what it has meant for the United States and the world over the centuries, is the subject of Marc Aronson's new book Four Streets and a Square: A History of Manhattan and the New York Idea (Candlewick Press, 2021). Aronson argues that the density of Manhattan has put different kinds of people close to each other--fostering curiosity, conflict and new cultural hybrids ranging from blackface minstrelsy to musical theater to street photography To give a focus and structure to his story, Aronson organizes his material around streets and squares that have, in different times, framed formative encounters between New Yorkers: Wall Street, Union Square, Forty Second Street, 125th Street, and West Fourth Street. Aronson's narrative reaches from the days of Munsee villages to the recent past, but he devotes special attention to Manhattan since 1900, when the island at the center of New York City matured into a global capital of culture, media, and finance. While well aware of the inequalities and injustice present in Manhattan and New York City, and the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, Aronson keeps with faith with the idea of Manhattan as an inclusive home and a site of great cultural energy. Four Streets and a Square is accompanied by a rich array of digital sources and resources at https://marcaronson.com/four-streets-and-a-square/. Aronson, an author, editor and historian, is on the graduate faculty at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. He was born in Manhattan and lives in New Jersey. Robert W. Snyder is Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus of American Studies and Journalism at Rutgers University. He is the author of Crossing Broadway: Washington Heights and the Promise of New York (Cornell, paperback, 2019) and co-author of All the Nations Under Heaven: Immigrants, Migrants and the Making of New York (Columbia, 2019). He can be reached at rwsnyder@rutgers.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The poet Walt Whitman wrote in his 1867 edition of Leaves of Grass that New York was a “City of the world! (for all races are here, All lands of the earth make contributions here…”) How that city came to be on the island of Manhattan, and what it has meant for the United States and the world over the centuries, is the subject of Marc Aronson's new book Four Streets and a Square: A History of Manhattan and the New York Idea (Candlewick Press, 2021). Aronson argues that the density of Manhattan has put different kinds of people close to each other--fostering curiosity, conflict and new cultural hybrids ranging from blackface minstrelsy to musical theater to street photography To give a focus and structure to his story, Aronson organizes his material around streets and squares that have, in different times, framed formative encounters between New Yorkers: Wall Street, Union Square, Forty Second Street, 125th Street, and West Fourth Street. Aronson's narrative reaches from the days of Munsee villages to the recent past, but he devotes special attention to Manhattan since 1900, when the island at the center of New York City matured into a global capital of culture, media, and finance. While well aware of the inequalities and injustice present in Manhattan and New York City, and the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, Aronson keeps with faith with the idea of Manhattan as an inclusive home and a site of great cultural energy. Four Streets and a Square is accompanied by a rich array of digital sources and resources at https://marcaronson.com/four-streets-and-a-square/. Aronson, an author, editor and historian, is on the graduate faculty at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. He was born in Manhattan and lives in New Jersey. Robert W. Snyder is Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus of American Studies and Journalism at Rutgers University. He is the author of Crossing Broadway: Washington Heights and the Promise of New York (Cornell, paperback, 2019) and co-author of All the Nations Under Heaven: Immigrants, Migrants and the Making of New York (Columbia, 2019). He can be reached at rwsnyder@rutgers.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

The poet Walt Whitman wrote in his 1867 edition of Leaves of Grass that New York was a “City of the world! (for all races are here, All lands of the earth make contributions here…”) How that city came to be on the island of Manhattan, and what it has meant for the United States and the world over the centuries, is the subject of Marc Aronson's new book Four Streets and a Square: A History of Manhattan and the New York Idea (Candlewick Press, 2021). Aronson argues that the density of Manhattan has put different kinds of people close to each other--fostering curiosity, conflict and new cultural hybrids ranging from blackface minstrelsy to musical theater to street photography To give a focus and structure to his story, Aronson organizes his material around streets and squares that have, in different times, framed formative encounters between New Yorkers: Wall Street, Union Square, Forty Second Street, 125th Street, and West Fourth Street. Aronson's narrative reaches from the days of Munsee villages to the recent past, but he devotes special attention to Manhattan since 1900, when the island at the center of New York City matured into a global capital of culture, media, and finance. While well aware of the inequalities and injustice present in Manhattan and New York City, and the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, Aronson keeps with faith with the idea of Manhattan as an inclusive home and a site of great cultural energy. Four Streets and a Square is accompanied by a rich array of digital sources and resources at https://marcaronson.com/four-streets-and-a-square/. Aronson, an author, editor and historian, is on the graduate faculty at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. He was born in Manhattan and lives in New Jersey. Robert W. Snyder is Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus of American Studies and Journalism at Rutgers University. He is the author of Crossing Broadway: Washington Heights and the Promise of New York (Cornell, paperback, 2019) and co-author of All the Nations Under Heaven: Immigrants, Migrants and the Making of New York (Columbia, 2019). He can be reached at rwsnyder@rutgers.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

On this week's 51%, we speak with Robie Harris, author of the groundbreaking children's book, It's Perfectly Normal, about the importance of comprehensive sex education, and how parents can navigate “the talk” with their kids. Guest: Robie Harris, author of It's Perfectly Normal 51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. It's produced by Jesse King. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. Follow Along You're listening to 51%, a WAMC production dedicated to women's issues and experiences. Thanks for tuning in, I'm Jesse King.  This week's topic is sex ed, and particularly the much-debated question: how much should we tell our kids, and when? Our guest today has written more than 35 children's books on a variety of subjects, but she's perhaps best known for her lineup of sexual education books: Who Has What? for three to five-year-olds, It's Not the Stork! for four to eight-year-olds, It's So Amazing! for kids as young as seven, and her groundbreaking 1994 book, It's Perfectly Normal, for ages 10 and up. The books have undergone several updates and re-releases over the years to accommodate new developments and conversations around sexual health. The latest edition of It's Perfectly Normal came out in May 2021. Each of these titles, especially It's Perfectly Normal, contain honest depictions of sex and/or the human body, drawn by illustrators Michael Emberly and Nadine Bernard Westcott. As a result, they've frequently drawn fire from lawmakers and faced removal at public libraries and schools — so much so that Harris is on the board of directors for the National Coalition Against Censorship. The practice of book banning is nothing new, of course, but it's a particularly hot topic at the moment: the American Library Association says more than 1,500 individual titles were challenged in 2021, the most it's seen since it first started tracking banning efforts in 2000. Many of the most challenged books from last year were targeted for portraying LGBTQ experiences, something Harris has never shied away from. Harris says the information in her books is crucial for preparing kids to get through puberty and, one day, make healthy decisions as adults. I recently sat down with Harris to discuss what she calls “comprehensive sex education” and look back at the books over the years. What prompted you to write It's Perfectly Normal? I was sitting in an editor's office in New York City, it might have been 32 years ago, I can't remember exactly. His name was Michael Demony, and we had done some children's books together. And he was the editor of the first book on HIV/AIDS. And when I say HIV/AIDS, HIV wasn't even a term that was used then. It's called And the Band Played On, and it was about the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco. He was a San Francisco Chronicle reporter, and highly, highly respected. So he had done that book, and I was sitting in his office, we were talking about children's books – we were also talking about the state of the nation. It was the day after Election Day, and we were talking about the state of children in America, and that it really wasn't very, very good. And they needed lots of information that they weren't getting. And he said to me, “Would you like to write a book on AIDS for school-aged kids?” And I said, “Oh my gosh, I don't really know enough to write about that.” I mean, I know a lot about kids, because I have a background in child development. But I said, “I really don't know about that. But I wouldn't write a book just on AIDS, I would write a comprehensive book that would include almost every question that kids want to know about their bodies, about puberty, about growing up, and not even just the physical part of it, but the emotional part of going up.” I wasn't writing anything down, because I didn't think I would do this book. And he was writing down everything I said, and he handed me the paper and said, “Here's what you just said.” And I had outlined the book sort of off the top of my head. And he said, “Well, you know, your book could be banned. Do you care about that?” And I said, “No!” I care about if kids can't get the information that they need to stay healthy, but no, I'm not going to worry about [that], I'm going to write what I believe in. We live in a democracy, and that's my right as a citizen. And I went back home and I asked my sons, because my husband and I thought we've done a great job [with sex ed]. I asked my two sons who were then in, I think, fifth and seventh grade, “Tell us what you would put in a book, and did we leave anything out?” Well, they had a long list of things we left out. And I quickly wrote them, and then that night, I called everyone I knew. I called Bill Hazeltine, who is still a top expert in terms of HIV/AIDS and other diseases. I talked to our pediatrician, I talked to reproductive health experts at Harvard Medical School. A lot of people didn't know my name, this was before the internet – so when I call would call up, I'd say, “My name is Robie Harris, I would like to talk with Dr. So-and-So, I'm writing a book for kids on sexual health.” And no one turned me down. I mean, these were heads of departments at Harvard, or Boston University, or Boston Medical Center, or Harvard Medical School – no one turned me down. And it was a sort of joyful moment, just because people care about kids. My editor at that point was wonderful Candlewick Press, which is in Somerville, Massachusetts, a worldwide, children's book publisher. I talked to them about doing it, and the editor there bought the book within two weeks, which is like a record-setting time. And she said, “I want the book to be what your vision of the book is.” But I need to also tell you that many dear and well-meaning friends said, “If you write that book, no publisher will ever publish anything of yours again.” Well, now 35+ books later, they were wrong. And I said, “If that happens, it happens, you know? I'll write, one way or another.” When we're talking to kids, if we don't tell them the truth, then they're never going to trust us, and I think they'll stop listening to us. So I see these books – it's in my voice, it's what I would say to my own children. These books are my way of having a conversation with kids way beyond my children. So what kind of questions do you see kids asking, and how early should parents start educating kids about their bodies and sexual health, or I guess, start giving them “the talk?” The earlier the better. If you really want to think about it, babies are exploring their bodies – they're touching every single part of their body. So from birth, they're exploring that. And then of course, comes the toddler who may have heard something from an older brother or sister, right? They're like, “I was inside you?” And of course, it's often in the supermarket checkout line. “How did I get out? Did you cough me out of your mouth?” I mean, I've heard the zillion stories. “Did I come out of your belly button?” Kids want to know about their bodies. We live with our bodies, physically, 24/7 forever. I don't tell stories, generally, online about my two (at that point) young sons, but again, they were in fifth and seventh grade. The younger one whispered to the older, “In science class, did they talk about sex today?” And, you know, the seventh grader [has] a swagger, right, at that age, and said, “Well, yeah, of course, we talked about that in science class and biology. Of course, we talk about it.” And then they started laughing, and then they both said in unison, “And it's perfectly normal.” And I realized at that point, that was my title for that book. Why? Because most things about sex are perfectly normal. And of course, then there are the things that are not perfectly normal, that are abhorrent, tragic, traumatic, you know, and those things are included in this book – because kids hear about them, and particularly these days, during the pandemic and the access to the internet, even very young children [hear about them]. So I think that if we can talk to them, parents, or have someone else talk to them as a stand-in, that really helps kids navigate those times and realize that, “OK, nothing's wrong with me, I'm normal. This is what happens.” And for some kids, it happens younger, some kids, it happens older, and all of that kind of talk is in the book. It's in all the books – we have an even younger group, Who Has What?, a book about our bodies, and it names all the parts of the bodies, not just “head, shoulders, knees and toes,” which is a fun song to sing, but the genitals are left out. And I use the science names. I don't disapprove if people have their own family names, but I think kids should also know the science names, because this is human biology. But if you haven't started yet, and you have an older child, just roll up your sleeves and take a deep breath, right? And you know that you're going to make mistakes, at least I sure did. And also there are questions that you don't want to answer at that moment, because you just don't know how to do it. So you can say your kids, “That's a great question. I need to find out more about it. Let's talk about that on Friday instead of today, so that I can give you the accurate answer, the science answer, the medical answer, the psychological answer.” And then I have to say that there are parents who cannot – or are not able to, is a better way of saying it – because they themselves have had a traumatic experience that has to do with sex. My heart just goes out to them. But one can then ask one's sister in law, one's brother in law, one's health care provider for your child – Planned Parenthood, even. There are all kinds of places to get the information that you need, and people to do it for you. And I think we really have to respect that notion, because that group of parents still live with the trauma even if they're doing well. And they're marvelous parents, most of them, because of this, so let's include them in that way. How do you see the conversation changing? I mean, your books have been updated multiple times over the years. So which topics do you see coming into the conversation and which have become outdated? When we think about gender and how much more, at least for me, I know about it, I'm aware of it, I respect it – we can't just do the “boys, girls” [thing]. I think that we have to just be so inclusive and not leave anybody out. So what I did in It's Perfectly Normal, and then It's So Amazing!, which an updated version will be out in 2023 – what I did is that I wanted to be inclusive of all kids. And I have been since the beginning, LBGTQ+ kids, of course, they were going to be in my books. And at that time when I started out, if they were in the books at all, they were at the end of the book – [here] they are in chapter five in the first section of that book, called “What is sex?” “What is sex and gender?” it now says. So I decided that I also wanted to include striped kids – I didn't want to leave them out. So I use, throughout the book, I certainly use “they” and “a person” and all of the other ways to be gender neutral, but I also use the science names. For example, the male genitals are called “the male genitals,” that's the science name. I also, in places, so that those who were straight can feel that they're being spoken to in this book – I write “most boys,” “most girls,” “most females,” “most males.” I'd like to, if it's OK with you, I'd like to just read you one short paragraph. Yeah, of course. “Sometimes other people may try to define your gender for you. But who you are is most always the person you feel you are, or figure out you are, or already know you are – no matter what anyone else may say or think about you.” And that has to do with respect, which I write about. Gender is many things. That's why there's more than one answer to the question, “What is gender?” And sex is many things, too, so in the chapter before it says, “Sex is many things.” And on that page – and I just read today that U.S. passports are going to add “X” to their birth certificates, and many states have done so – we have a birth certificate. And Michael Emberley drew a wonderful birth certificate with “male, female, x.” So parents can put that, or an adult can when they're older. So there's a lot of new art in here. And I should just tell you, there's these two [gender neutral] characters in there: one's a bird and one's a bee. And the bird is the kid who wants to know everything, every single detail, and can't stop asking questions, while the bee – and I was more like the bee, in a way – the bee is the kid who thinks it's all gross and disgusting, but gets fascinated by the science. And I am fascinated by the science. So here's from when we talk about gender: the bird says, “Hey, now I know about sex and gender!” and the bee says, “Hey, now I don't need to know anything else about all that stuff!” And their backs are facing each other, because they're always at odds with one another until the end of the book – when they somewhat agree that it's perfectly normal, but just somewhat. There is a bill in the New York legislature right now that would provide for comprehensive sexual education. When you talk about “comprehensive sexual education,” what does that look like to you? Comprehensive sex education needs to include everything that kids need to know to stay healthy when it comes to sexual health. And as I said earlier, it's not just physically what happens to you, but emotionally what happens to you. And when it's not talked about, it becomes a taboo. So my understanding is that the only thing that's mandated in New York state is HIV/AIDS…and that's it, to be taught in the public schools and charter schools. Well, the bill is comprehensive sex education, K-8, from public and charter schools, and I sure hope that New York state is, and I will use the word, progressive enough to realize, going back to an old term of mine: If we can give kids comprehensive sex education in the schools, and then you have parents who are mostly able to do it, and then health care providers, and even the Unitarian Church has a wonderful program which uses our books, [our kids will be prepared]. If they grow up having had this information in an age-appropriate way, over and over and over again, as they get older – and I'll read you one thing that I do say at the end of the book: “They're more apt to be able to postpone pregnancy, to treat their friends with respect.” And I say, “A large part of growing up is learning to take care of yourself in a healthy way. It's more than taking just good care of your body, it means taking responsibility for your own actions for yourself and what you do. It means making healthy choices for yourself, including choices about your body and sex. And it means having respect for yourself and your own decisions, and having healthy relationships with other people.” And then, I ended with, “Yes, puberty is a time when friends, even good friends, often try to persuade or pressure one another to try out new things. Some of these things, which may involve sex, alcohol, drugs, or going on online sites, may be things you do not want to do, or are not ready to do, or are afraid to do, or feel are not safe to do. That's when it's important to make the decision that is best for you, one that is safe and healthy for you. Everyone makes mistakes and has bad judgment once in a while” – I really wanted to end with that – “But most of the time, you can and will make responsible choices.” And this is my hopeful end. So going back to this bill, really, our legislatures should be supporting our children as they are growing up and older. We couldn't do more to support them than to have comprehensive sex ed, and also train our teachers, who also need training. I've often said it's easier to just talk about this, but going back to the parents, it's hard as parents to talk to your own kids. So this community that I talked about, that can support kids – it's an ideal of mine, but it exists in many, many places. There's particularly a lot of debate right now over what's appropriate for children. Florida, of course, just enacted the so called “Don't Say Gay” bill, and Texas considers gender affirming medical treatments for transgender youth to be “child abuse.” It appears, from my view anyway, that the way we talk to children about sex and gender and their bodies, just in general, is a battlefront for what some would call the culture war in the U.S. And I guess I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on it, because I know your books have been banned or restricted in many libraries or schools as well. Well, the disturbing thing is – and I wrote it down so I hope I can be accurate about this – this is the Texas attorney general [saying] that parents are the ones who need to be involved, 100 percent, in sex education, not the school districts. And other people have said, “not teachers.” Well, I have to tell you something – if I took myself back to when I had an elementary school-aged kid, right? As I said, I know a lot about children – but teachers and librarians and even booksellers are professionally trained to teach. I'm not. I am not. I learned, you know, as a parent, but I also learned from doing all the research on this book. I don't want to be the one telling my school that they can't teach this. And in many of these programs, the parents can go into school and say, “I want my child to opt out.” And so the kids go to the science center, somewhere in the school, a place to do some homework, right? And they don't have to be part of it. That's been going on for a long time, because sometimes, for cultural and religious reasons, people don't want their kids to have that information, and I respect that. Just don't keep me and my child from getting that information. So I feel for the teachers and the librarians and booksellers who are on the front lines. I'm just, you know, here I am sitting in front of my computer, and every once in a while they let me out to speak or go to a meeting. But they're living in their own communities, so it doesn't stop. When they go to the supermarket, someone's going to complain or attack them. And now there's the whole [debate] about keeping books that have the word “gay” in it, or describe pornography – which I do in It's Perfectly Normal. I am not a pornographer, but it's stunning the amount of kids, and then younger kids, who go online and see pornography. For some, it's upsetting, for others it's exciting. They haven't done anything wrong, but we need to talk to them about it. [We need to speak] to the fact that most of it is not real, and if you find yourself very upset by what you're seeing, you need to find a trusted adult. And that's the same reason that I talk about abuse. I mean, we have to give kids, we have to let them know that they didn't do anything wrong, that, often, abusers are in your family, so you can't go there – but to go to a trusted adult. You might want to take a friend with you, if you can't go alone. If you can't talk to your family, find a trusted adult and ask them to help you, because they can help you to get help and help the abuse to stop. In our democracy, our kids have a right to have truthful, accurate, as up to date as possible, scientific and psychological information to stay healthy. I have hope: kids have across the country have fought these kinds of laws, and in one place turned one of them around. So my hope is in these younger kids. And when I say younger, I'm talking some eighth graders, seventh graders, some older kids, college kids, who are speaking out against what's happening, and really for getting the information they deserve. Robie, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me and to be on the show. Is there anything you'd like to leave our listeners with? I heard you might have another reading you'd like to share with us? Yeah, yeah. Because I am concerned about the rate of teen suicide, and it's gone up in the LBGT community. [The book] says: “No matter what people may think, it's so important for every person to treat all people with respect. And it's important to know that people's daily lives, having fun, going to school, going to work, making a home, having friends, being in love, being single, being a partner, being married, raising children, are mostly the same – whether someone is straight, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning.” But I wanted to say something about teen moms. It's very difficult for a high percentage of teen moms, especially if they don't have support from their own families or the people that care for them. And again, my heart goes out to certain groups of people, and it does to them, because who knows why they got pregnant. Perhaps they didn't have comprehensive sex ed, it could be for other reasons. But also, there are teenagers who seem to be able to make it on their own, to do their schoolwork or have family support. So I have respect, and I think we all need to – and I'm sounding a little preachy now, but I guess at my age and being a grandmother, I can. I think we really have to help and respect that community of teen parents. Robie Harris is the author of several children's books, including It's Perfectly Normal, It's So Amazing!, It's Not the Stork!, and Who Has What?. Her latest title, not on that subject, is Somewhere with artwork by Armando Mariño. You can learn more at her website, robieharris.com. 51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. It's produced by Jesse King. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

On this week's 51%, we speak with Robie Harris, author of the groundbreaking children's book, It's Perfectly Normal, about the importance of comprehensive sex education, and how parents can navigate “the talk” with their kids. Guest: Robie Harris, author of It's Perfectly Normal 51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. It's produced by Jesse King. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. Follow Along You're listening to 51%, a WAMC production dedicated to women's issues and experiences. Thanks for tuning in, I'm Jesse King.  This week's topic is sex ed, and particularly the much-debated question: how much should we tell our kids, and when? Our guest today has written more than 35 children's books on a variety of subjects, but she's perhaps best known for her lineup of sexual education books: Who Has What? for three to five-year-olds, It's Not the Stork! for four to eight-year-olds, It's So Amazing! for kids as young as seven, and her groundbreaking 1994 book, It's Perfectly Normal, for ages 10 and up. The books have undergone several updates and re-releases over the years to accommodate new developments and conversations around sexual health. The latest edition of It's Perfectly Normal came out in May 2021. Each of these titles, especially It's Perfectly Normal, contain honest depictions of sex and/or the human body, drawn by illustrators Michael Emberly and Nadine Bernard Westcott. As a result, they've frequently drawn fire from lawmakers and faced removal at public libraries and schools — so much so that Harris is on the board of directors for the National Coalition Against Censorship. The practice of book banning is nothing new, of course, but it's a particularly hot topic at the moment: the American Library Association says more than 1,500 individual titles were challenged in 2021, the most it's seen since it first started tracking banning efforts in 2000. Many of the most challenged books from last year were targeted for portraying LGBTQ experiences, something Harris has never shied away from. Harris says the information in her books is crucial for preparing kids to get through puberty and, one day, make healthy decisions as adults. I recently sat down with Harris to discuss what she calls “comprehensive sex education” and look back at the books over the years. What prompted you to write It's Perfectly Normal? I was sitting in an editor's office in New York City, it might have been 32 years ago, I can't remember exactly. His name was Michael Demony, and we had done some children's books together. And he was the editor of the first book on HIV/AIDS. And when I say HIV/AIDS, HIV wasn't even a term that was used then. It's called And the Band Played On, and it was about the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco. He was a San Francisco Chronicle reporter, and highly, highly respected. So he had done that book, and I was sitting in his office, we were talking about children's books – we were also talking about the state of the nation. It was the day after Election Day, and we were talking about the state of children in America, and that it really wasn't very, very good. And they needed lots of information that they weren't getting. And he said to me, “Would you like to write a book on AIDS for school-aged kids?” And I said, “Oh my gosh, I don't really know enough to write about that.” I mean, I know a lot about kids, because I have a background in child development. But I said, “I really don't know about that. But I wouldn't write a book just on AIDS, I would write a comprehensive book that would include almost every question that kids want to know about their bodies, about puberty, about growing up, and not even just the physical part of it, but the emotional part of going up.” I wasn't writing anything down, because I didn't think I would do this book. And he was writing down everything I said, and he handed me the paper and said, “Here's what you just said.” And I had outlined the book sort of off the top of my head. And he said, “Well, you know, your book could be banned. Do you care about that?” And I said, “No!” I care about if kids can't get the information that they need to stay healthy, but no, I'm not going to worry about [that], I'm going to write what I believe in. We live in a democracy, and that's my right as a citizen. And I went back home and I asked my sons, because my husband and I thought we've done a great job [with sex ed]. I asked my two sons who were then in, I think, fifth and seventh grade, “Tell us what you would put in a book, and did we leave anything out?” Well, they had a long list of things we left out. And I quickly wrote them, and then that night, I called everyone I knew. I called Bill Hazeltine, who is still a top expert in terms of HIV/AIDS and other diseases. I talked to our pediatrician, I talked to reproductive health experts at Harvard Medical School. A lot of people didn't know my name, this was before the internet – so when I call would call up, I'd say, “My name is Robie Harris, I would like to talk with Dr. So-and-So, I'm writing a book for kids on sexual health.” And no one turned me down. I mean, these were heads of departments at Harvard, or Boston University, or Boston Medical Center, or Harvard Medical School – no one turned me down. And it was a sort of joyful moment, just because people care about kids. My editor at that point was wonderful Candlewick Press, which is in Somerville, Massachusetts, a worldwide, children's book publisher. I talked to them about doing it, and the editor there bought the book within two weeks, which is like a record-setting time. And she said, “I want the book to be what your vision of the book is.” But I need to also tell you that many dear and well-meaning friends said, “If you write that book, no publisher will ever publish anything of yours again.” Well, now 35+ books later, they were wrong. And I said, “If that happens, it happens, you know? I'll write, one way or another.” When we're talking to kids, if we don't tell them the truth, then they're never going to trust us, and I think they'll stop listening to us. So I see these books – it's in my voice, it's what I would say to my own children. These books are my way of having a conversation with kids way beyond my children. So what kind of questions do you see kids asking, and how early should parents start educating kids about their bodies and sexual health, or I guess, start giving them “the talk?” The earlier the better. If you really want to think about it, babies are exploring their bodies – they're touching every single part of their body. So from birth, they're exploring that. And then of course, comes the toddler who may have heard something from an older brother or sister, right? They're like, “I was inside you?” And of course, it's often in the supermarket checkout line. “How did I get out? Did you cough me out of your mouth?” I mean, I've heard the zillion stories. “Did I come out of your belly button?” Kids want to know about their bodies. We live with our bodies, physically, 24/7 forever. I don't tell stories, generally, online about my two (at that point) young sons, but again, they were in fifth and seventh grade. The younger one whispered to the older, “In science class, did they talk about sex today?” And, you know, the seventh grader [has] a swagger, right, at that age, and said, “Well, yeah, of course, we talked about that in science class and biology. Of course, we talk about it.” And then they started laughing, and then they both said in unison, “And it's perfectly normal.” And I realized at that point, that was my title for that book. Why? Because most things about sex are perfectly normal. And of course, then there are the things that are not perfectly normal, that are abhorrent, tragic, traumatic, you know, and those things are included in this book – because kids hear about them, and particularly these days, during the pandemic and the access to the internet, even very young children [hear about them]. So I think that if we can talk to them, parents, or have someone else talk to them as a stand-in, that really helps kids navigate those times and realize that, “OK, nothing's wrong with me, I'm normal. This is what happens.” And for some kids, it happens younger, some kids, it happens older, and all of that kind of talk is in the book. It's in all the books – we have an even younger group, Who Has What?, a book about our bodies, and it names all the parts of the bodies, not just “head, shoulders, knees and toes,” which is a fun song to sing, but the genitals are left out. And I use the science names. I don't disapprove if people have their own family names, but I think kids should also know the science names, because this is human biology. But if you haven't started yet, and you have an older child, just roll up your sleeves and take a deep breath, right? And you know that you're going to make mistakes, at least I sure did. And also there are questions that you don't want to answer at that moment, because you just don't know how to do it. So you can say your kids, “That's a great question. I need to find out more about it. Let's talk about that on Friday instead of today, so that I can give you the accurate answer, the science answer, the medical answer, the psychological answer.” And then I have to say that there are parents who cannot – or are not able to, is a better way of saying it – because they themselves have had a traumatic experience that has to do with sex. My heart just goes out to them. But one can then ask one's sister in law, one's brother in law, one's health care provider for your child – Planned Parenthood, even. There are all kinds of places to get the information that you need, and people to do it for you. And I think we really have to respect that notion, because that group of parents still live with the trauma even if they're doing well. And they're marvelous parents, most of them, because of this, so let's include them in that way. How do you see the conversation changing? I mean, your books have been updated multiple times over the years. So which topics do you see coming into the conversation and which have become outdated? When we think about gender and how much more, at least for me, I know about it, I'm aware of it, I respect it – we can't just do the “boys, girls” [thing]. I think that we have to just be so inclusive and not leave anybody out. So what I did in It's Perfectly Normal, and then It's So Amazing!, which an updated version will be out in 2023 – what I did is that I wanted to be inclusive of all kids. And I have been since the beginning, LBGTQ+ kids, of course, they were going to be in my books. And at that time when I started out, if they were in the books at all, they were at the end of the book – [here] they are in chapter five in the first section of that book, called “What is sex?” “What is sex and gender?” it now says. So I decided that I also wanted to include striped kids – I didn't want to leave them out. So I use, throughout the book, I certainly use “they” and “a person” and all of the other ways to be gender neutral, but I also use the science names. For example, the male genitals are called “the male genitals,” that's the science name. I also, in places, so that those who were straight can feel that they're being spoken to in this book – I write “most boys,” “most girls,” “most females,” “most males.” I'd like to, if it's OK with you, I'd like to just read you one short paragraph. Yeah, of course. “Sometimes other people may try to define your gender for you. But who you are is most always the person you feel you are, or figure out you are, or already know you are – no matter what anyone else may say or think about you.” And that has to do with respect, which I write about. Gender is many things. That's why there's more than one answer to the question, “What is gender?” And sex is many things, too, so in the chapter before it says, “Sex is many things.” And on that page – and I just read today that U.S. passports are going to add “X” to their birth certificates, and many states have done so – we have a birth certificate. And Michael Emberley drew a wonderful birth certificate with “male, female, x.” So parents can put that, or an adult can when they're older. So there's a lot of new art in here. And I should just tell you, there's these two [gender neutral] characters in there: one's a bird and one's a bee. And the bird is the kid who wants to know everything, every single detail, and can't stop asking questions, while the bee – and I was more like the bee, in a way – the bee is the kid who thinks it's all gross and disgusting, but gets fascinated by the science. And I am fascinated by the science. So here's from when we talk about gender: the bird says, “Hey, now I know about sex and gender!” and the bee says, “Hey, now I don't need to know anything else about all that stuff!” And their backs are facing each other, because they're always at odds with one another until the end of the book – when they somewhat agree that it's perfectly normal, but just somewhat. There is a bill in the New York legislature right now that would provide for comprehensive sexual education. When you talk about “comprehensive sexual education,” what does that look like to you? Comprehensive sex education needs to include everything that kids need to know to stay healthy when it comes to sexual health. And as I said earlier, it's not just physically what happens to you, but emotionally what happens to you. And when it's not talked about, it becomes a taboo. So my understanding is that the only thing that's mandated in New York state is HIV/AIDS…and that's it, to be taught in the public schools and charter schools. Well, the bill is comprehensive sex education, K-8, from public and charter schools, and I sure hope that New York state is, and I will use the word, progressive enough to realize, going back to an old term of mine: If we can give kids comprehensive sex education in the schools, and then you have parents who are mostly able to do it, and then health care providers, and even the Unitarian Church has a wonderful program which uses our books, [our kids will be prepared]. If they grow up having had this information in an age-appropriate way, over and over and over again, as they get older – and I'll read you one thing that I do say at the end of the book: “They're more apt to be able to postpone pregnancy, to treat their friends with respect.” And I say, “A large part of growing up is learning to take care of yourself in a healthy way. It's more than taking just good care of your body, it means taking responsibility for your own actions for yourself and what you do. It means making healthy choices for yourself, including choices about your body and sex. And it means having respect for yourself and your own decisions, and having healthy relationships with other people.” And then, I ended with, “Yes, puberty is a time when friends, even good friends, often try to persuade or pressure one another to try out new things. Some of these things, which may involve sex, alcohol, drugs, or going on online sites, may be things you do not want to do, or are not ready to do, or are afraid to do, or feel are not safe to do. That's when it's important to make the decision that is best for you, one that is safe and healthy for you. Everyone makes mistakes and has bad judgment once in a while” – I really wanted to end with that – “But most of the time, you can and will make responsible choices.” And this is my hopeful end. So going back to this bill, really, our legislatures should be supporting our children as they are growing up and older. We couldn't do more to support them than to have comprehensive sex ed, and also train our teachers, who also need training. I've often said it's easier to just talk about this, but going back to the parents, it's hard as parents to talk to your own kids. So this community that I talked about, that can support kids – it's an ideal of mine, but it exists in many, many places. There's particularly a lot of debate right now over what's appropriate for children. Florida, of course, just enacted the so called “Don't Say Gay” bill, and Texas considers gender affirming medical treatments for transgender youth to be “child abuse.” It appears, from my view anyway, that the way we talk to children about sex and gender and their bodies, just in general, is a battlefront for what some would call the culture war in the U.S. And I guess I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on it, because I know your books have been banned or restricted in many libraries or schools as well. Well, the disturbing thing is – and I wrote it down so I hope I can be accurate about this – this is the Texas attorney general [saying] that parents are the ones who need to be involved, 100 percent, in sex education, not the school districts. And other people have said, “not teachers.” Well, I have to tell you something – if I took myself back to when I had an elementary school-aged kid, right? As I said, I know a lot about children – but teachers and librarians and even booksellers are professionally trained to teach. I'm not. I am not. I learned, you know, as a parent, but I also learned from doing all the research on this book. I don't want to be the one telling my school that they can't teach this. And in many of these programs, the parents can go into school and say, “I want my child to opt out.” And so the kids go to the science center, somewhere in the school, a place to do some homework, right? And they don't have to be part of it. That's been going on for a long time, because sometimes, for cultural and religious reasons, people don't want their kids to have that information, and I respect that. Just don't keep me and my child from getting that information. So I feel for the teachers and the librarians and booksellers who are on the front lines. I'm just, you know, here I am sitting in front of my computer, and every once in a while they let me out to speak or go to a meeting. But they're living in their own communities, so it doesn't stop. When they go to the supermarket, someone's going to complain or attack them. And now there's the whole [debate] about keeping books that have the word “gay” in it, or describe pornography – which I do in It's Perfectly Normal. I am not a pornographer, but it's stunning the amount of kids, and then younger kids, who go online and see pornography. For some, it's upsetting, for others it's exciting. They haven't done anything wrong, but we need to talk to them about it. [We need to speak] to the fact that most of it is not real, and if you find yourself very upset by what you're seeing, you need to find a trusted adult. And that's the same reason that I talk about abuse. I mean, we have to give kids, we have to let them know that they didn't do anything wrong, that, often, abusers are in your family, so you can't go there – but to go to a trusted adult. You might want to take a friend with you, if you can't go alone. If you can't talk to your family, find a trusted adult and ask them to help you, because they can help you to get help and help the abuse to stop. In our democracy, our kids have a right to have truthful, accurate, as up to date as possible, scientific and psychological information to stay healthy. I have hope: kids have across the country have fought these kinds of laws, and in one place turned one of them around. So my hope is in these younger kids. And when I say younger, I'm talking some eighth graders, seventh graders, some older kids, college kids, who are speaking out against what's happening, and really for getting the information they deserve. Robie, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me and to be on the show. Is there anything you'd like to leave our listeners with? I heard you might have another reading you'd like to share with us? Yeah, yeah. Because I am concerned about the rate of teen suicide, and it's gone up in the LBGT community. [The book] says: “No matter what people may think, it's so important for every person to treat all people with respect. And it's important to know that people's daily lives, having fun, going to school, going to work, making a home, having friends, being in love, being single, being a partner, being married, raising children, are mostly the same – whether someone is straight, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning.” But I wanted to say something about teen moms. It's very difficult for a high percentage of teen moms, especially if they don't have support from their own families or the people that care for them. And again, my heart goes out to certain groups of people, and it does to them, because who knows why they got pregnant. Perhaps they didn't have comprehensive sex ed, it could be for other reasons. But also, there are teenagers who seem to be able to make it on their own, to do their schoolwork or have family support. So I have respect, and I think we all need to – and I'm sounding a little preachy now, but I guess at my age and being a grandmother, I can. I think we really have to help and respect that community of teen parents. Robie Harris is the author of several children's books, including It's Perfectly Normal, It's So Amazing!, It's Not the Stork!, and Who Has What?. Her latest title, not on that subject, is Somewhere with artwork by Armando Mariño. You can learn more at her website, robieharris.com. 51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. It's produced by Jesse King. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

Stoopkid Crew!!!! Wasup!!!!Yo yo yo! Stoopkid Crew! Thank you for hanging with me on the stoop for Season 6 Episode 5!Stoop Announcements!HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO STOOPKIDS Toni, Teddy, Olivia, Charlie, Sage, Aanika, Ella! Yall are fantastic and I hope that your birthday celebrations were super amazing just like YOU!Stoop Grownups, if you would like for your stoopkid to receive a shoutout on the show and other patron-only goodies, go to https://www.patreon.com/stoopkidstories! And if you are a Tier 3 pledger, and have not recieved a birthday card, please send me an email at melly@stoopkidstories.com or send me a messageFor Stoopkid Stories merchandise, visit https://www.teepublic.com/stores/stoopkid-stories?ref_id=24264Thank you to Candlewick Press for sponsoring this episode. Carrimebac, The Town that Walked, an original Black folktale written by David Barclay Moore and illustrated by John Holyfield. Follow on IG, Facebook and Twitter @stoopkidstoriesRATE, REVIEW AND SUBSCRIBESupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/StoopkidStories)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/StoopkidStories)

Welcome! Today, listen as K reads aloud Zelda and Ivy by Laura McGee Kvasnosky ( ages 5 - 9 ). Every weekday, we will read aloud new kids books. This childrens book is about sisters Zelda and Ivy who love to play together, but sometimes Zelda thinks she should be in control because she is the oldest. Zelda and Ivy was published by Candlewick Press in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1998. Join us tomorrow to hear a new story read aloud by K! Thank you for tuning in to Storytime with K. In this space, we will read aloud your favorite kids books with new episodes posted Monday through Friday! Whether you use reading time to help build reading skills, learn English, or help your little ones fall asleep, this podcast has exactly what you need. Follow along on Instagram to see what book is next! Video Option Available on YouTube - Learn to read, learn English, or simply enjoy the illustrations in the book! *This podcast is meant for entertainment purposes only*

#351. Andy Chase is a professional mariner in every sense of the word. He's worked all over the world on all types of ships - big, small, sailing ships and container ships. Nonfiction writer John McPhee even based his wonderful book 'Looking for a Ship' on Andy's maritime career. Most recently, Andy's been a long-time professor at Maine Maritime Academy and even skippered the schooner BOWDOIN back to the Arctic. I spoke to Andy at length about his career and his thoughts on seamanship, which there are many. -- Join the conversation on The Quarterdeck, 59º North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Annual membership site with access to the canon of seamanship content (articles, videos, podcasts & more); a thriving community passionate about sailing; and direct access to Andy, Mia, August, Nikki & Emma, the 'Admiralty' to have all of your sailing & seamanship questions answered! quarterdeck.59-north.com -- ON THE WIND is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. Visit weems-plath.com to see their full catalog. ON THE WIND is supported by Candlewick Press, publisher of Old Wood Boat, a new picture book by artist and sailor Nikki McClure. Old Wood Boat goes on sale May 10 wherever you buy your books. ON THE WIND is also supported by Buldano, our favorite brand of towels for at home and on the boats. Take 20% off your order at buldano.com with code 'onthewind'.

Ryan Ellison, friend of the show, returns to talk about his emotional voyage solo across the Atlantic. Aboard POLAR SEAL, Ryan got involved in a migrant rescue at sea and helped save the lives of dozens of migrants as he stood by to mark their position while the helicopter rescue crews did their work. Ryan reflects on the traumatic experience and the life epiphany's that came from the experience, why he stopped in Cape Verde, why he continued solo after almost abandoning the attempt, and what he learned about himself in the process. Andy & Emma co-host today's show with Ryan. -- Join the conversation on The Quarterdeck, 59º North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Annual membership site with access to the canon of seamanship content (articles, videos, podcasts & more); a thriving community passionate about sailing; and direct access to Andy, Mia, August, Nikki & Emma, the 'Admiralty' to have all of your sailing & seamanship questions answered! quarterdeck.59-north.com -- ON THE WIND is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. Visit weems-plath.com to see their full catalog. ON THE WIND is supported by Candlewick Press, publisher of Old Wood Boat, a new picture book by artist and sailor Nikki McClure. Old Wood Boat goes on sale May 10 wherever you buy your books. ON THE WIND is also supported by Buldano, our favorite brand of towels for at home and on the boats. Take 20% off your order at buldano.com with code 'onthewind'.

Yo yo yo! Stoopkid Crew! Thank you for hanging with me on the stoop for Season 6 Episode 4!Stoop Announcements!HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO STOOPKIDS Abel, Bella, Suu, Vivian and Laura! Yall are fantastic and I hope that your birthday celebrations were super amazing just like YOU!Stoop Grownups, if you would like for your stoopkid to receive a shoutout on the show and other patron-only goodies, go to https://www.patreon.com/stoopkidstories!For Stoopkid Stories merchandise, visit https://www.teepublic.com/stores/stoopkid-stories?ref_id=24264Thank you to Candlewick Press for sponsoring this episode. Carrimebac, The Town that Walked, an original Black folktale written by David Barclay Moore and illustrated by John Holyfield. Follow on IG, Facebook and Twitter @stoopkidstoriesRATE, REVIEW AND SUBSCRIBESupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/StoopkidStories)

#349. Peter Gibbons-Neff - the namesake of PGN Ocean Racing - is a solo sailor from Annapolis aiming for the single-handed Mini Transat next year in 2023. Peter & I have crossed paths many times, most recently in Kinsale, Ireland - we were outbound on ICEBEAR heading to Sweden, and Peter was inbound on his Mini arriving from France. We traded photos and I promised then I'd get him on the show! Peter tells me the story of how we wound up in the same harbor an ocean away from home.  -- Join the conversation on The Quarterdeck, 59º North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Annual membership site with access to the canon of seamanship content (articles, videos, podcasts & more); a thriving community passionate about sailing; and direct access to Andy, Mia, August, Nikki & Emma, the 'Admiralty' to have all of your sailing & seamanship questions answered! quarterdeck.59-north.com -- ON THE WIND is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. Visit weems-plath.com to see their full catalog. ON THE WIND is supported by Candlewick Press, publisher of Old Wood Boat, a new picture book by artist and sailor Nikki McClure. Old Wood Boat goes on sale May 10 wherever you buy your books. ON THE WIND is also supported by Buldano, our favorite brand of towels for at home and on the boats. Take 20% off your order at buldano.com with code 'onthewind'.

#348. 59º North's own Emma Garschagen is back in the interviewee-seat after having sailed 12,000 miles as the mate on ICEBEAR in 2021. Emma takes us through all of the ups and downs of her long voyage, from successfully completing her first trans-Atlantic crossing to an offshore medical emergency. New to the show? Listen to episode #311 to learn more about Emma and her sailing origins!  -- Join the conversation on The Quarterdeck, 59º North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Annual membership site with access to the canon of seamanship content (articles, videos, podcasts & more); a thriving community passionate about sailing; and direct access to Andy, Mia, August, Nikki & Emma, the 'Admiralty' to have all of your sailing & seamanship questions answered! quarterdeck.59-north.com -- ON THE WIND is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. Visit weems-plath.com to see their full catalog. ON THE WIND is supported by Candlewick Press, publisher of Old Wood Boat, a new picture book by artist and sailor Nikki McClure. Old Wood Boat goes on sale May 10 wherever you buy your books. ON THE WIND is also supported by Buldano, our favorite brand of towels for at home and on the boats. Take 20% off your order at buldano.com with code 'onthewind'.

Part TWO of our conversation with the generous and brilliant Kaylan Adair! As an executive editor at Candlewick Press, Kaylan is brimming with information about the acquisitions process, P&Rs, revisions, the importance of authorial voice, editor burnout, and more! She walks us through what it was like to find HOUR OF THE BEES in her inbox, and what it takes for an editor to bring a book all the way to publication. Since this is such a meaty conversation, we've split it into TWO PARTS. (This is Part 2.) Both parts are out now!

The brilliant Kaylan Adair joins us to talk about life on the other side of the desk! As an executive editor at Candlewick Press, Kaylan is brimming with information about the acquisitions process, P&Rs, revisions, the importance of authorial voice, editor burnout, and more! She walks us through what it was like to find HOUR OF THE BEES in her inbox, and what it takes for an editor to bring a book all the way to publication. Since this is such a meaty conversation, we've split it into TWO PARTS. Part One is up now, Part Two will be out next week! Kaylan Adair is an Executive Editor at Candlewick Press, where she's worked for the past fifteen years. She acquires and edits everything from board book originals to YA novels. She is drawn to characters first and plots second, and loves nothing more than to be caught up in the stories of characters who seem so real, she aches when she finally has to say goodbye. Candlewick Press Check out HOUR OF THE BEES by Lindsay Eagar

We had SO much fun interviewing Paige Terlip, literary agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency! Paige shares her joy at working with this fantastic agency. She gives tips for querying, shares her Manuscript Wish List, talks about dream clients, and her role as a career agent. Paige has worked at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency since 2017, an agency consistently ranked #1 in juvenile sales by Publishers Marketplace. First as an Assistant for Executive Agent Laura Rennert, then as an Assistant Agent, and now as an Associate Agent.Prior to joining ABLA, she worked at Candlewick Press and Charlesbridge Publishing. She has also worked in a variety of jobs outside of publishing, from communications and marketing at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to scooping horse poop at a ranch in the Rockies. She has an MA in Children's Literature and an MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons University. If she is not reading, you'll find her practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, rewatching the Great British Baking Show, or hiking with her pup.Though Paige is currently closed to queries (1/28/22), I'm sure she'll be open again soon, and You can go here to check if she's available to query, or reach out to any of her colleagues at Andrea Brown Literary Agency!As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and  Cheryl in the following places:www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.comwww.HeatherClarkBooks.comPreorder Heather's debut middle grade novel, LEMON DROP FALLS on Amazonwww.MGBookParty.comTwitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookPartyInstagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookPartyClubhouse: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWritesOr Join MGBookParty on Clubhouse here.