Podcast appearances and mentions of Kadir Nelson

273. Wise Living: Why to Get Outside and Travel and Read Aloud with Amber O'Neal Johnston   “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NIV   *Transcription Below*   Amber O'Neal Johnston is an author, speaker, and Charlotte Mason homeschooling mom who blends life-giving books and a culturally rich environment for her four children and others seeking to do the same. She recommends we offer children opportunities to see themselves and others reflected in their lessons, especially throughout their books, and she's known for sharing literary “mirrors and windows” on HeritageMom.com and @heritagemomblog. Amber is also the author of Soul School: Taking Kids on a Joy-Filled Journey Through the Heart of Black American Culture and A Place to Belong, a guide for families of all backgrounds on raising kids to celebrate their heritage, community, and the world.   www.HeritageMom.com www.SoulSchoolBook.com www.APlaceToBelongBook.com www.instagram.com/heritagemomblog www.facebook.com/heritagemomblog   Thank You to Our Sponsor:  Sam Leman Eureka   Questions that We Discussed: Looking back, what would you say has helped to shape your children's character the most? What have you learned about the importance of getting our kids (and ourselves) out into nature? How do you actually make time to be a content creator and to also homeschool and travel and host?   Other Related Episodes from The Savvy Sauce: 53 Practical Life Tips with Blogger, Rach Kincaid 57 Implementing Bite-Size Habits That Will Change Your Life with Author, Blogger, Podcaster, and Speaker, Kat Lee 82 Traveling with Your Family with Katie Mueller 84 Ordering Your Priorities with Kat Lee 103 Making Family Memories with Jessica Smartt 200 Planting Seeds of Faith in Our Children with Courtney DeFeo 204 Charlotte Mason Inspired Mini-Series: A Delectable Education with Emily Kiser 207 Cultivating Character in Our Children with Cynthia Yanof 212 School Series: Benefits of Homeschooling with Jodi Mockabee 253 Low Tech Parenting with Erin Loechner   Connect with The Savvy Sauce Our Website, Instagram or Facebook    Please help us out by sharing this episode with a friend, leaving a 5-star rating and review, and subscribing to this podcast!   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger: (0:11 - 2:01) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today over 55 years later at Sam Leman Chevrolet Inc. in Eureka. Owned and operated by the Burchie family, Sam Leman's in Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at LehmanGM.com.   Amber O'Neal Johnston is my fascinating guest for today. She's an author and speaker and coach and she's just chosen to live a very wise life as a wife and mother, and I think you're going to enjoy gleaning practical tips such as the benefits of getting our children out in nature regardless of their age. She has teens and makes this super practical for things that they would enjoy too, and she shares these incredible benefits of what happens when we simply step outdoors. She's also going to share approachable ways to introduce our family to great art and other cultures, and she gives us a fabulous book list, so, make sure you stay tuned through the end of the episode so that you can see some of the top books that she recommends. Finally, if you don't have a copy of her own latest release entitled Soul School, I highly recommend you purchase that today. Here's our chat.   Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Amber.   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (2:02 - 2:04) Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here.   Laura Dugger: (2:04 - 2:14) Well, I'd love for you just to start us off and introduce us to your family, and will you just share a glimpse of your values and lifestyle?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (2:15 - 3:48) Absolutely. So, I live outside of Atlanta, Georgia with my husband Scott and our four children. We are just entering birthday season, but shortly they will be 16, 14, 12, and 10. The girls are the two oldest. The boys are the two youngest, and they've been homeschooled from the beginning, so, we're a homeschooling family. I'm originally from Illinois. My husband's originally from Ohio, but we met here in Atlanta at the High Museum of Art, which is really special. We are art loving, you know, fine arts loving, liberal arts loving family, and so, the idea that we met at the museum, I will just cherish that forever. I came to, before homeschooling, I was a stay-at-home mom, and prior to having children, I have an MBA, and I worked in corporate America in like marketing and advertising, and Scott comes from a similar background with the MBA, and he was doing work in that area too, so, we had that as a connection point, but I have always stayed home with the kids, and you know, our values are rooted in our Christian faith, and we're an African-American family, and so, we have values and cultural aspects that enter our home through that avenue as well. We are world travelers, so, we enjoy that as part of who we are, and I'm an author and a speaker, and I'm just a very happy homeschooler.   Laura Dugger: (3:48 - 4:12) I love that, and it sounds like such a rich and abundant life, and there's two little connections that I have to go back to. My husband and I had a date at that same museum. I love that you met your husband there. Oh wow, that's wild! And so, we met when we were in Atlanta, but live in Illinois now, so, which part of Illinois were you originally from?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (4:12 - 4:33) I'm from Elgin, Illinois. It's out past O'Hare Airport, and I was born and raised there. My parents were both public school principals there. My dad was principal of Elgin High, and there's actually an elementary school, Ron O'Neal Elementary School in Elgin, named after my father, so, that is where I'm from.   Laura Dugger: (4:33 - 4:46) Wow, okay, so, then even with that piece, your father being a principal, and then you said you've homeschooled since the beginning. Did you always anticipate you would homeschool, or what was your journey into that?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (4:47 - 7:15) Oh my gosh, never, and it's both of my parents were principals, so, that's wild. My grandfather was an elected school board official. My sister was an elected school board official, so, public school is just, you know, in my blood from the very beginning, and that's what I assumed I would do for my kids at first. Once Scott and I got married, and we had discussed it, we decided that I would stay home when they were little, and when they were old enough to go to school, I would go back to work, and my salary would pay for private Christian school tuition, and as the years, you know, months really came to fruition for my oldest, my husband started backpedaling, and he started talking this crazy talk about homeschooling. I'm like, that's a switcheroo for you. What are you talking about? I was like, that's weird. I don't want to do that. I don't feel called to do that. That does not seem like a comfortable space for me. I don't want my kids to endure that, and ultimately, I lacked confidence in that. I couldn't even articulate it. It felt scary, terrifying. Why would I take something so weighty into my own hands, and Scott was very persistent, and I can't even explain why he was so persistent about it, but I think to me, I feel like it was planted in him by the Lord, and he felt that this was the way he wanted to lead his family, and he did it so graciously because I was very resistant. He asked, would you please try it for one year, and if you are unhappy, you don't think it's right. I'll never ask you about it again, and that gave me a softer place to land where I felt like it wasn't signing up for a long-term commitment because I knew I was going to hate it, and I said, sure. I will do that, and oh, my gosh. It was the most amazing year, and I laugh now because my daughter was four, so, she's like four and turned five during that year, and so, she was so young, and people were like, well, what were you really doing, but I took it so seriously. I was doing all things, and I joined a homeschool support group, and I was reading about it, and I realized on Friday, I'm a stay-at-home mom, and on Monday, I took on this identity of a homeschooling mom, and it's just been a beautiful journey for us. I'm so thankful that the Lord led Scott in that way. He knew what was right, not just for our children, but for me, too, when I had no vision for it, and so, I'm just, you know, very grateful.   Laura Dugger: (7:16 - 7:30) I love that story. That's such an encouragement, and, okay, your oldest is turning 16, so, when you look back, what would you say has helped shape your children's character the most?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (7:32 - 9:29) Well, I think the time that we've all had to spend together, like intense amounts of time, so, not just quality time or quantity time, but both, and I think that there's nothing else I could have done that could replace that, so, I think that's one of the things. I think my own acceptance of the divine nature of me being their mother and those being my children, and really that leading me to embrace my mother's intuition, which is something that I was hesitant for at first because there are so many experts, and surely they know so much more than me, and that's not to say that that's not important. I read so widely. I'm always reading expert ideas and views, but what I realized is that those things can help me as tools. They can mentor me, but they can't master me because the master has already appointed me as the perfect mom for these children, and nobody knows them, the little tiny details of them that nobody knows more than me, and so, when I leaned into that and I'm like, yeah, this says this online, this book said that, this thing says that, I can take what I can from those, but ultimately I feel the spirit telling me and leading me in this way with these children, and when I really leaned into that, I have a right to do that. I am their mother. That revolutionized things, and I think that's what's helped shape my children's character the most is my willingness to lean into how I'm led to lead them, and so, that's been a motherhood journey for me, and I hope that it's a legacy that I leave with my children.   Laura Dugger: (9:31 - 9:53) And do you have any specific stories that come to mind that were examples of that mother's intuition, something that really I think it is such a gift from the Lord and that the Holy Spirit speaks to us in some unique way as mothers to be in tune with our kids, so, is there a time that it really benefited them when you exercised your mother's intuition?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (9:53 - 12:42) Well, there was one time with my third, my son, my oldest son, his name is Beckett, and he was in the high chair eating while I was braiding my daughter's hair, and I heard him start making like these really weird noises, and I looked over and it was like he was choking and gagging, and I run over, and but he seemed fine, but then he would do it again, and he started sweating, and you know today I really would say, you should call 9-1-1, but I didn't, I threw all the kids in the car, and I rushed to the ER, and when we got there he wasn't choking anymore, he wasn't sweating, they did his vitals and everything, and they said, well mom, whatever happened passed, he's fine, and you guys can go home, and I was like, no, he's not fine, I'm looking at him, he's not my little boy, his vitals are checking out, but he's not looking at me the way he normally looks at me, he's not interacting with me, the little funny things that I can make him smile all the time, he's not responding to them, and so, like, I know you have your tests, but like my, I'm telling you something's wrong with my little boy, so, they have a doctor, he comes in to tell me everything's fine, and he's sending me home, and so, I was like, well I'm not leaving, I'll just spend the night in the ER then with all my kids, because I know something's wrong, and the doctor, who's this older man, he turns to me, he looks me in my eyes, and he says, you know, in all my years of medical training, there's something that they never told us, but something I've learned throughout my career, never doubt a mother's intuition, and he said, we'll take him and run more tests, and they took Beckett back to run more tests, and they came back and said, you were right, he has swallowed a coin, and it's like just teetering on the precipice, and so, at times it was blocking his airway, and at times it was shifted a little bit, and we have to go in immediately and get it, and that could have choked him, if you had just gone home and put him down to bed, and so, in that story, I took away two things, one, that I am his mother, and I don't care what the test says, or what the data says, or what the news, or a book, at the end of the day, I knew that something was wrong with my boy, the other thing is the graciousness of that doctor, to see my humanity and my personhood beyond just the insurance payment, or protocol, or whatever, it let me know that like there's something powerful about letting other people know that you see them, and that you are connected to them, as another part of God's creation, like he respected me on that level, so.   Laura Dugger: (12:43 - 13:35) That is incredible, I'm so grateful that that story has a happy ending, and that you were assertive to say that, I think sometimes as women, probably especially as Christian women, we can think, oh I want to be nice, or not push back on somebody, but I love that you were assertive, it was what was in your child's best interest, and like you highlighted, that doctor's humility is admirable, but Amber, you mentioned too that you're a writer, and you contribute a lot to things like the Wild and Free bundles, and I was always struck by the way that you would be out in nature, and there's so much to learn, so, if you had to boil it down, what wisdom would you have to share from what you've learned about the importance of getting our kids and ourselves outdoors into nature?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (13:36 - 16:49) Yeah, that's so funny, I love that you asked me that, because I like to tell people I was raised in the air conditioning, and so, there is no one who began motherhood further away from nature and being outdoors than me, like, and I can look back at those early days of like, I knew you could take your kids to the playground, and I did do that, but like what else would you do outside, you know, and people would be like, oh we went hiking on this trail, and I was like, where did you get on it, like where do you find a trailhead, like I mean this is back, like this is where I was coming from, and I was just like, and then what would we do, like we just walk, and do we talk about trees, I don't know any trees, I know Christmas trees are evergreens, you know, so, it was just like coming from this very like foundational place where I didn't know anything, but I believed, right, I believed, I somehow inherently believed when I read that being outdoors was important for children, so, I'm reading Charlotte Mason's work, and she's talking about nature study, I'm reading Last Child in the Woods by Louvre, and I'm hearing about this, he calls it a nature deficit disorder, and I'm reading all of these different kind of people who really respected childhood, and personhood, and really wanted the best for children, I'm reading a Christian perspective of the joy in connecting with God's creation, first and foremost, but also this idea of encouraging natural and authentic physical activity, running, climbing, balancing, exploring, developing coordination, and confidence, and the mental health components, you know, reducing stress, and improving mood, and not just for the kids, but my friend from A Thousand Hours Outside, she talks about how the first time she like took her kids out for the whole day, it was for her, because she was going crazy with these all these little kids, and the house, and the bags, and the diaper bag, and the snacks, and she didn't know what else to do, so, she just went outside, and how healing that was, and therapeutic that was for all of them, the idea of curiosity, of fueling curiosity, and creativity, I've never seen my kids come up with the most, I mean, they come up with imaginative things in our house, but outside, the, oh my goodness, the things they come up with, the things they create, and make, and the storytelling that comes out of that, and I think the family bonds, our experiences, it's another way of memory making, I mean, we make memories when we go see plays, and musicals, and travel as well, so, it's not the only way, but it's a strong way of that shared outdoor adventures, so, like a couple weeks ago, we were all whitewater rafting, it's funny, like a lot of funny things happen when you're out there doing crazy stuff, and so, we have a lot of laughter, and we have a lot of inside jokes that come from our time together, so, I think that all of those, it's not just one thing, it's one of those rare things where there are all the pros, and there really are no cons, and so, I intentionally embrace that for my family, even though it's everything that I didn't have growing up.   Laura Dugger: (16:50 - 17:41) Wow, that is so interesting, I love how books have really inspired you to make changes that have benefited your entire family, and I'm thinking back years ago when I was in grad school, studying marriage and family therapy, there was this book that we read, Letters to a Young Therapist, I believe the author is Mary Pipher, and she said something that I found to be very true in my life, she said, from childhood when we all look back, our memories typically boil down to three categories, one is family dinners around the table, the second is traveling with our family, and the third is anytime we were outdoors, and so, I'm wondering that legacy that you're giving your kids, they're going to have an abundance of memories in all three of those buckets.   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (17:42 - 18:29) Yeah, I love that, and I had never read that, it's making me want to go and read her work, but I can't agree more, I mean that's what I've seen anecdotally, at least in my family, and it's definitely been the case for us, I can totally see that, the other thing I love about outdoors too is it's free, you know, so, there have, we've had times of plenty and times of not quite enough financially throughout our journey, due to layoffs, and you know, recessions, and all these different things, but that has been one thing that the travel hasn't always been as consistent as we wanted, but the nature, the time outside has always been accessible, even during COVID, that was accessible to us, so, I love it for that too, but yeah, that's really cool.   Laura Dugger: (18:29 - 18:41) Absolutely, okay, so, you started with, you were getting some inspiration from different books and speakers, but then when did you actually implement this? Do you remember how old your kids were?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (18:42 - 20:11) Right away, so, my oldest was like four, five years old, and we started going outside, now again, we had always been going to the park, so, they had been spending a lot of time outside, but I will say like that's like a very, you know, man-made structures, and you know, I can't think of it, like very cultivated space, so, we weren't spending time in uncultivated space until around there, so, maybe a four-year-old, two-year-old, and infant, and I know they started growing up in that way, and I had kids in an ergo on the back, and I remember hiking with a kid in an ergo on the front, and then snapped another one on the back, and you know, these are memories I have of being outdoors thoroughly by the time the boys were coming along, and I remember the story where we were at a creek, and I looked up for a moment, and just sheer panic that my little boy was gone, he wasn't in my eyesight anymore, and the girls were playing there, and I'm like, you know, and I look, and look, and look, and there's nothing, and no one, and all I can think you sees in the water, and I wasn't paying attention, and my heart's racing, and I'm like, girls, where's your brother? And my daughter says, mommy, he's sleeping on your back. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I just think, like, I was so tired during those years, and I just remember, I would just think, let's just go outside, and some days that's just the most I could come up with, but yeah, I was freaking out, and the little boy was sleeping on my back.   Laura Dugger: (20:12 - 21:50) And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Sam Leman Chevrolet in Eureka has been owned and operated by the Burchie family for over 25 years. A lot has changed in the car business since Sam and Stephen's grandfather, Sam Leman, opened his first Chevrolet dealership over 55 years ago.   If you visit their dealership today though, you'll find that not everything has changed. They still operate their dealership like their grandfather did, with honesty and integrity. Sam and Stephen understand that you have many different choices in where you buy or service your vehicle. This is why they do everything they can to make the car buying process as easy and hassle-free as possible. They are thankful for the many lasting friendships that began with a simple welcome to Sam Leman's. Their customers keep coming back because they experience something different.   I've known Sam and Stephen and their wives my entire life, and I can vouch for their character and integrity, which makes it easy to highly recommend you check them out today. Your car buying process doesn't have to be something you dread, so, come see for yourself at Sam Leman Chevrolet in Eureka. Sam and Stephen would love to see you, and they appreciate your business. Learn more at their website, LehmanEureka.com, or visit them on Facebook by searching for Sam Leman Eureka. You can also call them at 309-467-2351. Thanks for your sponsorship.   I'm wondering too, so, when you began, what did you start with? What did you do outside?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (21:51 - 24:13) So, we started with walking, and I also was very verbal about my, what I felt were my inadequacies with friends, and that's why, you know, I can't overemphasize the, I haven't brought that up yet, but the idea of community. You don't need a hundred friends, just a few people who either are doing the same thing as you, have done it, or know you personally so well. But I had a friend who was like this outdoor enthusiast, and I always admired her for that, and she'd be like, oh, I went to the hydrangeas, they're coming out today, and they're gonna bloom for four days, and you know, like, and she would be like, oh, do you want some wild blueberries? And I'd be looking at her with side eye, like, girl, I only eat blueberries from Publix, because how do I know that you know what you're doing? You know, those could be poisonous berries you identified wrong. So, we had this kind of ongoing thing, I just asked her, I was like, hey, could we go outside with you guys sometimes? And she was like, of course. So, our first hike was with her and her kids, and she showed me how to go outside and do nothing. Like, we didn't do anything, we just walked. And the kids let us, you know, they would stop and ponder things and ask questions, which she knew the answers to, but wouldn't answer. So, she was like, well, what do you think? Or that's something cool we can investigate, or whatever. So, I realized, wow, here's this expert naturalist who's not even using her expertise. I don't have any expertise, so I could do the same thing. Well, what do you think about that? So, the kids let us, we stopped when they stopped, we kept going when they kept going. We had plenty of water and snacks, which she had told me, which was important. And that was my first thing. It was a hike. And after that, I only went back to that place by myself with my kids without her, because that was the only trail I knew. I knew where to park and where to go, and I felt confident. And then lo and behold, I run into Charlotte Mason's work, where she talks about returning to the same place throughout the year, and having your kids compare what's happening their season to season. And so, different rationale for why I was doing that. But then I was like, look, there's beauty, even in the simplicity of me not knowing what else to do. So, that's kind of how we got into it. And then I started having more experience and going out and being more adventurous further away from home with my kids.   Laura Dugger: (24:14 - 24:24) Okay, so, then what other ways has it evolved? You mentioned whitewater rafting. So, you've got teens now. What does your time outdoors look like in this phase?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (24:25 - 26:02) So, lots of camping. So, you know, Memorial Day weekend, you know, we were camping in yurts with friends. This past weekend, we camped, we had a big Juneteenth celebration, and then we went camping for Juneteenth weekend. And so, I would say that kayaking, paddle boards, we have paddle boards, we take out fishing, I hate fishing personally, don't like it at all. But two of my kids enjoy fishing. So, I'm there for that. I'll just bring a book or whatever, because it's quite boring to me, but they love it. So, we moved. I mean, how much of a commitment is that we moved to a different house, when we were able to have our whole property is forest floor. So, it's completely shaded and intertwined with trees and plants and a kind of wild scape. And across the road is a lake where the boys can fish and I can call their names for lunch and they can hear me now. I have to yell it loud. It's kind of country. Other people probably like what is going on? I'm like, you know, but they can hear me right there. And so, the creek and just really everything. A lot, a lot of hiking, I will say we live near a mountain and we're in Georgia. So, the North Georgia mountains are not far from us. We have Appalachia or Appalachia, as my friend said, I mispronounce it. And yeah, there's nothing that isn't my one of my first dates with Scott was whitewater rafting. So, we've always kind of embraced that.   Laura Dugger: (26:03 - 26:37) Oh, that's a special way to tie in a married couple memory with your kids and get to pass that along. And water and mountains, those things are, they never get old. But I've heard others even say like, you don't have to take stuff other than water and snacks, like you mentioned, to go outside. But I like the practical tips that sometimes people take art supplies, and they can nature journal or a book to read aloud. Do you have any other practical tips like that, that you would encourage if somebody wanted to get started with this lifestyle?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (26:38 - 28:47) Yeah, I would say, um, we, okay, the best thing I can say is to just try it like I think that oftentimes I know my I'm like this, you want to try to be an expert at something before you actually put it into practice. And the point is, like, we're looking at someone's work or something that they're doing after years that they've been in practice. And then we're expecting to do that from the very beginning. And until we get there, we don't want to do it. So, for example, nature study, nature journaling, I always admired nature journaling. But when you look at people's nature journals that they people who are willing to share, there's usually a reason they're willing to share theirs because it looks beautiful. And mine didn't also look beautiful. But I was still willing to give it a try. And I love that. And I love my kids, what they've worked on. And I cherish all of our early beginning sketches. And quite honestly, I'm still not great. But I think having tools like watercolor pens and water pens where we can do watercolor on the go. And we've done many pictures out by the side of the creek on picnic blankets, especially like my older children while younger people are like, What do I do with these little ones like water, you know, like they love that splashing, making sandcastles and things while I'm painting or doing things watercolors with the with the older ones. And were they museum worthy? No. But there was a lot of enjoyment involved in a skill-based learning. So, I think asking questions and inquiry, using pictures, sure and painting, but also keeping track of things the the date that our cherry blossoms bloom, and our white cherry blossom blooms before the pink one every year and keeping track of that or paying trying to map all of the vegetation in our yard like we are, you know, know which trees what they're called where they come from that takes time. And those are things we've done. It's not like we're only just sitting there barefoot grounding ourselves and forest bathing. You know, we're out there learning as well. And I think that, you know, both are beautiful ways to enter into that.   Laura Dugger: (28:48 - 29:34) I love it. There's so many benefits. And you even mention grounding that helps so much going barefoot with inflammation and different body systems that are reset even by getting out and getting early morning light and the serotonin that's produced that turns into melatonin at night. So, we're happier in the day and sleepier at night, resetting systems in our eyes and like healing our body in different ways to an even how much better outdoor air is for us than indoor air. The benefits just go on and on. So, would you have any to add that either your family has experienced personally, or you've learned about just benefits of getting outdoors?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (29:34 - 31:29) Yeah, I think that one, even, you know, all the things you said, yes, and also the mental clarity. And that's why I don't like being time outdoors, being tied to a negative consequence for academic related behavior. So, the house across the road from ours, you know, I could say ironically, or just be like, God chose to gift us. It's a homeschooling family. They moved in a couple years ago, and they have some kids are some of our kids are similar ages. And our boys are just outside all the time together hours and hours and hours every single day. And I see the difference on days where the weather doesn't permit it or where one family or the other, you know, isn't available. There's a difference in terms of clarity and the work that's happening at the lesson table as well. And this came up, you know, my nephew, you know, they're not homeschooled, and his parents took him on a trip, which caused him to miss a day of school. And he missed an assignment that day, he didn't turn it in. And so, the school then when he got back to school punished him by keeping him indoors for recess. And I was helping, you know, my family craft a note that talks about two things. One, they punished a child for a decision the parents made. And that is grossly unfair, they should be talking to the parents about not missing school, if that's the important thing. And the second thing is, you took away the very thing that allows these children to have what they need to sit quietly and take in, you know, that that's not, that's not how you that's not an appropriate consequence. So, anyway, I feel that the mental clarity beyond the things I would have named the same things you already said, it would be the only other thing that I would bring in and why time outside actually helps us to achieve deeper and broader and more expansive learning when we are inside.   Laura Dugger: (31:29 - 31:54) That's good. And I love how you keep mentioning the piece of community that that's the best way to do this. So, regardless of somebody homeschools, or they don't, how can all of us actually prioritize this? And what's a good, healthy goal for getting started, even as specific as how much time outdoors, how many outdoors or how many days a week should we be outdoors?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (31:55 - 33:01) Yeah, that's, it's so different for every family, I think that you should go just past the point of comfort, you know, for most of us. So, if the point of comfort for you is like 30 minutes a week, then you would start out like aim for an hour a week, you know, 20 minutes, three days, if you're already outside for, you know, 10 hours, a couple hours each day, you know, I would say, maybe shake it up with what you're doing and see what would it be like to go on a really long outdoor excursion on a Saturday, or to take a day off or something like that. So, I don't want to say an exact number, because we're all entering in at a different place. For me, if someone had told me to spend eight hours outside with my kids, when I was first starting, and I'm used to going to playground for 20 minutes, that would have been overwhelming. And I would have been like; there's no way I'm ever gonna do it. So, I think like, just taking it, like, where do I feel most comfortable? And how can I push myself just past that point would be a great place to start and kind of a nice place to always stay? Like, what's the next thing that we can do to lean further into this?   Laura Dugger: (33:02 - 33:15) That's really good, very wise counsel. And Amber, you've mentioned that your family loves to travel. So, will you share any adventures that you've had as a family with world schooling?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (33:16 - 36:20) So, our goal, and it's just a fun thing, you know, I don't know if we'll totally do it, but I think we will, is to have children. So, for us, world schooling is where we're not on vacation, but we're actually deeply immersed in a learning stance in another country, another part of the world. And we're trying to do that on every continent, except Antarctica, before my oldest graduates. So, we have two continents left, we are going to be going to Asia in the fall. So, we'll be taking that one off of our list and for that particular feat. And then her senior year, we'll do Australia and hop over to New Zealand. That's the plan, if it's God's will for us to do that, that's what we would like to do, and that will complete our journey. And then we'll keep traveling, but that was just kind of a fun thing to help lead us, because there are so many places in the world to go, like how do you know? And so, that kind of helped us know, well, let's do this continent, let's do that continent. So, we took our first trip, we spent three months in South America, most of it spent in Bolivia. And I can tell you exactly the kids' ages, because my youngest turned two in Bolivia. So, they were two, four, six, and then one turned eight there. And so, that was, you know, diapers, I had a baby in diapers, a little one in diapers and still nursing when we went on our first trip. And I've never regretted that. People have said, why would you take kids so young? You know, they're not going to remember. And I think a couple thoughts. One, you'd be surprised, they do remember. They may not remember this artifact in some museum, but that's not what we spend most of our time doing. But they remember the people. And we've kept in touch with a lot of the people that we've met in these different countries. And we've even had visitors in our home, staying in our basement apartment that we met abroad. So, they do remember. They remember how things feel and taste more than they remember exactly, like historical markers and things like that. Also, I kind of compare it to like breastfeeding and nursing, like my kids, except for one little boy who held on way too long, but they don't remember that. But I believed that it was something good for them that was forming. It was helping to form who they were, not so much who they were personality wise, but their bodies as they were growing. And so, sometimes we do things that are foundational to our children's development, even if they don't have a conscious and direct memory of that thing. And that's how I see world travel. So, we've been to Europe, and we were in Greece when COVID hit. We were in the middle of a big trip there. So, we had the whole struggle to get back to the United States. We've been to West Africa, most spent in Ghana, England, France. We're going to Ethiopia this year. So, yeah, that's kind of, that's our thing.   Laura Dugger: (36:20 - 37:04) Wow. And those memories are incredible. Even let's say your children forget some of this, or if they're too young to remember all of it, you remember this and you get to share those stories with them and pass that along. I can't even imagine all of the learning that takes place from being immersed in those other cultures. But you also mentioned welcoming people into your basement apartment. So, you sound hospitable as a family. What does that actually look like? And I'm kind of going to throw two questions at you. What does that actually look like? And then both for world schooling and hospitality, what are tips for ways we can replicate that as well?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (37:06 - 39:52) So, one thing that's important to me to always share about world schooling, I have a whole chapter about our world schooling adventures in my first book, but one important thing that I call out there is Eli Gerzen. He's the guy who came up with the word world schooling. And he says, you know, we don't even need a passport to do it. That world schooling is really learning from the world around you. It could be your local library. It could be the internet. It could be your neighbors. And so, while I use this more global term of world schooling, because that's just what we call it in our family, the truth of the matter is it's a way of seeing the world and seeing all the opportunity to make connections right where you're sitting. And people are like, oh, you guys have so much money. I can't do that. First of all, we don't have so much money. Like, for instance, we have one car, right? So, there are sacrifices that we make that other people may choose to spend their money in a different way. So, we definitely don't have a ton of money. But more importantly, I'm thinking, yeah, you're saying that you don't have money, but how much have you explored your county? Like, what do you know about the history of your county? And have you been to your local historical society? And have you really, you know, got in? Have you been to an old the oldest cemetery within driving distance of your home? Have you gotten a tour of it to hear the stories of who's there? Like, you can have that same inquiry and curiosity without ever leaving. So, I'll say that first. And in terms of the hospitality part, it's like an it's an intention, right? You have to like, decide that you're going to do that, because it's so much easier not to have people at first view, like, oh, my house is not clean, and blah, blah, blah. And people don't just stop by the way they used to stop by, like my grandparents' house, it was so fun staying there in the summer, because people just folks just came in and out all day, just they come calling is what they call it, they come calling. And even when we read Jane Austin, people leaving the call guard, you know, when they came to visit, and you weren't there, like, there was this idea that you didn't have to have an appointment. And now you do, you have to let someone know before you're coming. So, it's a choice to be vulnerable, if you want to be hospitable in that way that people will see your, you know, dirty bones of your house. And you know that you're not always presenting this, like really sanitized version of your family and your family life. And so, I think that's intentional decision to say it's more important to us to be with other people and let them in than it is for us to always sanitize everything before they get here. And I don't mean sanitizes and clean the house that too, but I mean sanitizes and everyone's behaving the way that I want them to behave in front of people and all of that as well.   Laura Dugger: (39:53 - 41:05) When was the first time you listened to an episode of The Savvy Sauce? How did you hear about our podcast? Did a friend share it with you? Will you be willing to be that friend now and text five other friends or post on your socials anything about The Savvy Sauce that you love? If you share your favorite episodes, that is how we continue to expand our reach and get the good news of Jesus Christ in more ears across the world. So, we need your help.   Another way to help us grow is to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. Each of these suggestions will cost you less than a minute, but it will be a great benefit to us. Thank you so much for being willing to be generous with your time and share. We appreciate you.   Well, and I think it is a biblical command for all of us and it does bless the person or the people that we are hosting, but there are also rewards for us in the process. So, if you even just could think of one reward of a way that this hospitality has blessed your family, what would you say?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (41:07 - 41:55) Well, I would say John chapter five, it says, you know, this verse we've all heard, "I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit apart from me, you can do nothing." So, you know, when we talk about hospitality, we spend a lot of time talking about what my family is doing for other people. But also, that means that my family is constantly in contact with other believers and other people who are helping us with our faith to helping us to remain connected to Jesus. And without that connection, we know that there's nothing that we can do, nothing of any spiritual significance. So, while I'm inviting those people into our lives, it also ensures that my family is not alone in what we're trying to do in our faith. So, like, that's one of a very easy benefit, I can say right off the top.   Laura Dugger: (41:56 - 42:18) Then that one is truly invaluable for our children to get to witness the way other people live out their faith, and it impacts each of us. But I'm also curious, how do you manage your time so that you can be a content creator, and you can homeschool and travel and cultivate these relationships?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (42:20 - 46:08) So, first, let me say that it's not always easy. And there are seasons where I feel like I'm doing a really good job with that. And there are seasons where I feel like I'm not doing a good job. I always prioritize my family first. And so, during the seasons where I feel like I'm not doing a good job, it's very public. People can see I did not post on Instagram for a month, or I'm not speaking as much. They're finding it harder to find opportunities to hear me speak, or I have a long lull before books are published. Those are times where I've turned inward towards my family, where I felt like I didn't have the bandwidth for everything. And so, that's something I have to deal with on a constant basis, because I know that my business or my ministry is not as rich and robust as it could be. I have ideas for days. I have ideas and the ability to bring them to fruition. But I'm not willing to sacrifice the time that it takes to do those things in this season. Because even though I don't have little kids, I definitely have more time than I did when I had little kids. It's not even just time; it's more mind clarity as well. But I don't have as much time as people with little kids would think, because I want to be fully present, even for my teens. When they want to talk to me, I want to be talkable too. I want to be available to them. And we're going to places. We're doing things. They're busy. I'm busy. And I'm trying to prepare them for young adulthood. And that's just as time-consuming as trying to prepare my young children for the next stage of their development. So, I guess it's so messy. Oh my gosh, it's messy. It's chaotic. It's a little bit crazy. But in the center of it all, I really appreciate the opportunities I do have to do the things that help refuel, help me refuel. So, I'm a writer. So, writing isn't just about creating a book. It's that I get to create a book, but really it's about the process and how cathartic it is for me to sit in silence and wonder about things and be able to write them out. And oh, lo and behold, there's a publisher who is interested in publishing those things. But the real work for me is in the process of writing. Then when I come home from a coffee shop or I emerge from my room, I come back more enthusiastic about what it is we're working on and what we're doing. The other thing that I would share is that I don't do all of that stuff by myself. So, things that people don't, just like I say, I have one car and we travel the world, people are like, oh, okay, this is not what I thought. My husband does all the laundry, every piece of laundry in this house that the teens do their own, but all the laundry that's done, he does and has done for over a decade. So, that's a thing I have to say, because you might be picturing that I'm doing all of those things. Or when I wrote one of my books, I was struggling and Scott was like, how can I help you? And he was like, what if we get help to come in with the kids like a nanny or something a few hours a week? I'm like, no, that's the last thing I want somebody to touch. So, he's like, well, what is it? So, we hired a chef, and she would prepare all of our dinners according to like what I, how I like my family to eat and lots of whole foods and good things. And she would drop them off at our house. It was very expensive, but I used part of the money from the advance from the publisher to pay for that so that I could write the book. So, I think those are things that a lot of times people don't talk about, but I have support in place. I'm not super woman any more than anyone else.   Laura Dugger: (46:08 - 46:49) Oh, I appreciate that real picture and those creative ideas because as mothers, we don't just make goals for ourselves. Like you said, we have these dreams and ideas that we could put into practice, but we consider our relationships as well and how it will impact everyone. So, I love hearing practically how that plays out for you and the trade-offs that you've chosen to make. And I know that you and I also share a passion for reading aloud. So, if we could get really practical for a moment, what are some of your most recommended read aloud for families from a variety of age groups?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (46:50 - 53:05) Well, I'm always ready for that question, but I have to say, it's almost asking me, which of my children are my favorite? It's so hard in so many ways, but for younger elementary, I picked three books that I think kind of help show how expansive I feel like I want my children's reading life to be. So, this book is called Indigo Dreaming, and it's a book about two girls, one's in North America and another one we can believe is off the coast of Africa. And they're both doing what they do in their own homes. And it's beautifully illustrated also, but they're both doing what they do in their own homes while wondering, is there another little girl in this world doing what I do, liking what I like? Well, indeed there is. And it's poetic and it has soft paintings. It's just stunning. And then another one is called The Magic Doll. It's a children's book inspired by African art. And in this book, the mother desperately wants to have a child, but she's dealing with infertility, and she turns to the use of an infertility doll. And what would I say about that? My family doesn't believe that, but it's a book that I read with my children because we were going to visit this culture. And I wanted to explain to them how we can respect something and learn about it even without adopting it. And that you can understand the yearning of a mother's heart to hold a child in her hand and the desperation that that could bring about. And I wanted them to know that we would see fertility dolls there and what they meant and things like that. And it's also beautifully illustrated, which is important to me. And then this one's just a fun book. It's called I Had a Favorite Dress, but as the dress starts getting too small, she cuts it and turns it into a skirt. And then it gets turned into this. And then the little, small piece gets turned into some socks. And then it's just a little scarf and snip, snip, sew, sew, pretty hair bow. And so, the same piece of fabric, this favorite dress she had, every time she can't use it in that way anymore, it gets moved and shifted. Into something else. And this book reminds me to just, you know, sometimes we share heavier topics with our children, even beautiful topics, but sometimes it's just joy. Like that's the whole purpose of the book is to smile and have fun. And I'll move more quickly for the older elementary books. I have this book called Schomburg. It's a nonfiction book about Arturo Schomburg and the man who built a library, which is now housed. His home library is now housed as part of the collection of the public library system in New York. And he collected books about all types of black and brown people. And it was considered one of the foremost library collections. So, as a book lover, I love that story. This one's called Heart and Soul. It's the story of America and African Americans with stunning illustrations by Kadir Nelson. So, I love visual art. I always say my family, we can't afford to buy the most exquisite art for our walls, but we have an exquisite art collection through our picture books that I've collected. And then the last one is for that group is John Henry by Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney illustrations. So, those are two powerhouses of African American author and illustrator. Both have passed. And it is the tall tale of John Henry told in a way that you've never seen before. For older kids, like middle schoolers, I love this one Big Open Sky because it's about some black exodusters who are moving west. And it goes so well for families who love Little House on the Prairie. But, you know, Little House on the Prairie, in some ways, there's some instances that are a little disrespectful to Native Americans and black people. And this is like a redemptive story, not instead of but alongside of it to say that there were black people that were also moving westward and what was their journey. And it's written in verse, like, oh, my gosh, I can't even tell you enough about that. This book, The Angel Orphan, my friend Leah Bowden wrote this book, and it's the story of Charlotte Mason. So, in chapter book form. So, there's also a picture book that someone wrote, but this is a beautiful story about Charlotte Mason. And my family's all-time favorite on my kids read aloud is The Winged Feather Saga by Andrew Peterson. And that whole series, oh, my goodness, that cemented so much of our family lexicon, because it's filled with like made up words. And it I mean, we have jokes and talks and sayings for days coming out of that series. For our older teenagers, um, or even early elementary, early middle school and early teenage years, the Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is just like a such a classic, Mildred D. Taylor that many of us read. But she also wrote a young adult version where Cassie is entering young adulthood. So, different age audiences, but same author. And a lot of people haven't heard of the other book All the Days Past, All the Days to Come. So, for high school, I love that. And then I threw a couple things in for mama. I'm an epic story of called Homegoing about two sisters and the different paths their lives take during a time I'm part of it is told in Africa and part of its told in the United States. And the last book I have is this memoir, A Black Mother's Garden. It's called Soil. And she uses her actual real garden at her home to kind of give us this idea of life. And it's, it's, you know, it's, it's hard to explain, but it's her it's part memoir, part gardening, like learning and talking about the plants, but also how all of that can turn into kind of like the soil of your life and the people being plants, and she really focuses on wildflowers. So, it's a stunningly, like poignant and beautiful memoir. So, those are my favorite, you know, and now if you ask me tomorrow, you're going to get a different stack.   Laura Dugger: (53:07 - 53:27) I love it. What a gift to get to see all of those you and I share some of those favorites, and you've introduced me to some new ones. So, I'm very grateful and hope everybody listening feels the same. But speaking of books, you've authored more than one. But will you tell us about your most recent release entitled Soul School?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (53:28 - 55:58) Yeah, so, Soul School is it's Soul School: Taking Kids on a Joy Filled Journey Through the Heart of Black American Culture. And I know it's so hard with those. But it is a book of books. So, people who have enjoyed Honey for a Child's Heart, or The Read-Aloud Family, those types of books, which I have adored, and I have all of them, and I've highlighted them or, or Give Your Child the World is another one, highlighted them and dog eared them and have used them to check out books for the library for my children for many, many years. And, and at the same time, I was always very, you know, on my heart that the books that I spend a lot of time reading with my children that I choose and I select are never really included in most of those books.   And there was the season, you know, I'm like, frustrated, you know, I'm mad. I'm like, why? Why are they putting these books in here? And then the more I thought about it, I was like, the most you can ask for a mother to do when she's sharing these books, when it's coming from that is what she read with her children. So, am I going to be mad at her that she didn't read what I think she should read? No, do I wish that it had been more expansive? Sure, I do. But how many of us wouldn't go back and do something differently if knowing what we know today or whatever. So, I wrote a companion like the I see not to replace those books. But this book is filled with African American and black diasporic children's literature starting from preschool all the way through high school.   The first part of the book, I talk about what I'm looking for specifically in books about black American culture, and why those things are important. So, the first few chapters, first five chapters are really teaching the teacher. And then the rest of the book, which makes up most of the book are really rich annotated book lists with descriptions why I chose the book discussion questions, project ideas, and something called second helpings. Like when you think of a big soul food dinner, you go through the line the first time and you fill your plate, but then you go back for second helpings of the things that taste the very best. So, if your child likes this book, then here are two second helpings that they also would probably enjoy. And you know, the book was years in the making, I read all 300 plus books in there from cover to cover. And that's kind of my contribution to raising our children.   Laura Dugger: (56:00 - 56:40) Wow, I mean, it is a stunning piece of work. And there's so much for your family, but also for all of us. So, I think of being one of your kids, what a treasure that their mom read 300 books and put this together. But for all of us, I love books on books. And like you said, we can use it to go to the library or then once we read those and find which other ones we love, we can add it to our home collection. So, thank you for that powerhouse of work. And Amber, there's still so much more that you could share with us. Where can we go after this conversation to connect with you or to learn more?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (56:42 - 56:56) Go to heritagemom.com. And there you'll find all of my books and years' worth of blog posts and book recommendations and other things. My Instagram is @heritagemomblog and the same at Facebook.   Laura Dugger: (56:56 - 57:12) Wonderful. Okay, we will add those links to the show notes for today's episode. And you may be familiar that we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, as my final question for you today, Amber, what is your savvy sauce?   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (57:12 - 57:50) Oh, this is such a great question. I love this part of your podcast. I would say that my savvy sauce is learning to be a really great listener. Like if there's nothing else, then that's listening to my husband and the things of his heart and listening to my children and my neighbors and my friends.   But also, people I don't know, people in other places. And also, people I disagree with and being willing to be quiet and listen and take what I can from what they're sharing as well. So, that is, I think my savvy sauce is being an introspective listener.   Laura Dugger: (57:50 – 58:13) That is well said. You are such an inspiring and creative soul. And I have thoroughly enjoyed this chat. And I know I've been hearing you speak on other podcasts and reading your work for years. So, this was such a treat to get to connect with you today. And I just want to say thank you for being my guest.   Amber O'Neal Johnston: (58:14 - 58:16) Thank you so much for having me.   Laura Dugger: (58:16 - 1:01:59) One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before?   It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you.   But it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves.   This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own.   So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a Savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute.   This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him. That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin.   This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us.   Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place.   I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life?   We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him.   You get the opportunity to live your life for him.   And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you ready to get started?   First, tell someone. Say it out loud. Get a Bible.   The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible.   I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ.   I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.   We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ.   We also have show notes including where you can read scripture that describes this process. And finally, be encouraged.   Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

In today's podcast, Sally shares her favourite picture books to read aloud at library Storytime — and to her own little one at home. Joy by Yasmeen Ismail https://fvrl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S21C1818650 If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson https://fvrl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S21C1685490 Sheep Go to Sleep by Nancy Shaw https://fvrl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S21C1686228 We All Play by Julie Flett https://fvrl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S21C1946694

Poet, educator, Emmy-winning producer and #1 New York Times bestselling author of 41 books, Kwame Alexander, joins us this week on You Are What You Read for a conversation about his brilliant children's book, An American Story. Kwame's titles include Becoming Muhammad Ali (which he co-authored with James Patterson), Rebound, (which was shortlisted for the prestigious UK Carnegie Medal), and The Undefeated (a National Book Award nominee, recipient of the Newbery Honor, and a Caldecott Medal-winning picture book illustrated by Kadir Nelson). Kwame is also the Emmy Award- winning Executive Producer, Showrunner, and Writer of The Crossover TV series, based on his Newbery-Medal winning novel of the same name. We'd like to thank our sponsor, Book of the Month.  Head over to bookofthemonth.com and use Promo Code ADRI to get your first book for just $9.99. Thank you for listening, and thank you for reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Eric sits down with talented and celebrated artist, illustrator and author… Kadir Nelson! They discuss how he first discovered his artistic inclination and how it had been fostered from an early age; having been mentored by artist and art teacher Michael Morris; his uncle. His educational journey in art — having received a scholarship to study art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and upon graduating with highest honors, how he was summoned by DreamWorks Pictures to create conceptual artwork for Steven Spielberg's Oscar® nominated feature, “Amistad” and the animated feature “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”. They explore his artistic style and how it evolved through the years. From creating paintings and portraits, to illustration and sculpture! His distinct style of urban realism and how it's reminiscent of turn of the century American painters and historical subjects, often telling a story with his art and emphasizing the heroic. They discuss Nelson's process — what moves him and where he draws inspiration from.  How he's displayed his works at notable exhibitions and in the permanent collections of several esteemed institutions… including the United States House of Representatives, The National Baseball Hall of Fame, the World Trade Center, the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and most recently, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. They delve into exciting stories about how Nelson was commissioned by a host of distinguished clients including music legend John McClain; creating works in honor of Marvin Gaye... painting the cover artwork for Michael Jackson's posthumously released album, “Michael” and recording artist Drake's multi-platinum selling album, “Nothing Was the Same”. His experience of creating cover artwork for the New Yorker magazine; that pay tribute to historical and contemporary American figures in New York City and abroad. How Nelson has authored and illustrated several award-winning New York Times Best Selling picture books including, “WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball” and the great honor he had of becoming the recipient of the prestigious Caldecott Medal for illustration..! Guest Bio: Kadir Nelson (b. 1974) is an award-winning American author and artist based in Los Angeles, California. He is the recipient of multiple awards from the Society of Illustrators in New York, including the prestigious Hamilton King Award as well the 2020 recipient of the Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Award for illustration. He adds this to multiple Caldecott Honors, Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Awards, New York Times Best Illustrated Book Awards, several NAACP Image Awards and an Olympic Art Bronze medal, among others. Mr. Nelson has also created artwork for a host of distinguished clients, including but not limited to National Geographic, HBO, Nike, Disney, Hennessy, and Sony Music, for whom he painted the cover artwork for Michael Jackson's posthumously released album, “Michael,” which was listed in the Guinness Book of Records® for the largest poster in the world. Nelson's artwork was also featured on the cover of recording artist Drake's multi-platinum selling album, “Nothing Was the Same”; over a dozen commemorative US postage stamps honoring American legends, such as Major League All-Stars Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio, NBA great Wilt Chamberlain, and most recently Motown's Prince of Soul Marvin Gaye, which altogether have sold several million stamps. Nelson's primarily figurative paintings and sculptures focus on historical narratives and heroic subjects in American culture and are often informed by the Old Masters like Ingres, Michelangelo, Hopper, and Tanner. His sumptuous settings and characters, rich palette, and realistic, yet painterly technique speaks to both modern urban realism and masterly works of turn-of-the century American painters.

Rejoin Ragon, Kelly, and guest Dr. Brenna Clarke Gray for their discussion about motherhood in Anne's House of Dreams.  Ragon and Kelly are joined by Dr. Brenna Clarke Gray, Canadian literature expert, to discuss the joys and sorrows of Anne's journey to motherhood in Anne's House of Dreams. We discuss everything from baby talk to our favorite books and gifts for babies. Content warning: Child loss, pregnancy loss, infertility. Be kind to yourselves, Kindred Spirits! Inspired by: We are inspired by baby gifts!   Kelly is inspired by: Maisonette baby bonnets and the beautiful picture book Life by Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel.   Ragon is inspired by: Tag Blanket Lovey (which you can also find on etsy from independent artists) and picture books like The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater and Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee and Kadir Nelson.   Brenna is inspired by: They All Saw A Cat by Brendan Wenzel and A Is For Activist board book by Innosanto Nagara.   And we all also recommend the BabyLit board books like Alice In Wonderland: Colors Primer and of course, Anne of Green Gables: Places Primer. If you want to get a free logo sticker from us, either leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or share your love for the pod on social media!  Send us a photo of your share or review at either our email: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

From a highly acclaimed author and bestselling artist comes a resounding, reverent tribute to Harriet Tubman, the woman who earned the name Moses for her heroic role in the Underground Railroad. I set the North Star in the heavens and I mean for you to be free...Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman hears these words from God one summer night and decides to leave her husband and family behind and escape. Taking with her only her faith, she must creep through woods with hounds at her feet, sleep for days in a potato hole, and trust people who could have easily turned her in. But she was never alone.In lyrical text, Carole Boston Weatherford describes Tubman's spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her north to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of forced servitude. Tubman would make nineteen subsequent trips back south, never being caught, but none as profound as this first one. Courageous, compassionate, and deeply religious, Harriet Tubman, with her bravery and relentless pursuit of freedom, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/support

You can watch great stories on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAcJXbsyzcE In this New York Times bestselling classic, Caldecott Medal-winning artist Kadir Nelson tells the incredible story of baseball's unsung heroes -- perfect for celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues! Featuring nearly fifty iconic oil paintings and a dramatic double-page fold-out, an award-winning narrative, a gorgeous design and rich backmatter, We Are the Ship is a sumptuous, oversize volume for all ages that no baseball fan should be without. Using an inviting first-person voice, Kadir Nelson shares the engaging story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its evolution, until after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners, of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship, of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/support

You can watch great stories on our educational YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAcJXbsyzcE  In this New York Times bestselling classic, Caldecott Medal-winning artist Kadir Nelson tells the incredible story of baseball's unsung heroes -- perfect for celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues! Featuring nearly fifty iconic oil paintings and a dramatic double-page fold-out, an award-winning narrative, a gorgeous design and rich backmatter, We Are the Ship is a sumptuous, oversize volume for all ages that no baseball fan should be without. Using an inviting first-person voice, Kadir Nelson shares the engaging story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its evolution, until after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners, of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship, of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/support

You can watch great stories on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAcJXbsyzcE In this New York Times bestselling classic, Caldecott Medal-winning artist Kadir Nelson tells the incredible story of baseball's unsung heroes -- perfect for celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues! Featuring nearly fifty iconic oil paintings and a dramatic double-page fold-out, an award-winning narrative, a gorgeous design and rich backmatter, We Are the Ship is a sumptuous, oversize volume for all ages that no baseball fan should be without. Using an inviting first-person voice, Kadir Nelson shares the engaging story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its evolution, until after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners, of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship, of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/support

You can watch great stories on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAcJXbsyzcE  In this New York Times bestselling classic, Caldecott Medal-winning artist Kadir Nelson tells the incredible story of baseball's unsung heroes -- perfect for celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues! Featuring nearly fifty iconic oil paintings and a dramatic double-page fold-out, an award-winning narrative, a gorgeous design and rich backmatter, We Are the Ship is a sumptuous, oversize volume for all ages that no baseball fan should be without. Using an inviting first-person voice, Kadir Nelson shares the engaging story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its evolution, until after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners, of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship, of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/support

You can watch great stories on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAcJXbsyzcE In this New York Times bestselling classic, Caldecott Medal-winning artist Kadir Nelson tells the incredible story of baseball's unsung heroes -- perfect for celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues!Featuring nearly fifty iconic oil paintings and a dramatic double-page fold-out, an award-winning narrative, a gorgeous design and rich backmatter, We Are the Ship is a sumptuous, oversize volume for all ages that no baseball fan should be without. Using an inviting first-person voice, Kadir Nelson shares the engaging story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its evolution, until after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947.The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners, of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship, of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/support

Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award and Robert F. Siebert AwardIn this New York Times bestselling classic, Caldecott Medal-winning artist Kadir Nelson tells the incredible story of baseball's unsung heroes -- perfect for celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues!Featuring nearly fifty iconic oil paintings and a dramatic double-page fold-out, an award-winning narrative, a gorgeous design and rich backmatter, We Are the Ship is a sumptuous, oversize volume for all ages that no baseball fan should be without. Using an inviting first-person voice, Kadir Nelson shares the engaging story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its evolution, until after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947.The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners, of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship, of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/support

Commonplace Tales: Tales of Imagination––Stories, again, of the Christmas holidays, of George and Lucy, of the amusements, foibles, and virtues of children in their own condition of life, leave nothing to the imagination. The children know all about everything so well that it never occurs to them to play at the situations in any one of these tales, or even to read it twice over. But let them have tales of the imagination, scenes laid in other lands and other times, heroic adventures, hairbreadth escapes, delicious fairy tales in which they are never roughly pulled up by the impossible––even where all is impossible, and they know it, and yet believe. Charlotte Mason, Vol. 1, Home Education Show Summary: Today on the New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn chat with friends Angelina Stanford and Timilyn Downey about the building blocks of stories in relation to a Charlotte Mason education How Angelina came to learn about Charlotte Mason Why Timilyn values the building blocks of story so much What are stories versus literature? What is the difference between how modernity sees art and stories and how the medievals saw them? What is wrong with the idea of literature as a mirror or a window? Some metaphors for approaching story Why are unit studies problematic in approaching a Charlotte Mason education? How can you learn the language of literature so that you can teach your children?   Last but not least, the fact that the story does not turn on children, and does not foster that self-consciousness, the dawn of which in the child is, perhaps, the individual “Fall of Man.” Charlotte Mason, Formation of Character   Books Mentioned: Northrop Frye C. S. Lewis J. R. R. Tolkien Harold Goddard “Meditation on a Toolshed” by C. S. Lewis Aesop's Fables illus. by Jerry Pinkney He's Got the Whole World in His Hands illus. by Kadir Nelson   Find Cindy, Angelina, and Timilyn: Morning Time for Moms Cindy's Patreon Discipleship Group Mere Motherhood Facebook Group The Literary Life Podcast Cindy's Facebook Cindy's Instagram House of Humane Letters Angelina's Facebook Angelina's Instagram The Literary Life Online Conference 2023

Why Fathers Cry at Night is an intimate and non-traditional (or "new-fashioned") memoir, Kwame Alexander shares snapshots of a man learning how to love. He takes us through stories of his parents: from being awkward newlyweds in the sticky Chicago summer of 1967, to the sometimes-confusing ways they showed their love to each other, and for him. He explores his own relationships—his difficulties as a newly wedded, 22-year-old father, and the precariousness of his early marriage working in a jazz club with his second wife. Alexander attempts to deal with the unravelling of his marriage and the grief of his mother's recent passing while sharing the solace he found in learning how to perfect her famous fried chicken dish. With an open heart, Alexander weaves together memories of his past to try and understand his greatest love: his daughters. Full of heartfelt reminisces, family recipes, love poems, and personal letters, Why Fathers Cry at Night inspires bravery and vulnerability in every reader who has experienced the reckless passion, heartbreak, failure, and joy that define the whirlwind woes and wonders of love.  Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, producer, and #1 New York Times Bestselling author of 36 books, including THE DOOR OF NO RETURN, AN AMERICAN STORY, BECOMING MUHAMMAD ALI, co-authored with James Patterson, REBOUND, which was shortlisted for prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, The Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor-winning picture book, THE UNDEFEATED, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and his NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER. A regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In 2018, he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. He is the writer and executive producer of THE CROSSOVER TV series on Disney+.

On this episode of Art Affairs, i talk with artist Alvaro Naddeo.We discuss his experience growing up in Brazil with father who worked as a professional illustrator, his 25+ years of experience working in commercial advertising and how he re-discovered his love of making art, what he has coming up this year (as well as his next big solo show in 2024), and a whole lot more!Also mentioned in this episode: Arch Enemy Arts, Thinkspace Projects, Residency Art, Scott Listfield, Hi-Fructose, and Kadir Nelson.Follow AlvaroWebsite: alvaronaddeo.comInstagram: @alvaro_naddeoFollow the ShowWebsite: artaffairspodcast.comPatreon: artaffairsInstagram: @artaffairspodcast

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, producer, and #1 New York Times Bestselling author of 36 books, including THE DOOR OF NO RETURN, AN AMERICAN STORY, BECOMING MUHAMMAD ALI, co-authored with James Patterson, REBOUND, which was shortlisted for prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, The Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor-winning picture book, THE UNDEFEATED, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and his NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER. A regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In 2018, he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. He is the writer and executive producer of THE CROSSOVER TV series on Disney+.

Sunday on PBS News Weekend, we get the latest on the deadly shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. Then, we take stock of the current moment in political history for Republicans and Democrats. We also look at Oslo, Norway's unique approach to curbing carbon emissions. Plus, award-winning artist Kadir Nelson discusses his work on our Weekend Spotlight. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Award-winning artist Kadir Nelson is known for his oil paintings that evoke both modern urban realism and the masterly works of turn-of-the century American painters. For our Weekend Spotlight, Geoff Bennett spoke to Nelson while he was in Washington, D.C., for the unveiling of his portrait of humanitarian chef José Andrés at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. Ⓒ2022. Artwork by Kadir Nelson. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (@kadirnelson) Ⓒ2022. BTS Photos, Videos and Sound by Dr. Jungmiwha Bullock Nelson. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (@jungmiwha) PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, and New York Times Bestselling author of 35 books, including the Newbery Honor-winning picture book THE UNDEFEATED, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, the Newbery medal-winning novel, THE CROSSOVER, He is the writer and executive producer of the forthcoming CROSSOVER TV series on Disney plus. Kwame's latest book, THE DOOR OF NO RETURN tells the saga of an African family through the eyes of twelve-year-old Kofi and his friend Ama, as they come of age in pre-colonial Ghana and face the woes and wonders of the new worlds of Europe and America.

The gift giving season is upon us! If you are anything like Dionne and Lauren you too believe that a book is the perfect gift for anyone! In this episode the ladies talk about their favorite books to give as gifts for children/youth, cookbooks, coffee table/lifestyle books and subscriptions for the book lover in your life. They also both give an idea of a gift that pairs well with a book. When you finish this episode you just might have all “your people” covered for this holiday season!    Please feel free to connect with The Truth About... your favorite books to give. If you have any suggestions for the ladies they would love to hear from you! If you don't know by now they are always ready to hear about good books. thetruthabout.est2022@gmail.com instagram.com/the_truth_about_est2022   Links we mentioned in this episode: Dionne's books for Children and Youth Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Soul-America-African-Americans/dp/0061730793/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3SLOC1LUXJBCY&keywords=heart+and+soul+by+kadir+nelson&qid=1665926864&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjYyIiwicXNhIjoiMC40NSIsInFzcCI6IjAuNDEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=heart+and+soul+by+%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1 On This Day: History of the World in 366 Days by DK https://www.amazon.com/This-Day-History-World-Days/dp/0744029171/ref=sr_1_1?crid=280TZORWACOZN&keywords=DK+publishing+this+day+in+history&qid=1665926957&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjU3IiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=dk+publishing+this+day+in+history%2Caps%2C66&sr=8-1 Timelines from Black History: Leaders, Legends and Legacies by DK https://www.amazon.com/Timelines-Black-History-Leaders-Legacies/dp/0744039096/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=ZYTITSNVC1S3&keywords=timelines+in+black+history&qid=1665927166&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=timlines+in+black+history%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1         Dionne's Coffee Table and Lifestyle Books Restoration House: Creating a Space That Gives Life and Connection to All Who Enter by Kennisha Buycks https://www.amazon.com/Restoration-House-Creating-Space-Connection/dp/031009206X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3L8UGU0IYJBG4&keywords=restoration+house+kennesha+buycks&qid=1665927319&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=Restoration+house%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1 The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living with Less by Christine Platt https://www.amazon.com/Afrominimalists-Guide-Living-Less/dp/1982168048/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1665927466&sr=8-1   Dionne's Cookbooks Magnolia Table Volumes 1 and 2 by Joanna Gaines https://www.amazon.com/Magnolia-Table-1-Joanna-Gaines/dp/B08972TCFG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=77HOGA1W3G8O&keywords=magnolia+table+cookbook+volume+1+and+2&qid=1665927661&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjA0IiwicXNhIjoiMS43NiIsInFzcCI6IjEuNjQifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=magnolia+table%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-1   Dionne's Subscription Ideas The Magnolia Journal https://www.amazon.com/Meredith-The-Magnolia-Journal/dp/B01N35UMQV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=72DENC4OPSU5&keywords=magnolia+magazine+subscription&qid=1665927763&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMS4zNSIsInFzcCI6IjEuMjQifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=magnolia+magazine+subscription%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-1   The Week Junior Magazine https://theweekjunior.com/subscribe?channel=paidsearch&gclid=Cj0KCQjw166aBhDEARIsAMEyZh4iALKOsP7NyYd188avlgoZ_JES-efx2gL6YcOTxi4Q2ZVyaOSWykAaAvV3EALw_wcB       Dionne's Gift That Goes Well with a Book The Ultimate Reading Challenge:Complete a Goal, Open an Envelope, and Reveal Your Bookish Prize by Weldon Owen https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Reading-Challenge-Complete-Envelope/dp/1681888238   Lauren's Books for Children and Youth The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+7+1%2F2+deaths+of+evelyn+hardcastle&crid=1C1Q4Y8FSJ574&sprefix=the+7+1%2F2%2Caps%2C83&ref=nb_sb_ss_deep-retrain-0-ops-acceptance_1_9   Parker Looks Up by Parker Curry https://www.amazon.com/Parker-Looks-Up-Extraordinary-Moment/dp/1534451862/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3DNXV9G07RGNT&keywords=parker+looks+up+book&qid=1665928408&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjcwIiwicXNhIjoiMS4yOCIsInFzcCI6IjEuMDUifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=parker+loo%2Caps%2C79&sr=8-1   Lauren's Coffee Table and Lifestyle Books Glory by Kahran Bethencourt https://www.amazon.com/GLORY-Magical-Visions-Black-Beauty/dp/1250204569/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3DZE0XH8G5AWL&keywords=Glory&qid=1665928470&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjQ4IiwicXNhIjoiMy44NyIsInFzcCI6IjEuODUifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=glory%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-3 At Home with Dogs: A Rescue Love Story by Patricia Hart McMillan https://www.amazon.com/At-Home-Dogs-Rescue-Stories/dp/0764360469/ref=sr_1_2?crid=37ZHUXVWQWUO3&keywords=At+HOme+with+Dogs&qid=1665928559&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjgxIiwicXNhIjoiMC44OSIsInFzcCI6IjAuOTIifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=at+home+with+dogs%2Caps%2C89&sr=8-2         Lauren's Cookbooks Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics: Learning to Cook with Confidence https://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crockers-Cooking-Basics-Confidence/dp/0028624513/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2KOP8W1ELQUDY&keywords=betty+crocker+cookbook+basics&qid=1665928667&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=betty+crockers+cookbook+basics%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-2 Taste of Home Five Ingredient Cookbook https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-5-Ingredient-Cookbook-Groceries/dp/1617654086/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36KYRXT9YVL7V&keywords=taste+of+home+five+ingredient+cookbook&qid=1665928806&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjAzIiwicXNhIjoiMS42NSIsInFzcCI6IjEuMzYifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=taste+of+home+five+%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1   Lauren's Subscriptions The Owlcrate https://www.owlcrate.com/?utm_source=google&utm_campaign=17535893493&utm_medium=ad&utm_content=605092676629&utm_term=owl%20rate&campaignid=17535893493&adgroupid=137384672545&adid=605092676629&gclid=Cj0KCQjw166aBhDEARIsAMEyZh5KCxsWdLxHfkGumgh_7ziWpIISfoEOvFsPMfNSsE9PvXs9y0oSB7YaAl5MEALw_wcB Once Upon a Book Club https://www.onceuponabookclub.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw166aBhDEARIsAMEyZh4KtkdKrGkJ6wgEqcP8lkp52qUA-iZEgOW59Gu0lkzGcDtAuxDlcZ4aAkPAEALw_wcB   Lauren's Gift That Goes Well with a Book https://www.amazon.com/Inspirational-Magnetic-Bookmarks-Encouraging-Positive/dp/B086DH3CVS/ref=sr_1_11?crid=JIOMT5Z12KZ4&keywords=magnetic+bookmarks&qid=1665929036&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI2LjgyIiwicXNhIjoiNy4wOSIsInFzcCI6IjYuNzcifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=magnetic+boo%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-11

Winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal A 2020 Newbery Honor Book Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award The Newbery Award-winning author of THE CROSSOVER pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time Caldecott Honoree. Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn mor --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/avant-garde-books/support

This week, enjoy Episode Fourteen with Your Favorite Librarian as she continues the conversation about "Measure of Authenticity.  This episode is broken into two portions for readers to properly examine and are, also, paired with great titles to support any reader's discovery.  Scars are Beautiful: Unresolved Trauma and Reclaiming Black BeautyHealing Legacies of Trauma and Abuse in the Queer Community Masculine of Centre, Seeking Her Refined Femme Just Not Beautiful Enough... balance, attention, care, effort and specialness Provided Examples of Great Black Illustrators: Ashley Evans, Floyd Cooepr, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Frank Morrison, Vashti Harrison, Jerry Pinkney, Ashley Evans, Nina Crews, AG Evans, Ebony Glenn and Kadir Nelson to name a few. Community Organizing or Organized: Natural Position of Allyship Authentic voices and contributions of the Black Experience Black Freedom Under a White Gaze Depictions of Beauty and Identity reflect command standards and measure of cultural excellenceHealth and wellness for all representations of BlacknessBlack Skin and the environment Go Pro or Stay Home... Affordability, Accessibility and Type of Skin Care Providers Defining common and specific skin conditions Check out this week's reading suggestion and check out favoritelibrarian.com"Feminist Weed Farmer:Growing Mindful Medicine in Your Own Back Yard" by Madrone Stewart "Black Skin: The Definitive Skincare Guide" by Dija Ayodele Support the show (https://paypal.me/forrestnogump)

Many people know and recognize the name Florence Nightingale and recognize her as the founder of modern nursing. And, while she did some amazing things for the field of nursing there was another woman who many argue was actually the first nurse practitioner, largely forgotten by history. This week, Hailee is bewitched with Mary Seacole, a British-Jamaican nurse and businesswoman and one of the pioneers of modern nursing. Also mentioned in this episode: the extremely problematic "tip line" created by the Governor ofVirginia to have its citizens spy on school teachers and turn them into the government. If you would like to flood this tip line, the email is helpeducation@governor.virginia.govLinkshttps://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/cholera-victorian-londonhttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/mary-seacole-by-jane-robinson-748262.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_SeacoleRecommendationsIf you are interested in purchasing any of the titles we recommend in this episode, please use our affiliate link through Bookshop.org!Non FictionWonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands by Mary SeacoleMary Seacole: Bound for the Battlefield by Susan Goldman RubinFictionThe rose of Sebastopol by Katherine McMahonThe wonder by Emma Donahugh Hailee's favorite children's and YA books by Black creators: The March series of graphic novels written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate PowellThe Hate u Give by Angie ThomasDread Nation by Justina IrelandPunching the Air by Ibi Zaboi and Yusef Salaam**Sulwe by Lupita NyongoThe Lola books by Anna McQuinnThe Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson which was the winner of the caldecott medalI Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C JamesUnspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper** Hailee incorrectly stated the co-author of Punching the Air, Yosef Salaam, was part of the individuals called the Central Park Four by the media. It is, however, the Central Park Five now, thankfully, the Exonerated Five! I apologize!Support the show

Many people know and recognize the name Florence Nightingale and recognize her as the founder of modern nursing. And, while she did some amazing things for the field of nursing there was another woman who many argue was actually the first nurse practitioner, largely forgotten by history. This week, Hailee is bewitched with Mary Seacole, a British-Jamaican nurse and businesswoman and one of the pioneers of modern nursing. Also mentioned in this episode: the extremely problematic "tip line" created by the Governor ofVirginia to have its citizens spy on school teachers and turn them into the government. If you would like to flood this tip line, the email is helpeducation@governor.virginia.govLinkshttps://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/cholera-victorian-londonhttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/mary-seacole-by-jane-robinson-748262.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_SeacoleRecommendationsIf you are interested in purchasing any of the titles we recommend in this episode, please use our affiliate link through Bookshop.org!Non FictionWonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands by Mary SeacoleMary Seacole: Bound for the Battlefield by Susan Goldman RubinFictionThe rose of Sebastopol by Katherine McMahonThe wonder by Emma Donahugh Hailee's favorite children's and YA books by Black creators: The March series of graphic novels written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate PowellThe Hate u Give by Angie ThomasDread Nation by Justina IrelandPunching the Air by Ibi Zaboi and Yusef Salaam**Sulwe by Lupita NyongoThe Lola books by Anna McQuinnThe Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson which was the winner of the caldecott medalI Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C JamesUnspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper** Hailee incorrectly stated the co-author of Punching the Air, Yosef Salaam, was part of the individuals called the Central Park Four by the media. It is, however, the Central Park Five now, thankfully, the Exonerated Five! I apologize!Support the show

In this podcast episode Kennedy and Alina read a small portion of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. The girls take turns reading these powerful words that has inspired the world to go out and make changes. Here is the book the girls read from: https://www.amazon.com/I-Have-Dream-Book-CD/dp/0375858873/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2EW3XX6AHF93B&keywords=i+have+a+dream+by+martin+luther+king+jr&qid=1642440968&s=books&sprefix=I+have+a+Dream+by+%2Cstripbooks%2C95&sr=1-1 Written on Amazon: Experience history with this picture book of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic speech, including an audio CD. This Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book will inspire young readers! From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King: “My father's dream continues to live on from generation to generation, and this beautiful and powerful illustrated edition of his world-changing "I Have a Dream" speech brings his inspiring message of freedom, equality, and peace to the youngest among us—those who will one day carry his dream forward for everyone.” On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, Martin Luther King gave one of the most powerful and memorable speeches in our nation's history. His words, paired with Caldecott Honor winner Kadir Nelson's magnificent paintings, make for a picture book certain to be treasured by children and adults alike. The themes of equality and freedom for all are not only relevant today, 50 years later, but also provide young readers with an important introduction to our nation's past. Included with the book is an audio CD of the speech.

Non-fiction fans, this episode is for you! Today, we bring you some wild true stories (or creative interpretations of the theme). Books mentioned in this episode: The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything by Mike Rothschild, The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South by Chip Jones, Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Pauline Dakin, and Black Heroes of the Wild West: Featuring Stagecoach Mary, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons by James Otis Smith and Kadir Nelson. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keepitfictional/message

Welcome to Nutmeg Book Drops: Elementary Edition, a podcast produced by Librarians ConneCT. Librarians ConneCT is a group of public and school librarians from throughout the State of Connecticut. Each week, we'll discuss three of the 2022 Elementary Nutmeg Nominees, perfect for readers in grades 2-3. Each week will feature book talks and author interviews on some of the nominees. This week's episode features Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison, published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers, The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and published by Versify, and Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Sonia Sotomayor, illustrated by Rafael Lopez, and published by Philomel Books. Find more information on our website: bit.ly/librariansconnect!

Talk about a blessing today when Kwame Alexander visited Jen Lowry Writes! Umm...yeah...you heard me! I had a chance to sit down with him to talk about his work, his why, and his vocation for honoring character, voice, and youth. He's one of my favorite authors of all time so get ready to see me as a fan. I truly respect the work he does for educators - he makes the job of us pitching books to students a whole lot easier - I tell you that! Thanks for all of your contributions to literacy and the world, Kwame! You are a blessing to many. Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, and New York Times Bestselling author of 35 books, including SWING, BECOMING MUHAMMAD ALI, co-authored with James Patterson, BOOKED, which was longlisted for the National Book Award, REBOUND, which was shortlisted for prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, The Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor-winning picture book, THE UNDEFEATED, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and, his NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER. A regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In 2018, he founded the publishing imprint VERSIFY, and opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. He is the writer and executive producer of THE CROSSOVER TV series on Disney plus. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jen-lowry-writes/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jen-lowry-writes/support

  Episode 49: Dream Book: I Have a Dream, words from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, paintings by Kadir Nelson, Song: Free by William Matthews & Gungor

  Episode 49: Dream Book: I Have a Dream, words from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, paintings by Kadir Nelson, Song: Free by William Matthews & Gungor

Ed talks with painter, illustrator, and fine artist Kadir Nelson. Nelson, one today's most preeminent artists, works have graced the covers of New Yorker, Ebony and Rolling Stone magazines and many of his latest works have become touchstones for the current environment of social justice reckoning. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Nicole and Tori get a crash course on some one-of-a-kind court proceedings and other undiscovered information about Lowndes County history from their guest in this episode. Turns out, times were never "simpler" and people were always crazy. Who knew! The resources talked about in this episode are listed below: His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope by Jon Meacham; The March graphic novel series by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell; Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Right Now by Jaron Lanier; Inside of A Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz; The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson; Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley; Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi; Catherine Atkins Lowndes County Mississippi Circuit Court Case, circa 1856-57; 12 Years A Slave by Solomon Northup; The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead; Columbus City Minutes, April 1866

This is one story you should definitely read along with us! The illustrations are too good to be missed. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kanisha-tillman9/message

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 32 books, including The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, How to Read a Book, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, Swing, Rebound, which was shortlisted for prestigious Carnegie Medal, and, his Newberry medal-winning middle grade novel, The Crossover and the poetry collection Light for the World To See, among others.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's podcast I review one of my favorite poems titled The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. This book should be on your bookshelves today!//Work with Jebeh   Book a Full Day or Half Day training Session at https://jebehedmunds.com/jebeh/staff-development///COME SAY Hey!!Instagram: @Jebeh01Facebook: @JebehCulturalConsultingPinterest: @Jebeh Cultural Consulting Twitter: @Jebeh01LinkedIN: @Jebeh EdmundsPodcast: The Cultural Curriculum chat with Jebeh Edmunds //ABOUT:There will be new podcasts every Friday. Feel Free to leave a comment suggesting what tip or topic I should talk about next or what your biggest Multicultural Curriculum struggle is for your classroom.//DISCLAIMER: These strategies are copyrighted through Jebeh Cultural Consulting LLC 2021//CONTACT: For all subscribers, please use this email:  https://jebehedmunds.com/resources/email-signup/// Learn More: www.jebehedmunds.comFor business inquires, please use this email: jebeh01@gmail.com

Pour les 100 ans des Negro Leagues, Culture Baseball #3 revient sur les origines du Black Baseball pour parler de la création des Negro Leagues en 1920 par Rube Foster. Point de départ, un timbre US Postal de 2010, dessiné par l'artiste afro-américain Kadir Nelson, l'occasion de parler des premiers timbres de baseball de l'histoire et des insolites histoires les entourant.

Janine share three of her favourite kids' books about friendship and kindness: How to Grow a Friend by Sarah Gillingham, If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson, and I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi McKinnon.

In this episode, Charnaie interviews New York Times Bestselling authorKwame Alexander. Kwame is also a poet, educator, author of 37 books,including THE UNDEFEATED, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, HOW TO READ ABOOK, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, SWING, REBOUND, which was shortlistedfor prestigious Carnegie Medal, and, his NEWBERY medal-winning middle gradenovel, THE CROSSOVER. Kwame is also the Founding Editor of VERSIFY, animprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt that aims to Change the World One Word ata Time.Kwame discusses how his writing career he began, upcoming books andprojects he’s working on and tells us why he’s not a fan of the phrase “diversebooks”.Things you will learn in this episode:How George Floyd’s death has impacted Kwame’s life personally and professionally.The inspiration that led Kwame to start writing kid lit.Which authors Kwame has frequent virtual happy hours with to gossip, sharetheir work and talk about how to make the world a better place.Kwame’s advice for inspiring writers.The name of Kwame’s forthcoming writing journal for kids and his forthcoming books for middle grade readers and adults.Resources mentioned in this episode:Here Wee ReadProject LitThe Brown BookshelfConnect with Charnaie online in the following places:Blog: http://hereweeread.comPersonal Website: charnaiegordon.comPodcast Email Address: hereweereadpodcast@gmail.comFind Charnaie on the following social media platforms under the username@hereweeread: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, PinterestFeel free to share this podcast on your social media platforms to help spreadthe word to others. Thanks for listening!

"Levitating and jamming with an unhurried selection of Summer 2020 disco, club, house banger faves, electro hits and nasty mixes we've been playing loud and often!” *Created for The Voice Of Cassandre Mixtape *Tracklist: Too Late - Washed Out Automatic Driver (Tyler, The Creator Remix) - La Roux & Tyler, The Creator Alone With You (Radio Mix) - Kito Featuring Aluna George Levitating - Dua Lipa All Mirrors (Johnny Jewel remix) - Angel Olsen Time (You and I) - Khruangbin Infrastructure - St. Panther Us - Chace Moving Light (feat. Lisa Shaw) [Deep Feels Dub] - Miguel Migs High (feat. Leslie P George) - Dario G ily (i love you baby) (Club Mix) - Surf Mesa Featuring Emilee Shaking My Head - Jaxx De Luxe Expressing What Matters - Disclosure Move That Body (Extended Mix) - Jay Vegas Comme des Garçons (Like The Boys)[Pabllo Vitar Remix] - Rina Sawayama Love Hangover (Eric Kupper Remix) - Diana Ross Broken Heart (Extended Mix) - David Jackson Hold On - Little Dragon You Do You (feat. BabyJake) - Dillon Francis Boss Like That (DALCO Remix) - Flowdan, AC Slater, Jack Beats & Sinden 4Ever (Extended Mix) - Hoodboi & LEFTI First Time (feat. M.Dee) [Extended Mix] - Yogesh Lama Lorla (Extended Mix) - Friend Within Drop the Pressure - Claptone & Mylo I'll Be (feat. Malika) [Extended Mix] - Martin Ikin Tequila - Jax Jones, Martin Solveig, RAYE & Europa Real Deal (Extended Mix) - Angelo Ferreri Vibin' (Saison Remix) - N-You-Up Say So (Friend Within Remix) - Doja Cat Let It Go (Mark Knight Extended Edit) - C.O.T. Delight (Original Mix) - Christian Burkhardt Love To the World - Diplo & Wax Motif An Example of Disco (Extended Mix) - Alex Preston & rion s Haven't You Heard - Alan Fitzpatrick & Patrice Rushen Never Come Back - Caribou Don't Need Love (with Gracey) (Majestic Remix) - 220 Kid Thank You! - Mr. Mix Engineer Angelo Pepe Skordos **Illustration: 'Distant Summer' by The Art of Kadir Nelson

In this Unabridged Podcast discussion, we recommend some books by Black authors that we think would be a great fit in the classroom. We talk about recommendations for Kid Lit, Middle Grade, and YA Lit, and we touch on books by several of our favorite authors, including Jacqueline Woodson, Kwame Alexander, and Ibi Zoboi. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Anna Solomon’s The Book of V Jen - Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America Sara - Sandhya Menon's When Dimple Met Rishi   Our Recommendations -Kid Lit *Quvenzhané Wallis’s A Night Out with Mama *Kwame Alexander’s The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson   -Middle Grade *Jerry Craft’s New Kid *Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming and Harbor Me   -YA Lit *Ibi Zoboi's American Street and Pride: A Pride and Prejudice Remix *Renee Watson’s Piecing Me Together   Give Me One - Movie to Watch with Your Kids Ashley - Shrek series Jen - Diary of a Wimpy Kid Sara - Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse   Other Mentions Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi's Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning Black Lives Matter Movement Nic Stone's article "Don’t Just Read About Racism—Read Stories About Black People Living" Nic Stone's works, including Dear Martin, Odd One Out, Jackpot, Clean Getaway, Shuri Kwame Alexander's works, including the Crossover series (including The Crossover, Booked, Rebound), Solo, and Swing Ibi Zoboi's My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X Angie Thomas's On the Come Up Angie Thomas's Concrete Rose (January 2021) Ernest J. Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying Jacqueline Woodson's The Day You Begin Jason Reynolds's Miles Morales: Spider-Man     Click here for a full transcript that you can read while listening, provided by otter.ai.   Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.     Want to support Unabridged? Check out our Merch Store! Become a patron on Patreon.​ Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram. Like and follow our Facebook Page. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store. Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter. Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher. Check us out on Podbean.

In today’s #MorningMeeting Day Twenty-two we share #PBSKIDSRead with Michelle Obama, Let’s Draw the Gruffalo with Mike Rawls, Code with AR, After the Storm with artist, Kadir Nelson and a creative challenge from Bennett’s Village to draw your favorite place to play!Find resources here.

Authors on the Air host Pam Stack welcomes the highly acclaimed poet, educator and author Kwame Alexander to the studio to discuss SWING and his many other achievements. 1/27/20 The Undefeated, an ode to great black Americans illustrated by Kadir Nelson and written by Kwame Alexander, won the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book for children. Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 28 books, including SWING, SOLO, and REBOUND, the follow-up to his, NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER. Some of his other works include BOOKED, a NATIONAL BOOK AWARD Nominee, THE PLAYBOOK: 52 RULES TO HELP YOU AIM, SHOOT, AND SCORE IN THIS GAME OF LIFE, and the picture books, OUT OF WONDER, SURF'S UP, and THE UNDEFEATED. A regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Prize, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. He believes that poetry can change the world, and he uses it to inspire and empower young people around the world through THE WRITE THING, his K-12 Writing Workshop. The 2018 NEA Read Across America Ambassador, Kwame is the founder of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and the host and producer of the literary variety/talk show, Bookish, which airs on Facebook Watch. He's led cultural exchange delegations to Brazil, Italy, Singapore, and Ghana, where he built the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. This is a copyrighted podcast owned by the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network.

In the second of two special episodes recorded live at the Texas Book Festival, Editor-in-Chief Tom Beer joins Megan to moderate the Kirkus Prize Panel, featuring the winners and finalists of this year’s awards for fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature. Young readers literature winner Jerry Craft, nonfiction winner Saeed Jones, and Kirkus Prize finalists Carolina De Robertis, Laila Lalami, Kwame Alexander, Kadir Nelson, Lauren Castillo, Rosalind Harvey, and Alicia D. Williams each share a little bit about their celebrated work. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Cece Bell, Geraldine McCaughrean, Prince (with Dan Pipenbring), and Kevin Wilson.

There's no need to get into any Black Friday lines this year. EdTech Loop already has you covered with the best gifts for the holiday season!Podcast TranscriptLarry Burden 0:03 No, that will not do.Larry Burden 0:11 double check we're recording here.Larry Burden 0:13 I'm very happy somebody prepped for this pod.Stephie Luyt 0:15 I know.Larry Burden 0:16 Not this guy.Danelle Brostrom 0:16 Let's just scrap this one.Stephie Luyt 0:18 Almost 40 is not old.Larry Burden 0:19 Bada Boom Bada BingLarry Burden 0:26 It's Episode 98 of the EdTech Loop podcast My name is Larry Burden and she's planning to virtually camp out in Amazon's Black Friday line as soon as this podcast ends. it's Danelle Brostrom. And we are also joined by one of our favorite things Stephie Luyt. I've dug deep into the bargain bin for this week's moment of Zen.Moment of Zen 0:46 Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.Larry Burden 0:51 This pod might be a little late, as we wait to thaw this week's meat the show: the Annual Loop Holiday Gift Giving Guide. So guys, it's almost that time of the year. Next week, this blew me away by the way, you know, you start to see some Black Friday stuff, you know, coming in the mail and here and there and I'm like oh my gosh. So early this year. And then it hit me, it's next week.Danelle Brostrom 1:19 Crazy.Stephie Luyt 1:19 Yeah,Larry Burden 1:20 So, help, help me out. We were talking before the pod, I am completely unprepared for the holiday season this year so enlighten me as to what, what are some wonderful things we can get for our people that we love.Danelle Brostrom 1:33 Do you want to go first?Stephie Luyt 1:34 I will, and I have a major theme because all of what I brought are, I brought book ideas. And part of that is because I just came back from a conference. So I was at the American Association of School Librarians conference and there were many authors and illustrators there. And, you know, you can't go wrong with a book. And so what I have is a range of books from our, for our littles up to our high school kiddos. Some you may have heard about because some have gotten some press and some are, were new to me. Let me start with the littles, and this book, it's called "Another," by Christian Robinson, and it is a sci-fi fantasy picture book that is wordless. So that's a lot. If you think about all that in all of those elements in a picture book without words for littles, preschool. The art is beautiful and there's an alternate universe that the kiddo and the animal take a little journey in. And I just, I'm so intrigued by this concept, and already there are multiple accolades rolling in for this book. So as we're getting close to my favorite time with the Caldicot, Newbery awards, I think we'll hear a lot more about, "Another." But put that one on your list if you have littles.Larry Burden 2:53 What a great way to introduce our littlest ones to narrative.Stephie Luyt 2:58 Yes,Larry Burden 2:59 Get them understanding the concept of storytelling and story. So that when we're introducing them to words and vocabulary and reading, they already have an understanding of the structure...Stephie Luyt 3:13 AbsolutelyLarry Burden 3:14 of the story. Did you bring it?Stephie Luyt 3:16 I didn't bring that one.Larry Burden 3:20 The ultimate picture book and it's not here.Stephie Luyt 3:22 It's not here but,Larry Burden 3:23 because you recognized it's an audio podcast so why would you bring it.Stephie Luyt 3:27 Well, partially because it's so popular right now I don't have a copy available, but I also, you know I come here and then I hold it up and you guys make fun of me.Larry Burden 3:36 I would, I'm hurt, I would never.Stephie Luyt 3:39 In the nicest way possible. So, maybe I'll give you a couple more of the littles and then we can go back and forth.Danelle Brostrom 3:45 Deal.Stephie Luyt 3:45 Okay, there's a book called, "The Undefeated," by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and if you're familiar with those names you probably have seen them in a number of other books. But this is a love letter to the experience of African Americans, and it actually was connected to an ESPN special called, "The Undefeated." But it is a poem, and the artwork by Kadir Nelson is photorealistic so his, his illustrations are as gorgeous as you can imagine. And topic wise, you know that's, there's some heavy stuff in there, and it's tells just a beautiful narrative of the experience of African Americans, touching on a lot of issues. But there's a lot of meat in this book and it's just gorgeous. So, I don't have it, but I can, I can, I can picture it in my mind.Larry Burden 4:37 We trust you. We trust you.Stephie Luyt 4:39 I've seen it and have, I highly recommend it. We do have it in a couple of libraries.Larry Burden 4:44 What age group would that be?Stephie Luyt 4:45 Well, you know I would call it for mid to upper elementary. I think the, the depth of some of the history would be more meaningful to older elementary and up, and older even kiddos. But in terms of the story, kids will understand it.Larry Burden 5:02 And as we said before picture books aren't just for our,Stephie Luyt 5:06 Correct.Larry Burden 5:07 Lower El.,Stephie Luyt 5:08 The book, "Another," by Christian Robinson, could be used at all levels. A wordless picture book, I mean kids of all ages and adults would tell a different story as they're looking through it, as you know all ages, it would, it appeals for everyone.Larry Burden 5:20 It'd be perfect for a podcast studio. Oh that's right.Stephie Luyt 5:25 Oh sorry guys.Danelle Brostrom 5:26 Love it.Stephie Luyt 5:26 And then another book that is, it was written by Sonia Sotomayor, from the Supreme Court, you may have heard of her, and Raphael Lopez is the illustrator. And it's called, "Just Ask." And it's all about kids who have any kind of, I would say, lack of a better word, difference. So kids who, it was written because Sonia Sotomayor was diagnosed with diabetes when she was a child, and she always felt like when she'd be having medication, or getting a shot, that kids were always curious and wondering, but people wouldn't ask. And so the book is all about how everybody has something that is on their plate that they're dealing with. And so it touches on ADHD, allergies, learning differences of all types, different types of disabilities, and the whole focus is, everybody has differences, let's, let's ask, let's be curious and it's, l et's talk about, and embrace, and celebrate these things that are, everybody has that are different. So beautiful illustrations again. Raphael Lopez has done a number of books and it's, it's a really neat partnership.Danelle Brostrom 6:34 Amazing books. Thank you.Stephie Luyt 6:36 You're welcome.Danelle Brostrom 6:36 Well, I feel like I'm struggling to follow those because I brought all, like, fun tech things.Stephie Luyt 6:44 I think that sounds perfect.Danelle Brostrom 6:45 I feel like you need the balance which is why you should do both,Stephie Luyt 6:47 Absolutely.Danelle Brostrom 6:48 So talking about the things for the littles. I'll talk about my stuff for littles first. I want to remind everyone about Kiwi Crate. That is one of my favorite things. I think it's a great, holiday season is a great time to think about starting a Kiwi Crate because it's a gift that would last the entire year. It is either a simple, single kit, or you can set up with a subscription. So they would get one every single month. And they have crates all the way down to 0 to 2, 2 to 4, all the way up to 14 and up. And the crates are focused on making, they're focused on creativity, there's one that's focused on art, one is focused on tinkering. And it gives the kids all the things that they need to do this project. And it's pretty cool because when it comes, the kids, they smile, my own kids they make the project that's there. And it's pretty cool and it keeps us intrigued and entertained for a little while. And then I watch it kind of evolve, like I watch that project will change into something else and they'll try to figure out how they can change it and make it better. So I see them playing with it longer than just that first session, and I like that it brings new ideas into my house every month.Stephie Luyt 7:55 Yep. And I think they've expanded one that's for, as you mentioned older kids and that that's newer. That is on my list of possibilities for my kiddos because we've never had it but my niece's do and they've loved it. And I always think to myself, you know I could gather all these materials and do this project.Danelle Brostrom 8:13 But I won't.Stephie Luyt 8:15 So, it's really nice that Kiwi Crate does that for you, if you might be like me and have plans but they might not always pan out.Danelle Brostrom 8:24 I also hate buying all of this stuff. Like you know, my kid wanted to take this little basketball thing with pom poms, okay but we needed 2 pom poms. Pom Poms come in a bagStephie Luyt 8:33 Of 100.Danelle Brostrom 8:33 Yes. So now I have 400 pom poms around my house that are ridiculous.Larry Burden 8:39 You mocked me years ago, when I, when I was, we were talking about Makers, Makerspace and, and collecting the stuff and I pointed out, like, I get that, it's really cool, but the organize, organizing of it can be a little bit cumbersome so you really want to be thinking about that when you're getting all that stuff. and look how look how it comes back around.Danelle Brostrom 8:59 It does come back around.Stephie Luyt 9:01 The Wise One.Danelle Brostrom 9:03 Thanks, Larry.Larry Burden 9:04 Though, I will say, with that, I'm listening to these suggestions and my kids are a little bit older and I'm like, I wonder if that'd be appropriate for me? Maybe I can ask them to give that to me? Maybe I want a Kiwi Crate.Danelle Brostrom 9:17 The ones for older kids are really, really cool. For 14 and up they offer two options. One is a Maker kit. And then this eureka kit, which is all about engineering and science. And, like the one example that they make, you make a desk lamp. They show you how to make a desk lamp that uses pulleys and springs to make an adjustable lamp with an LED bulb. It's so cool. I know, we should get them here for the, the pod. Ukulele, and electric pencil sharpener, like. Okay, my next option is going to be for like that elementary school age kiddo. I have a Fitbit, and I love my fitness tracker and my child wanted one, and I started looking online and I was kind of frustrated with the options that were available. They were all from other countries. I didn't know about the tracking. You know I'm a little crazy about privacy, I'm just sayin'.Larry Burden 10:10 Thank you for that actually. Somebody needs to.Stephie Luyt 10:12 Obsesively intentional.Danelle Brostrom 10:13 I do, I do worry about things like that, but I know that she really wanted a fitness tracker. So I was so excited to,Larry Burden 10:20 Not the worst thing for a child to be obsessed about,Danelle Brostrom 10:22 I know, she wants to count her steps. Fitbit came out with a new one recently called the ACE2. And it's made specifically for kids so it has special swim proof protection. It has some kid friendly graphics that you can put on the front, some kid friendly stats and goals celebrations. But it also has a parent component. I like that you can set it up under a family sharing plan and then your kids because they're under 13 they're given the special protections with their data that should happen for an under 13 year old. And it also, you get to kind of decide what features they get. Like if they want to have step challenges with their friends, they can only do with people you approve. Like, it kind of helps give me some of the control back which I really, really like. And they're running about $70 which doesn't feel crazy expensive for this kind of a fitness tracker. But there are some other features that I think are really, really smart that are on here. There is a timer, which the kids can set from the device. Why do I love that? Because I think of ADHD kids when they're sitting in classroom, and they need things broken up, and they need to be able to stand and go walk around, they need to be able to set themselves a timer. So, in a classroom setting, having a timer go off, well all of a sudden that makes you the one that everyone's looking at. But to have it on your watch that just vibrates a little bit, that you can set yourself, I think, gives a little bit of independence. It just recognizes that kids like, kids might need that. So, I'm a huge fan of the Fitbit Ace2.Stephie Luyt 11:49 Sounds like a really thoughtful tool to. Well designed with kids in mind.Larry Burden 11:52 Awesome. Like I said, my kids are,Danelle Brostrom 11:55 I'm looking at you waiting for your gifts Larry. What do you have?Larry Burden 11:57 I have a piece of paper with some stuff on it, and some really, really, really, smart friends.Stephie Luyt 12:02 I have this book with me. Now our listeners cannot see it but, "Astronaut, Aquanaut," so it is a nonfiction National Geographic Kids book by Jennifer Swanson and she had consultation by Fabian Cousteau. So Jacque Cousteau's, I believe, grandson. if you've, if you have a kiddo who, our you have ever wondered like what would it really be like to be an astronaut, and what would it be like to be an aquanaut, and all those questions that might be forming in your mind right now are answered in this book. And the kid kind of questions, like the nitty gritty of what you do when you are living under water or in space. How does, how did the basic things happen? And I love the amount of research that went into the book, and the detail. And just really providing like a typical day in space, a typical day in the deep sea. Really well researched, lots of primary sources. And this is for kind of your, again, upper elementary, just with the reading level and the amount of information. But if you have a kid who's curious about any of these areas, I would highly recommend this one. And then I have two graphic novels. Ridley Pearson is writing a series about the Super Sons. So it's the sons of Batman, and the sons of Superman, and their backstory and their narrative. So, looking at a whole 'nother part of the superheroes, from the point of view of their sons. And I love, love, love this. Meg Cabot, who wrote The Princess Diaries as well as another, a number of other books is also jumping into graphic novels. They actually, at a session I attended at the conference, a group of writers and illustrators were talking about how, you know as we've talked about on the pod, the graphic novels are very popular in comics. And so a number of kid lit authors and illustrators went to basically, comic boot camp. They brought a bunch of popular authors and illustrators together to learn more about the genre. So Meg Cabot's jumped into writing, this is more of a comic format. But it's a character, Black Canary, and this is called, "Ignite." And Black Canary is a teenager who wants to follow in her dad's footsteps, and be a detective in Gotham City, and doesn't have, doesn't believe she has any superpowers, but then discovers that she does. And, great coming of age story, great female empowerment, what she can do, what she can't do by, what society's letting her do. Loved it, it's going to be, there'll be a sequel, if not more. So, and this I have to say out of all the books, all the new books I brought back from the conference, two of my three kids have read this multiple times and loved it. So this one got high recommendations from my small sample at home, and I loved it too, and Black Canary's power is that she can,Larry Burden 14:49 Do we want toStephie Luyt 14:50 Okay, maybe not.Larry Burden 14:50 No spoilers. No spoilers.Danelle Brostrom 14:52 Um, let me do one and then I'll bump it back to you. So thinking about your middle and high school students, or even your adults because I'm thinking I might want one of these to. I'm really excited by the Dribble Up Ball. Dribble up.com, they're offering three different options: a smart soccer ball, a smart basketball and a smart medicine ball. Now what I think is kind of interesting is that it started as Kickstarter in 2017, but really mainstream within the last couple months. I've seen a lot of people talking about them. And essentially, there's a little stand a little tripod that you put your smartphone in, and then you stand back with your smart ball, like your soccer ball, and you can practice toe tapping drills and it will show you exactly where the ball needs to be, and you get points when it hits there. The medicine ball one is kind of for adults. There's a six pound and a 10 pound and you can do the workout. And when you lift the ball up and you get it in the right spot, the smartphone can sense where it is and it gives you a point for that. So you get points by being accurate, you get points by doing it faster. There's a lot of professional soccer teams that are actually using this to improve their accuracy and speed with some of these drills to build muscle memory. I think it's really, really cool to think of how you could improve your ball control skills with these virtual coaches. I think it's really, really cool for kids. I think that this is going to be big this Christmas. Check out DribbleUp.com.Larry Burden 16:16 I love that, that's so cool.Danelle Brostrom 16:16 I know, I want one.Danelle Brostrom 16:18 There's a REMC person downstate, her name is Ann Smart, and she is bringing this PD using the dribble a ball and math. And she's going and talking to teachers about how they can use this in the classroom to help kids build their math skills. I'm really intrigued with the work that she's doing around it, so keep an eye out for them.Larry Burden 16:39 You know some of our physical education teachers in elementary have used, or incorporated literature and some language arts into their, their classes and their lessons. What a great way to incorporate math for some cross curricular activities. I mean so, so cool.Danelle Brostrom 16:57 Yeah, and it gets kids movingStephie Luyt 16:57 Really cool.Danelle Brostrom 16:59 Yeah.Stephie Luyt 16:59 A couple for middle school in particular. "Song for a Whale," so this book is about a deaf student who learns about a whale who's unable to communicate with other whales, and feels that she wants to help this whale. So she goes on this journey with the support of some characters. One thing I found really interesting is the author, Lynn Kelly, is a sign language interpreter herself. So she has a lot of experience working with people with hearing differences. And this is, you know, a kiddo who isn't feeling like she fits in and wants to reach out and help another creature that isn't fitting in. And it's this really exciting journey. And so kiddos, middle grade readers who love animals would be really drawn to this book and the power of this story is what recommends it to. A book called, "Other Words for Home," by Jasmine Warga, is a book told in verse, a novel in verse. And this is the story of a family who comes into Cincinnati from Syria and their experiences. They assimilate, and then as other relatives join her family seeing how she's come and changed, and her experiences and in her new area. What home means, what family means. I love that its in verse. It's another form for kids to really enjoy, and similar to "The Undefeated," being told as a poem form. So, "Other Words for Home," it's that one.Danelle Brostrom 18:24 I only have one more. The last thing I'm going to mention is, so thinking about the holidays, it's a great time to add board games into your collection. Board games are great way to get the family together, and get them talking. One of my all time favorite board games is called Prime Climb.Larry Burden 18:41 We've seen this, yeah.Danelle Brostrom 18:42 I feel like I need to mention it every time because it's so good. Math for Love is the company that makes it, and it makes some other games for kids. Little Pok-a-Dot it out is another good one. But Prime Climb is, it's beautiful first of all, but then the mathematics involved, it's funny because I play it with my older child, and we change the rules a little bit because typically what you have to do, you roll the dice and then you can choose either to add, subtract, multiply or divide the number on your pawn by the number you roll. Like there's a lot of different computational thinking that's happening when kids are playing this game. But we changed the rules a little bit because division is still tricky for her, so I told her you can either add or multiply, we just kind of changed that a little bit. And then it was funny because then she played with my husband and he made a play by the rules which was a very different game for her. But then he came to me afterward, and he's a grown adult, and he was like that game was really fun. Like yeah it is, though it's really fun for adults, it's really fun for kids. There's a lot of thinking, and I kind of like that you get to control what you do. You have two pawns you can choose to move which one, you can choose which one you want to move, you can choose whether you want to bump somebody, there's just a lot of different choices you can make, and a lot of computational thinking and math that happens, and a lot of talking and fun. So, I would put Prime Climb on the list every time.Stephie Luyt 20:00 I just added that to my shopping list. I have just one more book that I want to talk about, it's called, "Beauty Queens," by Libba Bray, it's a read alike for Lord of the Flies. So, there's an airplane crash with a group of girls who are headed to a beauty pageant. It is a story of what they do and the society that they form, and how they survive. And knocking out stereotypes, and looking at societal expectations. A fast moving, very creative take if you remember how the Lord of the Flies plays out. I highly recommend this one.Larry Burden 20:38 In my attempts, my vain attempts to do some research I came across the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit.Danelle Brostrom 20:46 Oh Kano.Stephie Luyt 20:47 Oh yeah.Larry Burden 20:48 And you actually get a wandDanelle Brostrom 20:49 There's a Harry Potter one now?Larry Burden 20:51 You get a wand and you actually cast spells in code.Danelle Brostrom 20:56 Larry.Larry Burden 20:57 So, I don't know if it's good. I don't know if it's, you know, it's Harry Potter so like, kids aren't going to like it. Everybody's all over...I got one!Danelle Brostrom 21:06 Well it's the Kano Kit to which has a good reputation.Larry Burden 21:11 I was just kind of going through like Harry Potter and coding? That sounds okay.Stephie Luyt 21:15 Yeah! Build a wand, learn to code, make magic.Larry Burden 21:18 If somebody has that, please let us know what they think of it. What age groups would be appropriate for that. It's six and up, I saw but, right, it's Harry Potter so.Danelle Brostrom 21:28 I would play it. Yet another thing we need to get for the Loop.Stephie Luyt 21:33 We might need to test that on the pod.Danelle Brostrom 21:34 I think we should.Larry Burden 21:35 Are we all set.Danelle Brostrom 21:36 We're set.Techtool of the Week 21:36 TechTool of the Week.Danelle Brostrom 21:41 TechTool of the Week. Purdue University, this is where I get my ideas from frankly. Every single year they put out an Engineering Gift Guide, and their gifts that they choose are tested by their engineering students, and they're looking for things that have good gameplay, that are quality, that have those open ended experiences that families can play together. And the quality of items that come out of there are just fantastic. They do include some books Stephie, but the books are things like, "Baby Learns to be a Structural Engineer." It sounds fantastic! But there are things for littles that they can do, all the way up to things that you would really be buying for your high school or older students. So the Purdue Engineering Gift Guide is phenomenal every single year. So check that out. It's great books, there's great stuff on there to. They also talked about Kiwi, they also talked about the Osmo which we talked about before that offers some hands on things with the, with the device. The Sphero, I think made that as well, which is a little coding robot. There's some good stuff on there.Stephie Luyt 22:44 This is going to be very helpful for shopping at my house.Larry Burden 22:48 And she's just basically gonna go down that list, check, check. Somebody already made my list, fabulous.Stephie Luyt 22:54 Thank you.Larry Burden 22:55 Tutorials and updates, I was just gonna say that, look for some new stuff, some additional content that's going to be on our podcast site upcoming. Danelle, and David, send out these great emails, tech resource emails, throughout the week and asked them, I didn't here back from Danelle...Danelle Brostrom 23:13 You'd like to steal them.Larry Burden 23:14 I want to steal them.Danelle Brostrom 23:15 You may.Larry Burden 23:15 Well you know, great, it's great content, and it'd be nice to get more people looking at that. More people can look at it, the more successful they will be with technology in the classroom. So, in closing, follow us on Facebook and Twitter @TCAPSLoop,Danelle Brostrom 23:29 @brostromda.Stephie Luyt 23:31 @StephieLuytLarry Burden 23:32 Subscribe to the podcast on podbean, iTunes, Stitcher, Tune-in, Downcast, Overcast, Spotify, the Google Play Store or wherever else you get your ear candy, leave a review, we love the feedback. Thanks for listening, and inspiring.Stephie Luyt 23:47 Is the downcast, up... like all those things, are those real?Transcribed by https://otter.ai

It’s our 6th Annual Sunday Morning Magazine with Rodney Lear Recommended Summer Reading List Show. We have reviewed a number of books and put together a list of what we think are some of the best summer reads in three categories: Picture Books, Middle School and Young Adults. Picture Book--THE UNDEFEATED by Kwame Alexander

Dan and Eric actually just met up in New York for a good friend's wedding, so they reminisce, briefly, about their mutual, now-married friend, and their debauchery over the long weekend.  The conversation moves onto Kadir Nelson's cover, "Wheel Life"; Robyn Wright's terrifying piece about conflict with Iran; Lauren Collins deeply reported piece about Emmanuel Macron and the political scene in France; and, finally, Hollywood fiction by Emma Cline.  

It all started when she was eight years old. "I remember standing on the front lawn of our house in Ames," says Sarvinder Naberhaus. She was singing a song she had written for her neighbors. "It was called 'Round Love," she says. The lyrics included round love, square love, everywhere love love. "It was the '60s, you have to remember," she says with a laugh. Some five decades later, Naberhaus, who lives in Ames, used her songwriting skills to create children's books. She's now the author of three published books, including Blue Sky White Stars, a book that was published in 2017 to wide acclaim. The book compares aspects of the American flag to aspects of the American experience, drawing on history and featuring striking diversity. Blue Sky White Stars was named one of the ten best children's books of the year by Time, received a Crystal Kite Award, and was honored as a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association. Last year, it was part of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, where it was mailed for free to tens of thousands of children across the country. The paperback, bilingual version of Blue Sky White Stars was published this week. Naberhaus' favorite analogy in the book is comparing the "well worn" face of Abraham Lincoln with a "well worn" war-torn flag. "I imagined every wrinkle on his face was a soldier that died, a decision that had to be made, a battle that was lost," she says. "They carved his face. It was a well worn face." During the podcast, Naberhaus talks about moving with her family from India to Ames when she was four years old. She also discusses her sparse writing style, why she sometimes has to take frantic notes on her phone, and the "rules" that she broke while working with renowned illustrator Kadir Nelson on the book. Sarvinder Naberhaus' books Sarvinder Naberhaus' website Sarvinder Naberhaus' Soundcloud

Dan and Eric discuss Kadir Nelson's beautiful anniversary issue cover; Jelani Cobb and his incisive piece on the new bill, H.R. 1; Jeffrey Toobin, his current piece about Roger Stone and Jerome Corsi, and his 2008 profile of Stone; Franco-Moroccan novelist Leila Slimani's excellent new short story; Vinson Cunningham on college basketball star Zion Williamson and his exquisite moves; and Dan's teaching.  Plus, the history of translated fiction in the New Yorker!

Podcast Episode 57 - A Giant Pile: Anticipated Books for 2019 #unabridgedshorts #readwithunabridged @unabridgedpod   our anticipated reads *Jen - *Helen Oyeyemi’s Gingerbread *Dane Huckelbridge’s No Beast So Fierce *Karen Thompson Walker’s The Dreamers *Patrick Rothfuss’s Doors of Stone *Rainbow Rowell’s Wayward Son *Leigh Bardugo's King of Scars ​ *Ashley -  *Myquillyn Smith’s The Cozy Minimalist Home *Angie Thomas's On the Come Up *Laini Taylor’s Muse of Nightmares *Yara Zgheib’s The Girls at 17 Swann Street *Children’s book - Kwame Alexander's The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson   *Sara -  *Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones and the Six *Busy Phillips’s This Will Only Hurt a Little  *Tommy Orange’s There, There *Tracey Garvis Graves’s The Girl He Used to Know other mentions *Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo *Myquillyn Smith's The Nesting Place *Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give *Dane Huckelbridge's Castle of Water *John Vaillant's The Tiger *Karen Thompson Walker’s The Age of Miracles  *Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone and Children of Virtue and Vengeance *Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer *Rainbow Rowell's Carry On and Eleanor and Park *Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom *Leigh Bardugo's Grisha series, starting with Shadow and Bone   ​want to support unabridged?*Become a patron on Patreon.​ *Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram. *Like and follow our Facebook Page. *Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter. *Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on iTunes or on Stitcher. *Check us out on Podbean.  

Superlearning 3000: learning made simple is the Revised edition of the original Superlearning 2000 published in 1993 with 17 illustrations by Kadir Nelson. This was Kadir Nelson's first illustrated book. Superlearning 3000: learning made simple helps you to learn with ease with your talents, your purpose and your geniuses in mind. When you know your purpose and choose to use your genius to live, work and play; learning becomes exciting, interesting and engaging. This is a beginner’s guide to learning how to use your right-brain and your left-brain in peace, therefore how to learn through your heart. This system of learning includes: Conscious breathing to you relaxed system of learning; Building self-esteem with your values; Conscious breathing to your long term memory; Life in balance with visual goal setting; Note taking using mind mapping; Pre-reading, speed-seeing, speed-reading; Sleep incubation study; Test-taking with relaxed recall; Healthy snacks for learning; 60 hearts beats per minute music. From the classroom to the boardroom, young or old, rich or poor, Superlearning 3000 process helps to prepare the children for an entertaining and informative learning experience to get to the 3rd Millennium. Enjoy my son, Kadir Nelson's artistic expression of this powerful learning message. Enjoy!!

Matt de la Peña is the New York Times Bestselling, Newbery Medal -winning author of six young adult novels: Ball Don’t Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here, I Will Save You, The Living and The Hunted. He’s also the author of the critically-acclaimed picture books A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) and Last Stop on Market Street (illustrate d by Christian Robinson). Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific where he attended school on a full basketball scholarship. de la Peña currently lives in Brooklyn NY. He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country. Website: http://mattdelapena.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.delapena.5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattdelapena Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattdelapena/

Matt de la Peña appears at the 2013 Library of Congress National Book Festival. Speaker Biography: The novels of Matt de la Peña have garnered numerous awards for their realistic, unvarnished depiction of young adults. His novels include "Mexican Whiteboy" and "I Will Save You." He wrote the picture book "A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis," which was illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Peña has also written for "Guys Read," a series edited by Jon Scieszka. His new novel is "The Living," which focuses on the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6108

Kadir Nelson appears at the 2013 Library of Congress National Book Festival, 9/21/2013. The works of award-winning artist Kadir Nelson have been exhibited worldwide. He is a two-time winner of the Caldecott Honor Award as well as a Coretta Scott King Award. His clients include Coca-Cola, the U.S. Postal Service, Major League Baseball and Dreamworks SKG. His debut as a writer, "We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball," won the Coretta Scott King Award. Nelson has just published a picture book biography, called "Nelson Mandela." For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6055

Join The Gist Freedom live at the Blackball exhibit with host Shellie Gaines! This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Harlem Historical Society and the Harlem Black Yankees and in support of the Friends of Colonel Young Park. Through paintings, fiber arts, digital renderings and mixed-media installations, participating artists bring to life the story of Negro Leagues Baseball from the late 1800's through the mid-twentieth century. Artists include: Donald "Sunn" Anderson, Lou Grant, Rod Ivey,  LeRoy Neiman, Kadir Nelson, George Nelson Preston, Sherry Shine & Grace Y. Williams. Join us, also, for FREE NLB family films and activities on Saturdays September 8, 15 and 22. Call 212/862.2787 for additional info. BLACKBALL: Illuminating Negro Leagues Baseball is sponsored, in part, by Abyssinian Development Corporation.

BLACKBALL: Illuminating Negro Leagues Baseball  BLACKBALL: Illuminating Negro League Baseball exhibition is presented in partnership with the Harlem Historical Society and the Harlem Black Yankees and in support of the Friends of Colonel Young Park. Through paintings, fiber arts, digital renderings and mixed-media installations, participating artists bring to life the story of Negro Leagues Baseball from the late 1800's through the mid-twentieth century. Artists include: Donald "Sunn" Anderson, Lou Grant, Rod Ivey,  LeRoy Neiman, Kadir Nelson, George Nelson Preston, Sherry Shine & Grace Y. Williams. Join us, also, for FREE NLB family films and activities on Saturdays September 8, 15 and 22. Call 212/862.2787 for additional info. BLACKBALL: Illuminating Negro Leagues Baseball is sponsored, in part, by Abyssinian Development Corporation.

Kadir Nelson appears at the 2011 National Book Festival. Speaker Biography: Writer and illustrator Kadir Nelson, who began drawing at age 3 and painting at age 10, says, "I have always been an artist. It's part of my DNA." He began collaborating with writers in 1999, including choreographer Debbie Allen ("Dancing in the Wings") and Ntozake Shange ("Ellington Was Not a Street"). Nelson debuted as an author with "We Are the Ship." His current work is "Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans" (HarperCollins). For transcript, captions, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5310.

Kadir Nelson shares his thoughts and ideas about the various high profile projects that he has worked on over the last 15+ years. The recipient of many awards (Caldicott honoree, Coretta Scott King winner) he has worked with Steven Spielberg, Debbie Allen and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Kadir Nelson is a naturally gifted artist whose extraordinary talent continues to develop and be discovered. Before the age of 30, Nelson had already illustrated children's books, sold paintings to celebrities, and worked on a movie directed by Steven Spielberg. In 2007 Kadir Nelson received a Caldecott Honor for his evocative illustrations in "Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom." In 2008 he won a second Caldecott Honor for his artwork in "Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad." For more author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.