MATTHEWCWINNER

Lisa Brown, author/illustrator of The Airport Book, stops by the podcast to talk about text thievery, gender parity, and matching people to their luggage.

In this new miniseries of indefinite length, I invite my friends from the kidlit community to share what is giving them hope today. 

Kate DiCamillo, author Raymie Nightingale and the 2016 National Summer Reading Champion, stops by the podcast on behalf of the Collaborative Summer Library Program to talk about reasons to read this summer, some titles from her recommended reading list, and her habit of always making other people read books.

Christopher Silas Neal, debut author/illustrator of Everyone…, stops by the podcast to talk about a big philosophy captured in a few words, the universality of feelings, and making space for the sadness along with the happiness.

Katie Yamasaki, author illustrator of Mural Island (Norton Young Readers), joins Matthew to talk about building upon the tradition of making public art through relentless expression.

Brianne Farley, author/illustrator of Secret Tree Fort, stops by the podcast to talk about reading in trees, finding the story’s voice, and the universality of tree forts.

Suzanne Kaufman, illustrator of Samanthasaurus Rex, written by B. B. Mandell, stops by the podcast to talk about brain over brawn, the sadness that comes from finishing a book, and visiting the morgue of poses.

Julia Denos, author/illustrator of Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color, stops by the podcast to talk about trusting the materials, listening to the story, and asking herself, “What is a color tamer?”

Cale Atkinson, author/illustrator of Explorers of the Wild, stops by the podcast to talk about the scarier parts of the woods, breaking his habits, and two different characters with the same voice.

Molly Idle, author illustrator most recently of Flora and the Peacocks, and Caldecott honor winner for Flora and the Flamingo, returns to the podcast to talk about wanting to be liked best, exploring the dynamic that happens when you have more than one friend, and struggles to maintain balance.

Sergio Ruzzier, author/illustrator of This Is Not a Picture Book!, stops by the podcast to talk about things that cannot be named, words that shake you, and making something that has the potential to stay forever.

Rowboat Watkins shares MOST MARSHMALLOWS, a story about things that most marshmallows do, like celebrating birthdays and going to school. Things that most marshmallows do not do, like dreaming. And the rarely discussed things that some few marshmallows secretly know. I love how Rowboat created the art for this story and I cannot wait to try it with my students. But I also love how he makes room for his readers to dream of all the things they might accomplish, no matter who sa

Dan Santat, author illustrator of Are We There Yet? and Beekle, which won the Caldecott medal in 2015, returns to the podcast to talk about enduring every minute of a road trip, parents doing the best they can, and his son’s complete lack of patience.

Recorded live on the PopTop Stage at the American Library Association's annual conference, three Newbery Honorees and powerful female voices in the children's literature share the stories behind their successful and upcoming middle grade novels. Cece Bell shares SMELL MY FOOT! Kate DiCamillo shares BEVERLY, AT LAST. Shannon Hale shares PRINCESS IN BLACK.

Peter Brown, author/illustrator of The Curious Garden, Children Make Terrible Pets, and Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, and now debut middle grade author of The Wild Robot, stops by the podcast to talk about paying attention to wording and phrasing, telling the story as efficiently as possible, and certain subjects you can’t avoid.

Lorena Alvarez shares HICOTEA, a companion graphic novel to her 2017 debut, NIGHTLIGHTS. Guest host Mel Schuit interviews Lorena at the American Library Association's annual conference and they discuss the art and inspiration behind the graphic novels. For those not yet familiar, NIGHLIGHTS is a beautiful story about fear, insecurity, and creativity. In HICOTEA, Sandy, the protagonist from NIGHTLIGHTS, returns to explore a magical new dimension.

Megan Lacera (@MeganLacera) and Jorge Lacera (@jlacera) share ZOMBIES DON’T EAT VEGGIES! In their debut picture book readers meet Mo, a zombie and chef with a taste for cuisine his parents, quite frankly, find revolting. But this isn’t exactly a story about picky eaters or about food aversions. Instead, Lacera and Lacera share a story of feeling outside of one’s culture and how to reconcile that. I think you’re really going to connect with Mo (and I just know you’ll connect w

Steve Light, author/illustrator of Swap!, stops by the podcast to talk about the greatest joy, using items in unconventional ways, and feeding clues to the reader by way of a monkey.

Ashley Franklin shares NOT QUITE SNOW WHITE. In this debut picture book readers meet Tameika, a theater-loving, stage-starring girl. She’s so excited for her school’s production of Snow White that she signs up for both audition dates. But after Tameika overhears classmates criticising that she’s too tall and too chubby and to black for the part, Tameika is crushed. There’s more to the story, of course, but you’ll need to listen for that.

Torben Kuhlmann shares ARMSTRONG, his best-selling picture book about a mouse who dreams of setting foot on the moon gets a special anniversary edition to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing.