MATTHEWCWINNER

Sara O’Leary, author of This is Sadie, which is illustrated by Julie Morstad, stops by the podcast to talk about creating a fondness to the voice of the narrator, one certain Max, and leaving room within a character to see yourself.

Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal share FRY BREAD, their upcoming picture book. We talk about culture and tradition and family and history. We also talk a lot about Kevin’s Aunt Fannie. There is a story behind the entire nature of fry bread and the way Kevin’s text approaches that story is through affirmation statements of what fry bread is and what it means.

Illustrator Keith Henry Brown shares BIRTH OF THE COOL, which is written by Kathleen Cornell Berman. BIRTH OF THE COOL is a picture book biography of the great jazz legend Miles Davis and his journey to find a sound that was beautifully and uniquely his own. That sound took him places. That sound was the birth of the cool.

Madelyn Rosenburg, author of How to Behave at a Dog Show and Nanny X Returns, stops by the podcast to talk about the sweet spot of talking to kids, pushing the reset button a lot, and how her stories are helping her fiure out what kind of person she wants to be.

Ishta Mercurio and Jen Corace share SMALL WORLD, their new picture book. The story circles around Nanda, a girl who dreams of space. As Nanda grows, her experience of the world and also her view of the world grows. In that way it’s a story of expanding circle, like tossing a stone into a pond and observing the ripples outward. Ishta talks of searching for those right words that feel good in your mouth.

Lesléa Newman, author of Heather Has Two Mommies and, most recently, of Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed, along with Marcus Ewert, author of 10,000 Dresses and, most recently, Mummy Cat, stops by the podcast to talk about books with LGBT themes, the lineage of the poetic, prophetic voice, respecting the power of the words, and the only cat to ever have an obituary in the New York Times.

Raakhee Mirchandani joins the podcast to share SUPER SATYA SAVES THE DAY. When readers meet Satya, the story’s namesake, we have only to take Satya at her word that her beloved cape makes her super. Unfortunately, her cape is still at the dry cleaners and Satya will need to face a day of school without it.

Daria Peoples-Riley shares I GOT NEXT. In her sequel to THIS IS IT, Daria explores allyship through a coming-of-age story on a community basketball court where decisions are made in a moment, and where how you play and what space you make for others is on display for all to see.

Kwame Alexander, author most recently of Surf’s Up, illustrated by Daniel Miyares, and winner of the 2015 Newbery Award for The Crossover, stops by the podcast to talk about the economy of words, the spiritual journey through the white space left on the page, and the joy and power of reading.

Tonya Engel shares RISE! FROM CAGED BIRD TO POET OF THE PEOPLE, MAYA ANGELOU, written by Bethany Hegedus. Tonya talks about allowing her stream of consciousness to guide her when creating the art for RISE!. 

Andy Rash, author illustrator of Archie The Daredevil Penguin, stops by the podcast to talk about the truth hidden within a joke, how we’re always hardest on ourselves, and that sometimes you can trust your friends.

Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic shares THE END OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL. Stephanie’s debut takes on a challenging topic through a compassionate voice. The death of a pet can be practice for children for when a family member passes, but it can also be an opportunity for a child to care deeply for another living thing.

Salina Yoon, author illustrator of Be A Friend, stops by the podcast to talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve, her childhood struggle with reading and writing in English when Korean was the only language spoken at home, and a focus on the universality of art.

Laurel Snyder and Chuck Groenink share HUNGRY JIM. In this new picture book, a boy awakens to realize that he is a lion... and that he is hungry. Moreover, his appetite seems insatiable and his urges irresistible.

Vanessa Brantley-Newton, author and illustrator of Grandma's Purse, stops by the podcast to talk about connecting with her readers, kids giving their parents a do-over, and the universal quest to give others what you never got.

Joyce Wan shares DREAM BIG. This new board book engages our youngest readers with affirming language to take on the world, and it does so through micro-biographies of women who have done exactly that.

Meenal Patel shares PRIYA DREAMS OF MARIGOLDS AND MASALA. In this picture book, a life is India is recounted through an intergenerational connection between Priya and her Babi Ba, her grandmother.

Penny Parker Klostermann, author of There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight, illustrated by Ben Mantle, stops by the podcast to talk about writing books about things being eaten, finding online writing challenges, and not letting the rhyme rule the book.

Daria Peoples, author illustrator of Be the Light: How She Became Angela Davis (Greenwillow Books), joins Matthew to talk about the hurt and pain of not being accepted.

Carson Ellis, author illustrator of Home, stops by the podcast to talk about making something more than an art book, starting with what she likes to draw, and creating a story she's been thinking her whole life.