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It's about more than cheese, obviously. Jen Anyong is with us this week, talking us through a lot of writing, deals, and books, especially The Ghost Who Saved Halloween , her July debut!  _________ This episode’s book reviews:  MIDNIGHT MANOR: A BACKWARDS BEDTIME BOOK by Sid Sharp THE SECRET LIFE OF DOG TOYS , words by Kelly DiPucchio , illustrations by Jennifer Harney _________   The artwork for...

Dear Lina, we're friends. Lina Haldar 's Dear Math, We're Not Friends is on full display in this episode, and we dive deep into what it means for kids to have a positive math identity and for an author to use their background and passion to help kids embrace a growth mindset.  This episode is gonna do numbers! (get it?) _________   This episode’s book reviews:  MEDUSA'S PET ROCK by Steph Lau VAMPU...

Jasmine Fang joins us to discuss her debut picture book, BENEATH THE SAME ROUND MOON , out in September 2026 from Beaming Books! We also chat about her path to publishing, revising OUR CHINATOWN MARKET, balancing the demands of writing and promotion, international affairs?, and creating joyful stories that help young readers feel seen. _________ This episode’s book reviews:    HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A...

For real though, Tara Hannon did show up for today's podcast in a big way! Check out her series with Birtle and Ghostie, and her illustration work alongside podfriend Lydia Lukidis for Groucho the Grouchy Groundhog! Enjoy Tara, her pregnant unicorn, and all our collective ideas that came out of this chat! _________   This episode’s book reviews:  ON FRIDAYS , words by Winsome Bingham , pictures by...

Ann Koffsky is a fount of wisdom, overflowing with experience but also books publishing this year with back-to-back-to-back releases early this year in THE MIRACLE OF MATZAH PIZZA , WHAT EMMA WROTE , and BLAZING HUMOR: MEL BROOKS IS SERIOUSLY FUNNY . Ann is seriously great.  _________ This episode’s book reviews:  FALL: A SEASONS STORY , words by Kelsey Gross , pictures by Renata Liwska BECAUSE OF...

Tonnye Fletcher sprouts into the podcast today and our conversation will be music to your ears. Tonnye's book Music Plants Hope is about a COVID-era symphonic performance to an audience of plants and is delightful, poetic, and touching. Tonnye's story for how this book came to be, in partnership with editor Winsome Bingham and agent Joyce Sweeney, is a doozy that's worth hearing! _________ This ep...

It's Max Beaudry / He'll make your dreams come true Just kidding, those are mostly lyrics to the Muppet Babies theme song. But Max is with us and we talk about his debut graphic novel AW, NUTS! THE CRUMBELIEVABLE ADVENTURES OF PEANUT AND JELLY . Which is just the start, with volume 2 to hit the shelves in 2027! Max has a bunch of experience making characters and concepts leap off the page into our...

Stick with our conversation and you will be handsomely rewarded, as was today's guest, Heather Preusser , for her own tenacity and dedication. Heather is the author of the Hedgehog Whodunit chapter book series, the third of which (the Protective Order of Peanuts) releases later this year! Heather is amazing. We hope you enjoy our chat and her books! _________   This episode’s book reviews:  RIVER...

Episode title sure would make a good indie rock band name. Natasha Zimmers is our guest this week, bringing the outdoor passion and her perspective on writing TINY HIKER , out in March from Orca Books. This episode was plagued with internet troubles, which should be mostly invisible to you the listening audience, but which I mention because we persevered like a proper hiker through rough terrain....

Karen Chan of Gloo Books is with us today! Not only is Karen a wonderful editor and publisher with a really crystal clear vision for the Gloo Books vibe, but she has leveraged that vibe into an even better book called A Bike is Not Just a Bike: An Ode to Girls Who Dare to Ride , by a talented author named Brenna Jeanneret !   Gloo Books isn't old as publishing houses go, but Karen and team have co...

Andrew Hacket is back to discuss his book In This Classroom and his ongoing Leonardo DiCaprio-style work with Red Comet Press! His is the ultimate champagne pass success story and we hope you enjoy! _________   This episode’s book reviews:    RAMP IT UP , words by Katrina Tangen , pictures by Wendy Wen   THE RARE BIRD by Elisha Cooper   _________   The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse featur...

Here's to Cowboy!  Jessica Milo is here. We talk (way too late) about her debut book My Pony Wonder , how she came up and with whom, and most importantly, Uber for Unicorns. Despite the episode title, this is a really fun chat! _________ This episode’s book reviews:  KICKS IN THE SKY by CG Esperanza THE GHOST WHO SAVED HALLOWEEN , words by Jen Anyong , pictures by Kaly Quarles _________ The artwor...

How to pee your pants, the Rachel Michelle Wilson way! Rachel was a delight and if you don't know her work, you do now. She's got hustle, she's got skills, she's got bubble wrap and ghosts (but no play dates). Since we last talked in August, aside from her books To Catch a Ghost and How to Pee Your Pants (the Right Way), she's also announced How to Escape a Playdate, out October 13! _________   Th...

It's Joan Marie Galat day! We've been waiting a long time for this one. Joan writes because she's curious, she's dedicated, and she cares deeply about sharing her passion and quiet activism with her audience.  She has a lot to show for her passion! From DOT TO DOT IN THE SKY to WILDLIFE CROSSING, Joan's exploration of the world comes through clearly. _________   This episode’s book reviews:  MY DA...

It's author and educator Andrea Caulfield on the podcast today! Andrea is World Language Curriculum Specialist for Denver Public Schools and is quadrilingual, something I (Josh) hope to be when I grow up. Andrea has partnered with Voces Digital to publish Les Zombies Attaquent Quebec, a French-language short novelette for French learners. Andrea's perspective on language learning is refreshing and...

Otherwise known as The Many Misfortunes of Stan Yan's Internet Connection, which we managed around quite successfully, I'd say! Join us for a chat with Stan Yan , author-illustrator-graphic novelist-comic artist of (yes, I already made the book title puns above) There's a Zombie in the Basement and (JLG Gold Standard) The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang ! Despite our intermittent connection issue...

Jilanne Hofmann is back ( here's her first episode )! She has some updates from several things we discussed in our first chat, namely that now The Ocean's Heart is out in the world, and HeartLand is soon to be born!  We talk about both of these as well as her work with the educational market. And lots more! Stay tuned for passion and... heart? _________   This episode’s book reviews (all author-il...

It's not every day we get to hear fresh thoughts from a literary agent/manager in her first four months of agenting. Lindsey Aduskevich joins us today for some insights on her journey to becoming a Junior Literary Manager at Martin Literary !   What's more important is that we have known Lindsey for six years, since one fateful Twitter (RIP) thread led to the creation of our first critique group....

Winsome writes. Winsome reads. Winsome cares. And Winsome Bingham speaks. About her editorial voice, her lyricism, her Reycraft family, her views on humor, joy, trauma, craft, and the perfect mix of art and words. Winsome Bingham is the author of several very acclaimed books, including Soul Food Sunday, Fish Fry Friday, The Walk, Missing Momma, The Table, Life is Beautiful, and, coming September 1...

The Michaelangelo to Bob Ross to Akira Kurosawa to Jason Griffin pipeline is strong. Master Collaborator and accomplished visual artist Jason Griffin is a Caldecott Honoree for his work with Jason Reynolds on their 2022 collaboration Ain't Burned All the Bright , their third book together (we'll talk about the others in this episode). But his work with our friend and future guest Winsome Bingham i...

Jess Yoon stands on business. And she's doing way more than sitting in her little room, typing away. She's tapping into her inner child to great effect! She manifested a Little Golden Book into being and now her Blackpink biography is out in the world! Her picture book Jeong Is Jeong JUST released this month (February 2026), AND her junior novelization of K-Pop Demon Hunters comes out next month! ...

Now with 100% more consternation! Or less. Not sure where we landed on consternation. Steph Lau has gotten some good experiences over the years. Some published, some TBD. But at least we have thus far been graced with ABOMINABLE SNOW DANCER , and will be graced with MEDUSA'S PET ROCK later this year! And more to come! Steph, you'll have to come back on so we can talk more about pancakes and pastri...

We make it so today with author Jan (J.E.) Thomas , author of The AI Incident and Control Freaks. Lots of good habit discussion, some Star Trek, and exactly how you can be a certified Human Author. Jan is a delight! _________   This episode’s book reviews:  HOW TO GROW A FAMILY TREE by Bea Birdsong , illustrated by Jasu Hu THIS BOOK IS ON FIRE! by Ron Keres , illustrated by Arthur Lin CASSINI'S MI...

Today's second-timer is our last-timer of 2025! Matt Forrest Esenwine graces us once again with his delightful, radio-ready voice for a soothing exit to the year.  In addition to Matt's twelve other books (some of which you can hear about in our first conversation from 2021 ), this year Matt released his anthology A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World . We don't get t...

Karyn Friedman-Everham (Josh's agent sibling - hi, Joyce!) has a fascinating story that's a little bit backwards from how most of us approach our debuts, but that's what makes her story fascinating and very endearing!  Her 2024 debut was Otter Oughta Know , followed in October 2025 by Chesed . Two different paths, one cool convo! _________   This episode’s book reviews:  NUNU AND THE SEA by Isabel...