Picture Books Are for Grown-Ups, Too!

“It’s kind of like looking in a mirror and having it reflected back to you” –Laurel Harduar Morano For the final episode of Season 2, I’m so excited because my sister, Laurel Harduar Morano, is interviewing me about my latest picture book, Ripening Time ! We are having a fun conversation about identity, family stories, and food, of course! Today’s Picture Book: Ripening Time by Patrice Gopo and il...

It’s Patrice here with a super fun episode. I thought it would be lovely to check in with some of my guests from Season 1 and see what they are up to. When last we spoke, many of them had new projects or fun events in the future, so today we’re going to hear the season 1 updates.  Unfortunately, the show notes character limit will not allow me to link directly to all their websites, books, and sea...

Gabriele Davis and Our Joyful Noise “The book honors those ancestors who struggled and sacrificed and stood up to make this family’s joy possible.” –Gabriele Davis Today we’re talking about sound and song and celebration of the joyful noises that fill our family’s lives.  Today’s Picture Book: Our Joyful Noise written by Gabriele Davis and illustrated by Craig Stanley Gabriele Davis welcomes the s...

“The sense of loss of home, displacement, musical memories, losing family; I think all of those are things we can all relate to in different ways.” –Azadeh Westergaard Today we’re talking about community stories of loss, how music can connect us, immigration experiences, and understanding stories from the past.  Today’s Picture Book: The One & Only Googoosh written and illustrated by Azadeh We...

“We are not taught how to apologize. We are not taught how to communicate. We are not taught how to meta communicate.” –Melquea Smith Today we’re talking about friendship conflict, setting the table for repairing harm, courageous communication, shame, making apologies, and restorative justice. Today’s Picture Book: The Time Machine illustrated by Melquea Smith and written Pauline David-Sax Through...

“It’s a sense of feeling seen and understood which is one of the big things we are all seeking.” –Roohi Choudhry Today we’re talking the power of stories to help us feel seen, how the place where we are can return us to places in our memory, and how we might claim our own ancestors. Today’s Picture Book: Memory Garden written by Zohreh Ghahremani and illustrated by Susie Ghahremani Roohi Choudhry...

“Trauma is multifaceted and moves through your body in different ways.” –Shannon Gibney As we approach five years since the murder of George Floyd, we are talking today about trauma and processing trauma, creating space for people to feel, and everyone having a child within them. Today’s Picture Book: We Miss You, George Floyd   by Shannon Gibney and illustrated by Leeya Rose Jackson Shannon Gibne...

“We know how much meaning and growth we can gain by putting things out into the world, such as gratitude.” –Marie Tang Today we’re talking about gratitude and appreciation for what was and expressing gratitude to previous generations for sacrifices they made. Today’s Picture Book: Baba’s Peach Tree by Marie Tang and illustrated by Seo Kim Marie Tang was born in Hong Kong, raised in New York City,...

“There’s a lot of room . . . for us to be more connected to ourselves, more connected to our culture.” –Nadia Alexis Today we’re talking with picture book enthusiast Nadia Alexis about finding our way back to old memories, connecting with our stories, and feeling seen. Today’s Picture Book: Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings written by Francie LaTour and illustrated by Ken Daley  Nadia Alexis , a poe...

“To say that you don’t see [color] is first of all actually not true, but it also diminishes people because if you don’t see someone’s color—which color is really about race and culture—then that means you’re not seeing the person completely and you’re not acknowledging that racism actually exists.” –Valerie Bolling Today we’re talking about seeing color, pursuing change, connecting with others, d...

Janelle Harper and My Block Looks Like “Your neighborhood has its own soundtrack.” –Janelle Harper Today we’re talking about feeling seen, connecting across generations, recalling what was important to you as a child, and celebrating the place where you grew up. Today’s Picture Book: My Block Looks Like by Janelle Harper and illustrated by Frank Morrison Janelle Harper is a Bronx native who proudl...

Fabienne Doucet and Love is Still Winning/El Amor Siempre Triunfa “Love is showing up for each other in these times of pain.” –Fabienne Doucet Today we’re talking about love triumphing over distressing situations, re-parenting ourselves, and amplifying the hope that things can be better.  Today’s Picture Book: Love is Still Winning/El Amor Siempre Triunfa by Fabienne Doucet and illustrated by J de...

Welcome to Season 2 of Picture Books Are for Grown-Ups Too! New episodes release Saturdays beginning Saturday, February 15th.   Book Mentions in this episode: Autumn Song: Essays on Absence by Patrice Gopo Ripening Time by Patrice Gopo and illustrated by Carlos Vélez Aguilera   Other mentions in this episode: Inaugural Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award Author Janelle Harper Illustr...

In this end-of-season bonus episode of Picture Books Are for Grown-Ups Too! , Nyasha Gopo, Patrice’s husband, hosts the podcast and asks Patrice her thoughts about this first season. Listen as Patrice reflects back and shares a couple exciting announcements!! Thank you for listening!!   About Nyasha:  Nyasha Gopo was born and raised in Zimbabwe before moving to South Africa where he earned a Bache...

“We can give and share our gifts no matter where we are. No matter where we are in life, no matter what we are going through, we all have gifts to share.” –Judy Allen Dodson Today we’re talking the beauty and importance of sports, sibling love, and the reality of using our gifts to have an impact on others and our communities. Today’s Picture Book: The Ashe Brothers: How Arthur and Johnnie Changed...

“We have to be very conscious about how we’re going to tell our stories to our children and our grandchildren.” –Patty Lyons Today we have a lovely discussion with picture-book enthusiast and librarian Patty Lyons about thinking about who was there for us, recognizing the importance of photographs, writing down the good moments, and seeing windows, mirrors, & sliding glass doors. Today’s Pictu...

“Art can be a place of comfort and healing after loss.” and “Healing isn’t linear. It’s a journey that continues on.” –Amanda Davis | Join in today’s thoughtful and poignant conversation about grief, loss, and the power of art to help us heal.  Today’s Picture Book: Moonlight Memories by Amanda Davis and illustrated by Michelle Jing Chan Amanda Davis is a teacher, artist, writer, and innovator who...

“It’s important for people to understand that there is more than one immigrant experience, there is more than one Jamaican-American experience. There are so many.” –Alliah L. Agostini Today’s conversation is filled with joy, energy, and tons of fun!!!! Alliah and I chat about courage, the early 90s, the multitude of immigrant experiences, writing in rhyme, and what it can mean to see yourself in a...

“We don’t ignore the past. We live with the past every day. And so this idea of ignoring difficult past subjects really doesn’t make too much sense for me. How will you learn if you don’t talk about it?” –Kamalani Hurley Listen in as Kamalani advocates for the importance of speaking about hard topics, recognizing your identity and the identity of those around you, knowing your culture, and telling...

“It does feel like when you’re reading a picture book for the first time, there is a stop in time.” –Jenin Mohammed Today we talk about the reality that life doesn’t allow everyone the time to face a “wall of text,” the process of bringing a book to illustrated life, what it means to discover something and try to share that with others, and the value of building connections through sharing a book....

“Picture books are a way of connecting our human family and making the world kinder and more empathetic. I really hope we can make the world better by sharing stories with everyone.” –Shirin Shamsi Listen in as Shirin Shamsi talks about unexpected joys in the creative process (despite the waiting), the importance of sharing family stories, the reality of displacement, and so much more. This conver...

“Picture books show us is that there was a point in all of our lives where you were allowed to just figure things out. Is there room in your life now to give yourself that same grace?” —Abbigail Glen of Shelves Bookstore   The work of identifying our worries isn’t easy. Join us for this thoughtful conversation about why naming our worries matters. Today’s Picture Book: Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Pe...

“I hope [this story] helps people appreciate where they came from and who they are and being proud of that . . .  Adults also feel, ‘I can be proud of my origins. I can be proud of who I am and what I have to give to the world.’” –Gloria Amescua Listen in as Gloria talks about a story finding you long before it’s time to write a story, the desire we have to be affirmed in our experiences, the radi...

“You don’t have to have this huge good deed that you have to do. Something that is not obtainable. A good deed is just opening a door or saying “hello” or helping someone with their bags . . .  I wanted to show that a good deed can be so small and make someone’s day so much better.” –Holly Hatam Join us for this joyful conversation about finding magic, the power of even the tiniest good deeds, pla...

“Hope is the beginning of progress. Hope is the beginning of moving forward.” –Terry Catasús Jennings Today we’re talking about immigration experiences, seeing past labels, and the power of hope with Terry Catasús Jennings. Today’s Picture Book: The Little House of Hope by Terry Catasús Jennings and illustrated by Raúl Colón  Terry Catasús Jennings is a Cuban-American writer who immigrated to the...