Reach Out and Read

Parents love seeing their children experience feelings of joy, happiness, and success. Conversely, they often feel a desire to protect their children against feeling sadness, anxiety or a sense of loss. But is that best? And is it even possible?  Newbery award-winning author Erin Entrada Kelly and Behavioral Pediatrician Dr. Nerissa Bauer join us to discuss how to parent kids when they're faced wi...

Science tells us early learning is critically important, yet somehow it's both remarkably expensive and those doing it are massively underpaid.  There's a huge divide in how we think about education before age 5 and after, and that needs to change. Rachel Giannini, childhood specialist and "a preschool teacher's preschool teacher", joins us to talk about the state of early education in the US toda...

Paper! It's everywhere and yet it's not usually at the forefront of our thoughts.  Despite this being a podcast about reading, we haven't really talked about paper itself, or even how it shaped the format of books.  Author and historian Mark Kurlanksy joins us to talk about the history of paper—and how technology and the transformation of information may influence what we transfer, when, and how.

Book banning is often done with the intention of "protecting children".  But who decides what is or isn't okay?  And are we doing children and their families a disservice when we do?  We are joined by Pat Scales, expert on censorship and a retired librarian, and Alex Gino, award-winning author of several banned books to discuss why books are challenged, the effects bans have, and on the line betwe...

How in the world did anyone have the idea to not only talk about shared book reading in regular medical checkups for kids, but to bring in a book and use it as part of the visit?  Dr Robert Needlman, co-founder of Reach Out and Read did back in 1989, and he joins us to share the origins of this program — which has blossomed into the national program it is today.

There's no shortage of parenting advice out there.  How much is opinion, and how much is based on research evidence?  Science journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer joins us to talk about exactly that: how parents can apply evidence-based tools and techniques to raise kids who will grow up to be, well, not a**holes. Some of it has to do with learning about how kids' brains work, and some of it has to do...

Newborn Intensive Care Units are physically and emotionally daunting for new parents. With many of the typical parenting roles supplanted by medical necessity, parents can be at a loss for how to reconcile this new reality. But there is another way parents can care for their children that's equally important. Dr. Carmina Erdei, a neonatologist and the medical director of the Growth and Development...

Reading without words? We generally associate reading with text, but reading *pictures* can offer a rich and delightful opportunity for insight and literacy growth as well. Though often overlooked, wordless picture books are more accessible for pre-verbal and pre-literate children, and they can provide an enhanced interactive reading experience for a wider audience. Caldecott winning author and il...

As we transition back to school during an ongoing pandemic, we hear a lot about a 'covid learning slide', which adds to the stress of a return. But, is that really how we should be framing this? There's another way to think about all this. Boston Public Schools Principal Julia Bott, and Helen Westmoreland, the Director of Family Engagement at National PTA, join us to share how parents and caregive...

"Toxic stress defines the problem.  Relational health defines the solution."  This is the core of the recent revision to the American Academy's policy statement on toxic stress, and co-author Dr. Andrew Garner joins us to explain how we need to move beyond adverse childhood experiences to discuss and support positive childhood experiences.  The number one element?  The presence of safe, stable, an...

A baby's brain is forming thousands to millions of neuronal connections per minute, absorbing new information in the first six months. This is the perfect opportunity to start a shared reading routine, right from birth. But are overwhelmed, sleep-deprived parents ready to add one more thing to their plate? Dr. Anna Miller-Fitzwater joins us to talk about Reach Out and Read's "Back to Birth" progra...

'Ole Golly says there is as many ways to live as there are people on the earth'. So says Harriet in "Harriet the Spy", the brainchild of author Louise Fitzhugh. Today we dive in deeper with one of literature's most beloved 'quirky' kids, with a discussion of how Harriet and Louise broke the mold of children's literature. Guest host Dr Perri Klass speaks with Leslie Brody, author of the highly accl...

When parenting, teaching, or caring for kids, there can be a fine line between those with a readily identifiable diagnosis, and those who are just plain "different". Dr. Perri Klass and Dr. Eileen Costello, co-authors of "Quirky Kids: Understanding and Supporting Your Child With Developmental Differences", join us to talk about quirky kids, and the joys and challenges they can bring to families.

Have you heard of book deserts?  Nearly half of our nation's children live in one: neighborhoods that lack public libraries and bookstores and where more than half of low-income children live in homes where books are an unaffordable or unfamiliar luxury. Dr. Molly Ness, an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Education at Fordham University, and Alvin Irby of Barbershop Books, join us to talk about...

It's clear that Reach Out and Read has become a significant part of American pediatrics.  And while operating on such a large scale can generate incredible results, challenges also crop up. We're going to 'open up the book' on our organization with someone who is uniquely positioned to do — Reach Out and Read CEO Brian Gallagher joins us to talk about where the organization is today, where we're g...

All parents face challenges somewhere along the journey of raising children.  But some groups of parents deal with issues that don't necessarily affect all.  Drs Nia Heard-Garris and Nevin Heard join us to talk about how Black children in American navigate racial identity development and awareness, and how their parents can balance the desire to protect them — yet prepare for — the harsh reality o...

The publication of Charlotte Zolotow's picture book William's Doll (1972) not only broke gender stereotypes, but became a landmark moment in American children's literature.  In a bonus episode of our "Inner Truths: LGBTQ" series, host Dr. Perri Klass speaks with Charlotte's daughter, Crescent Dragonwagon (a prolific author herself), about the making of William's Doll and her mother's cultural impa...

In Part 2 of our series on LGBTQ+ children's books, we talk to Dr. Jamie Campbell Naidoo, a professor at the University of Alabama's School of Library and Information Studies.  We discuss how to evaluate LGBTQ+ books for kids, common portrayals of 'rainbow families' in children's books, balancing accessibility and privacy issues for books around these topics, and, of course why, year after year, L...

LGBTQ+ children's books play a crucial role in offering 'mirrors and windows' for all children and their caregivers, yet they remain not only hard to find, but often challenged by society.  In Part 1 of our two-part series, we'll explore the craft and creativity behind LGBTQ+ children's literature with Lesléa Newman, author of 75 books including the well-known "Heather Has Two Mommies", and Kyle L...

While parenting can be challenging, can you imagine what it's like doing so from behind bars?  Even so, maintaining the parent-child relationship is critical to reducing the harm to children of having an incarcerated parent.  We span the professional and personal of this subject, first with investigative journalist Ludwig Hurtado on the rise of reading-aloud programs at jails and prisons nationall...

When it comes to reading preferences, are you on Team Print or Team Digital? It turns out you may not have to pick sides. How we read matters, but why we make that choice may matter more. Dr. Naomi Baron, Prof. Emerita of Linguistics at the American University and author of How We Read Now, breaks down the impact of reading medium on learning and what strategies we can offer our children - and our...

The shiny medallions prominently displayed on award-winning children's books are familiar to many. But what's behind those seals?  How are the winners chosen?  And, of course, what is it like to WIN one?  Kathleen T Horning, well-known expert and member of numerous children's book award committees, takes us behind the scenes of the process.  Then we speak with Carole Lindstrom, author of this year...

We know shared reading benefits all children, but for those with developmental differences it offers unique opportunities.  Dr Monica Ultmann, the Director of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at the Tufts Children's Hospital in Boston, and Sally J. Pla, an award-winning children's writer, join us to share their experiences, insights, and stories about reading with children who differ from typic...

Military families face situations that pose distinctive social and emotional challenges to the health and wellbeing of their children.  First, AAP President Dr Lee Beers draws on her own past experiences in caring for military families and shares her approaches.  Then the Kikta family joins us to share their personal, direct experience of how reading together helped them and their four children th...

We know reading aloud with children matters.  But whether you're experienced at it or if you're not sure how to read well with young children, we can all learn from Dr. Andrea Zevenbergen.  She joins us to break down the concept of Dialogic Reading, and offers advice on how to model, coach, and help offer effective guidance.