Reading With Your Kids Podcast

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids , host Jed Doherty welcomes author Angela Cervantes to celebrate her new middle-grade mystery, The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy . Angela shares her lifelong love of soccer and mysteries , rooted in her childhood in a Mexican American community in Topeka, Kansas, where soccer wasn't yet a big organized sport. She talks about how the game connected...

In this episode, Jed welcomes back Australian author Geoffrey McSkimming , creator of the much‑loved Phyllis Wong and Cairo Jim series. Geoffrey joins from Sydney to celebrate Phyllis Wong and the Lure of the Lighthouse , the eighth book in the series, and talks about why Phyllis remains one of his favorite characters—resourceful, brilliant, magical, and deeply inspired by his wife, Sue-Anne Webst...

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids , Jed Doherty welcomes author Matthew Burgess and illustrator Robin Rosenthal to celebrate their charming new picture book, Serafina Makes Waves . Serafina is no ordinary cat—she's full of catitude , completely confident on land, but absolutely terrified of water. When her parents sign her up for swim lessons before a family vacation, she'll do just about...

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids , Jed welcomes back legendary children's singer, songwriter, and author Raffi to celebrate his new picture book "Mama Loves It." The book is based on a song Raffi recorded with Canadian trio The Good Lovelies , all about kids pitching in with household chores. Through joyful lyrics and warm illustrations, it encourages children to see chores not as burdens...

On this episode, Jed welcomes author and neuroscientist Gail Martino , whose new picture book "Feathered and Famous: Meet America's All Star Birds" celebrates the national and state birds of the United States and the stories behind them. Gail explains how her book helps kids (and parents) discover the unique traits that made each bird worthy of representing a state—from the clever chickadee of Mas...

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids , we're celebrating two joyful, community-minded picture books that are perfect for creating memories with kids. First, Jed chats with Jodi Tatiana Charles , author of Going to the Festival . Inspired by her decade of volunteering—two years as president—at the Marblehead Festival of the Arts in Massachusetts, Jodi turned her experiences into a vibrant pict...

In this joyful episode, Jed chats with creative couple Jeanine Pastores and Joshua Jackson , the team behind the beloved character Tubby Nugget and their middle grade graphic novel "The Adventures of Tubby Nugget: Nuggetville Escape." Jeanine and Joshua share how Tubby Nugget began in 2016 as a private joke and love language between them. Jeanine called Joshua her "nugget," and he started drawing...

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes Kiersta Halseth , joining from Germany's enchanting Black Forest , to celebrate her debut picture book, "Lolli Stromboli and the Mysterious Hole." Kiersta shares her remarkable journey from a marketing and communications career in Florida and California, to a bold leap of faith that took her to Thailand, where she taught English, met her Germ...

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, we welcome back two wonderful creators who are helping families nurture kindness, courage, and curiosity. First, Ruth Maille joins us from Rhode Island to celebrate her new picture book, "The Power of Encouragement: Turning I Can't into I Can." Ruth introduces Orbit, a sweet Earth-shaped character with a bandage on his head, symbolizing both a healing wor...

In this powerful Easter-season episode, Jed talks with Pastor Sheldon Lee Stovall, a licensed counselor and pastor, about his new faith-based Sunday school series, "Faith and Feelings: God's Ways for Every Age." Drawing from years of working with dozens of children each week, Pastor Sheldon shares how he saw so many kids struggling with fear, loneliness, sadness, anger, and hopelessness—without pa...

In this uplifting episode, we're celebrating two powerful books that help kids grow—both in the garden and in their character. First, Jed welcomes Sharon Rose , landscape designer and debut picture book author of Through the Garden Gate . Sharon shares how her lifelong love of gardening began with her dad and the neighbors who mentored her in their San Jose backyard. Those intergenerational friend...

In this heartfelt episode, Jed sits down with author and teacher Margaret Gurevich to talk about her middle grade novel, Yasha's Amazing Bar Mitzvah. Set in 1986, with the New York Mets' World Series win as a lively backdrop, the story follows Yasha, a Russian Jewish immigrant who moves from Brighton Beach to the New Jersey suburbs. Suddenly, he's one of only two Russian kids in his grade, navigat...

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, we celebrate creativity, courage, and the power of stories to help families connect. First, Jed welcomes 12-year-old author and YouTuber Bella Olson, creator of the Avocado Awesomeness channel and debut middle grade novel "Trapped" (Simon & Schuster). Bella shares how she began writing the book at just seven years old, and how the story follows a girl imp...

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, host Jed Doherty welcomes Naja Lund Aparicio, author of the picture book Seasons by the Lake: Adventures in Greenland, for a rich conversation about childhood, culture, and the nation of Greenland, followed by a listen back to a chat with pastry chef and author Christina Tosi. Naja, a Greenlandic Inuit writer, shares how her book follows siblings Mimik an...

In this uplifting episode, Jed welcomes Jaylene Clark Owens, author of the new picture book A Black Girl and Her Braids, inspired by her viral 2021 poem of the same name. Jaylene shares how the poem—born while she was joyfully walking down Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles with fresh braids—grew into a children's book published by Penguin Random House. The book celebrates Black girlhood, natural hair, an...

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids , Jed welcomes two wonderful guests who are using story to help kids feel seen, curious, and joyful—author Jamie Sumner and dance educator/author Teacher Terrel . First, Jed chats with Jamie Sumner about her new middle grade novel in verse, Glory Be . Jamie shares why she loves writing in verse for middle graders—it feels fast, accessible, and empowering f...

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes Kobe Yamada to celebrate his new picture book, "Others." Kobe shares that the book is all about empathy and perspective , inviting kids (and the adults reading with them) to think about how we see people we don't yet know. The story is set up as a conversation between two characters on one side of a tall hedge—a hedge that acts as both a phys...

Recorded live at the COSSBA National Education Conference in Louisville, this special episode of Reading With Your Kids is a joyful tour through the people and ideas shaping public education today. Host Jed Doherty kicks things off with Dr. Kathy McFarland, Executive Director of COSSBA, who explains how this nonpartisan national association supports state school board groups so they can better ser...

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed sits down with middle grade author Kimberly Behre Kenna to talk about her powerful new novel, Lola Gillette and the Summer of Second Chances. Kimberly introduces us to Lola, a 13-year-old girl still grieving the death of her twin sister. Determined to finish the "Perfect Pairs Collection" she started with her sister, Lola makes a desperate choice—tryi...

In this episode of Reading with Your Kids, Jed welcomes two guests who celebrate the power of stories in very different – but equally inspiring – ways. First, picture book author Linda Ravin Lodding joins from Stockholm to talk about her new book, It Started with a Book Ban. Linda and Jed reflect on how reading aloud is a "performative" act that builds deep family bonds, invites questions, and hel...

In this warm and thoughtful episode of Reading With Your Kids , we're treated to two beautiful celebrations of art, family, and our relationship with the world around us. First, Jed talks with Steph Littlebird , author-illustrator of You Are the Land . Steph shares how her debut picture book explores a child's deep connection to the land, rooted in Indigenous, place-based identity in the Pacific N...

On this lively episode of Reading With Your Kids , host Jed Doherty welcomes two fantastic guests who are using story to spark big conversations with kids and families. First up is Shana Tartogsz , author of the middle grade fantasy The Under Wild: Relic of Thieves . Shana takes us deep into her richly imagined world, where the realm of the living and the realm of the dead are separated by wild, s...

Latin Grammy–nominated musician and debut picture book author Sonia de los Santos joins Jed to talk about birds, borders, and the magic of bilingual stories. Sonia shares the inspiration behind her new picture book La Golondrina, based on her song of the same name. The story follows a young girl who becomes fascinated with swallow birds while visiting her grandmother, and slowly begins to see her...

Join Jedlie for a heartfelt, high‑energy double feature celebrating the power of stories, family, and big feelings. First up, speech therapist and children's author Kimberly Delude chats about her picture book series "Freddie the Fly." Freddie is a lovable little fly who struggles with listening, reading nonverbal cues, and social skills. Kimberly shares how a single bored student in grad school i...

In this heartfelt and adventurous episode, Jed welcomes Jessica Collins and Lisa Malamed to celebrate their upcoming picture book Where's Big Dog: A Story of Loss and Love. Inspired by Jessica's beloved golden doodle Lucy, the book gently helps children and adults navigate the loss of a pet. Jessica and Lisa share sweet, funny memories of Lucy—like how she'd jingle her collar instead of barking to...