The Children's Book Review: Growing Readers Podcast

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze sits down with 2026 Randolph Caldecott Gold Medalist Cátia Chien to celebrate her luminous picture book Fireworks , created with author Matthew Burgess. Cátia takes us from the bowling alley parking lot where she received the Caldecott call, to the childhood in Brazil that inspired the book's heartbeat—two sisters discovering...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze sits down with illustrator Z.B. Asterplume to talk about baking joy, courage, and community into Rainbow Cookies , written by Lesléa Newman. When a beloved neighborhood bakery faces backlash over a heart-shaped, rainbow-striped Pride cookie, young Cookie refuses to let that be the end of the story—and what follows is a quiet act...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze sits down with award-winning author and illustrator Philip C. Stead to talk about A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic: Or, Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm , his uproarious debut middle grade novel from Neal Porter Books. Best known as the Caldecott Medal–honored creator behind the Amos McGee books, Philip shares what it...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze sits down with legendary children's book author and SCBWI co-founder Lin Oliver to talk about Pooch on the Loose , the first book in the brand-new series The After-School Kindness Crew , co-written with Academy Award–winning actress and Mind Up founder Goldie Hawn. Lin shares how a single phone call from Goldie blossomed into...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes back New York Times bestselling author Andy Griffiths and, for the very first time on the podcast, illustrator Bill Hope, to talk about their wildly fun, reader-inside-the-story series, You and Me. Andy shares how fan mail from kids asking to be put inside the Treehouse books planted the seed for an entirely new kind of a...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes author and teacher librarian Jolene Gutiérrez and John Tonai, son of Minoru "Min" Tonai, to discuss the powerful picture book Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp . Jolene shares how a childhood lesson from her grandparents about Amache — a Japanese American incarceration cam...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze welcomes author and audiobook narrator Sandra Nickel to discuss her luminous, lyrical picture book biography, The True Ugly Duckling: How Hans Christian Andersen Became a Swan . Sandra shares how a lifetime of loving fairy tales collided with a deep personal connection to neurodivergence—and how a strange, tender, relentlessly cr...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze welcomes acclaimed children's book author and retired philosophy professor Claudia Mills to discuss her hilarious, heartfelt new middle grade novel, Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom . Claudia shares how her decades of teaching philosophy finally collided with her lifelong passion for children's literature...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze welcomes New York Times bestselling author Sara Pennypacker to discuss her powerful new historical novel, The Lions' Run . Sara shares how her father's experience as a teenage POW in a German prison camp during World War II influenced the story—and how a little-known Nazi program called the Lebensborn became the emotional...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes beloved author Megan McDonald to discuss two of her newest series: Bunny and Clyde On the Lam and Fairy Door Diaries: Eliza and the Hobgoblins . Megan shares how growing up in a book-filled Pittsburgh home with four older sisters shaped her love of reading—and how those childhood adventures inspire the mischief and heart...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze welcomes award-winning author and illustrator Selina Alko to discuss her poetic picture book biography, Otherwise Known as Judy the Great: A Poetic Ode to Judy Blume . Selina shares how she transformed Judy Blume's childhood—shaped by fear, World War II, and the Jewish experience—into a celebration of creativity, resilience,...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze welcomes Kenan Thompson—SNL's longest-tenured cast member, comedian, and actor—to discuss his picture book debut, The Unfunny Bunny (co-authored with Bryan Tucker and illustrated by Tony Neal). Kenan shares how a simple rhyming title sparked a story about a bunny whose jokes fall flat on the first day of school, and why that...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes Penn Holderness—content creator, podcaster, and New York Times bestselling author—to discuss his picture book, All You Can Be With ADHD (co-authored with Kim Holderness). Penn shares his journey from being diagnosed with ADHD in college after chewing on a fly swatter at his grandmother's funeral to creating a joyful,...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes Academy Award-winning director, animator, and author Alan Barillaro to discuss his middle-grade novel, Bunns Rabbit . Best known for directing Pixar's beloved animated short Piper , Alan brings over 25 years of animation experience to the page with a deeply moving tale about a brave rabbit born with unusually short ea...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes award-winning science author Melissa Stewart to discuss her latest picture book, From BAM to BURP: A Carbon Atom's Never-Ending Journey Through Space and Time and YOU . With over 200 science books for children under her belt, Melissa takes listeners on an extraordinary journey that begins with the Big Bang and ends wi...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes back author-illustrator Nyasha Williams, alongside her co-author Sidney Rose McCall, to discuss their collaborative picture book, Once Upon a Kwanzaa . Though the two have never met in person, they describe themselves as "deeply ancestral soul sisters" who connected through the adult adoption community online. T...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes award-winning author-illustrator Grace Lin and her childhood friend turned editor, Alvina Ling, VP and Editor-in-Chief at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. The duo discusses Grace's return to middle grade fiction after nine years with The Gate, The Girl, and The Dragon , a stunning fantasy based on Chinese folklo...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze brings together two luminaries of children's literature: Kate DiCamillo and Sophie Blackall. The duo discusses their collaboration on Lost Evangeline , the third tale set in the magical world of Norendy. They explore the 15-year journey of bringing Evangeline's story to life, the intimate connection between words and illu...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze interviews Peter Brown about his latest picture book adaptation, The Wild Robot on the Island . They explore his journey adapting the bestselling novel into a visual format for younger readers, his approach to creating meaningful stories without being "on the nose," and how becoming a new father has influenced his persp...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze interviews Stan Yan about his debut middle-grade graphic novel, The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang . They discuss his journey from stockbroker to children's book creator, the six major rewrites that shaped his story, the significance of Chinese superstitions in his work, and his powerful realization about representation in...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , publicist Mel Schuit takes over hosting duties to interview Bianca Schulze about her revised edition of 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up . They discuss the evolution of children's literature over the past nine years, why Bianca switched out 30% of the original titles, her journey from non-reader to reading advocate, and how she curates books...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze interviews award-winning author Meg Medina about her latest fantasy novel, Graciela in the Abyss . They discuss Medina's fifteen-year journey developing this underwater adventure, her transition from contemporary fiction to fantasy, her experience as the eighth National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, and how sh...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze interviews award-winning author-illustrator Corinna Luyken about her latest picture book, The Arguers . They discuss Luyken's decade-long journey developing this story about a royal kingdom where everyone argues, her evolution from a dark cautionary tale to finding hope through humor, and how she captures universal human natu...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze interviews award-winning author-illustrator Jon Agee about his latest picture book George and Lenny Are Always Together . They discuss Agee's creative process, his evolution from writing about middle-aged protagonists to child characters, and how he infuses gentle humor and nuanced storytelling into his work about friendship,...

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast , host Bianca Schulze interviews author Allie Millington about her picture book When You Find a Hope . They discuss Millington's unique brain drain morning practice, her long journey to publication, and how her own experiences with rejection and perseverance directly inspired this heartfelt story about hope. Transcription: You can read the transcr...