You May Contribute A Verse

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...

It's been almost five years and THIS is our first episode that includes a singalong? Today it's Rafael and Allison Rozo day! Check out Diego Fuego the Firefighting Dragon , out July 2025, and Unique Like You , out September 2025! Allison and Rafael are a delight and we hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we did! _________ This episode’s book reviews:  THE FABULOUS FANNIE FARMER by Emma...

We've known Alicia Meyers since we were all three kidlit babies back in pandemic days when we had no idea what we were doing! Josh still doesn't know what he's doing. Long live Totally Funny Critique Group!  Alicia's educational book The A-to-Z Teaching Toolkit came out this month (November 2025) and we're eagerly awaiting her picture book debut Tic-Errific Me , coming next June!  Alicia hustles....

Ainissa Ramirez has something in common with the subject of her debut picture book, Jim West , inventor of the microphone: the passion, the drive, and the creative spark to turn her commitment into her reality. It was an honor to talk to Ainissa, and if you want to hear more of her voice, listen to her podcast Science Underground , or maybe her TEDx Talk !   _________ This episode’s book reviews: ...

...but doesn't work otherwise? We take issue with that part. But either way: enjoy this conversation with PB Workshop-creator, writer of When Santa Wrote Back! , and wearer of cool glasses Nathan Christopher !  --------   This episode’s book reviews:    FLY GUY VS THE FLYSWATTER by Tedd Arnold THE MUSHROOM OF DOOM by Becky Davies and Thomas Elliott WANDA HEARS THE STARS by Amy S Hanson and Wanda D...

Lydia Lukidis is here! She is a wealth of knowledge and experience and has brought all her passion for Garfield and Seinfeld to bear in her latest book Garfeld... I mean, Groucho the Grouchy Groundhog . Enjoy Lydia's verse!    --------   This episode’s book reviews:  JIM! Six True Stories About One Great Artist: James Marshall by Jerrold Connors LITTLE BOO by Maddie Frost     The artwork for You M...

Danielle Sharkan is our guest this week! On her writing journey, debuting with some heavy topics, eggplants (or aubergines?), and more!  Danielle debuted last year with SHARING SHALOM , following up this year with ELLIE THE EGGSPERT .  Enjoy!   --------   This episode’s book reviews:  BORED PANDA by Mike Bender , illustrated by Chuck Dillon BEST BUDS by Becky Scharnhorst , illustrated by Jiarui Ji...

Darrin MacLeod (of Mrs. and Mr. MacLeod !) is here. We explore their collaboration, how The Grunions came to be, and Darrin's history as a traveling, writing vagabond who used to run a surf school.   Mrs. and Mr. MacLeod wrote HOW TO EAT A BOOK and THE DOOR THAT HAD NEVER BEEN OPENED BEFORE (whew, long title) and the forthcoming BIRTHDAY BEAR.    --------   This episode’s book reviews:   I COME FR...

It's Steena Hernandez day! Show up and do the thing, claim your agency, and bring your A-game. Steena's debut book Lupita's Brown Ballet Slippers is available today! What's pancaking? How do you plan a school visit? What's Josh's favorite shape? All these answers and more await you.   --------   This episode’s book reviews:   I HATE EVERYTHING by Sophy Henn VALLEY: THE WIGGLE-BUTT PUP by Jae Lynn...

Since we first recorded this episode, our guest Jyoti Rajan Gopal has had two books published, and that should tell you a great deal about her hustle and her dedication.  Desert Queen is one we talked about most in this conversation, but 2025 has also seen Love is Here with You: A Lullaby of Blessings and The Power of Your Name as well! Congrats, Jyoti! Jyoti has also started a podcast called In t...