For many of us, our very first book wasn’t one that we read ourselves—it was one read to us, the pages pawed by grubby hands eager to flip back to a favorite illustration. The very best children’s books combine a good story—however simple—with enchanting illustrations that can spark a love for reading, writing, art—or all three. Elizabeth Lilly, the author-illustrator of a new book for children called Let Me Fix You a Plate, joins us on the podcast to talk about the process of inviting the littlest readers into a new world.

Go beyond the episode:

• Elizabeth Lilly’s Let Me Fix You a Plate: A Tale of Two Kitchens and Geraldine
• Read Scholar assistant editor Jayne Ross’s list of “10 Classic Books for Cooped-Up Kids” and her ode to the late Beverly Cleary
• The science of how children learn to read, from linguist and Scholar contributing editor Jessica Love

Tune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.

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