Dream Gardens: Talking Up the Children's Books We Love

For my one hundred twenty-second Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Greg Howard about the middle grade novel The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo .

Greg Howard is the author of such middle grade books as The Whispers and Middle School’s A Drag, You Better Werk!. His latest middle grade book is The Visitors, which was published this past year. You can find more information about Greg at www.greghowardauthor.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: After this podcast , I am going to be taking a very long hiatus from the Dream Gardens podcast. This is my one hundred and twenty second podcast, and like so many before it, I enjoyed making it and I think it’s worth your time to listen to. However, I’ve also got to the point in this podcast where I need to step back for awhile and think about what I want to do going forward. Maybe it will be this podcast with a few modifications, maybe it will be an entirely different podcast. Or something else. I really don’t know, which is why I need the time to think. I am aiming for September as the month to start again or restart or whatever it is I end doing, but it is by no means a date set in stone. But once I’ve figured out what I want to do, I will let you know.

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For my one hundred twenty-first Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Alice Faye Duncan about the children’s book of poems Honey I Love, and Other Love Poems written by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Diane and Leo Dillon.

Alice Faye Duncan is author of such books as Just Like a Mama, Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop,  and the recent Evicted: The Struggle for the Right to Vote.  She is also author of the picture book Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth, which was released earlier this year. You can find more information about Alice at alicefayeduncan.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think. If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Greg Howard about the middle grade novel The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo. It will be published on May 16, 2022.

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For my one hundred twentieth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Mahtab Narsimhan about the classic children’s novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis .

Mahtab Narsimhan is author of The Tiffin, You and Me Both, and Genie Meanie.  Her latest book is the middle grade novel Valley of the Rats. You can find more information about Mahtab at www.mahtabnarsimhan.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think. If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Alice Faye Duncan about children’s poetry book Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems by Eloise Greenfield. It will be published on May 2, 2022.

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For my one hundred nineteenth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Deedee Cummings about the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston .

Deedee Cummings is a family therapist, founder of the Louisville Book Festival in Kentucky, and CEO of Make A Way Media. She is also author of several books for children, including the Kayla: A Modern Day Princess series of books. You can find more information about Deedee at deedeecummings.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Mahtab Narsimhan about the novel The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis . It will be published on April 18, 2022.

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For my one hundred eighteenth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author and illustrator Jessica Meserve about the picture book Bread and Jam for Frances, written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Lillian Hoban.

Jessica is author and illustrator of the picture book What Clara Saw as well as her latest book Beyond the Burrow, which came out in 2021. You can find more information about Jessica at www.jessicameserve.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Deedee Cummings about the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. It will be published on April 4, 2022.

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For my one hundred seventeenth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author JaNay Brown-Wood about the picture book A Story About Afiya, written by James Berry and illustrated by Anna Cunha.

JaNay Brown-Wood is author of such books as Shhh! The Baby’s Asleep, Imani’s Moon, and Amara’s Farm, which is the first of her Where in the Garden series. Her latest book is the second in the Where in the Garden series, Miguel’s Community Garden.  You can find more information about JaNay at www.janaybrownwood.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author and illustrator Jessica Meserve  about the picture book Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban. It will be published on March 21, 2022.

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For my one hundred sixteenth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Kristen Balouch about the picture book DON’T CROSS THE LINE, written by Isabel Minhos Martins and illustrated by Bernardo P Carvalho.

Kristen is author and illustrator of such books as IF YOU ARE THE DREAMER, MYSTERY BOTTLE, and THE LITTLE LITTLE GIRL WITH THE BIG BIG VOICE. Her latest picture book is ONE MILLION TREES: A TRUE STORY. You can find more information about Kristen at www.kristenbalouch.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author JaNay Brown-Wood about the picture book A STORY ABOUT AFIYA, with text by James Berry and illustrated by Anna Cunha. It will be published Monday, March 7, 2022.

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For my one hundred fifteenth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Nicole Magistro about the YA novel THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak.

Nicole is the author of the recently released picture book READ ISLAND. You can find more information about Nicole at myreadisland.com. You can find out more about the Adopt a Reader program at bookwormofedwards.com/adopt-reader.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Kristen Balouch about the picture book DON’T CROSS THE LINE, written by Isabel Minhos Martins and illustrated by Bernardo P Carvalho. It will be published Monday, February 21, 2022.

The post The Book Thief – an interview with Nicole Magistro appeared first on Dream Gardens.

For my one hundred fourteenth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Jessica Vitalis about the young reader’s novel Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond. When Kit moves the coal mining village Stoneygate to take care of his grandfather, Kit is introduced to a few unusual friends, an unexpected enemy, a strange game of death, and more that a few ghosts.

Jessica Vitalis’s debut middle grade, THE WOLF’S CURSE, came out September, 2021. You can find more information about Jessica and THE WOLF’S CURSE at jessicavitalis.com.

I also spoke to Dwaine Millard, Senior Vice President of Family & Community Engagement at Scholastic, about the 13th annual World Read Aloud Day, taking place in 2022 on Wednesday, February. You can find more information about World Read Aloud Day at scholastic.com/worldreadaloudday .

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Nicole Magistro about the YA historical novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It will be published Monday, February 7, 2022.

The post Kit’s Wilderness – an interview with Jessica Vitalis appeared first on Dream Gardens.

For my one hundred thirteenth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author and illustrator Rosena Fung about the middle grade horror novel Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. Eleven year old Ollie is already dealing with a heavy burden. However, things are about to get heavier and a whole lot creepier when her school bus break downs in front of field of very strange scarecrows.

Rosena  Fung is author and illustrator. Her debut book is a graphic novel for kids called Living with Viola. You can find more information about Rosena and Living with Viola at www.rosenafung.com.  

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

I also want to put a call out to librarians who specialize in kids books. I wanted to try a new segment sometime this year in which I would have a librarian come on with a book recommendation for a kids book. The book could be a picture book, a chapter book, a middle grade novel or a YA novel, or even a nonfiction book. You could have several recommendations, so one recording sessions could actually cover several podcasts. All the interviews are done over Zoom, so it doesn’t really matter where you are. Also, it shouldn’t take up too much of your time. It is a way of letting others know what great books are out there for kids and adults alike. If you are interested, go to the contact page on this website and leave me a note.

My next podcast will be with author Jessica Vitalis about the middle grade novel Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond. It will be published Monday, January 17, 2022.

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