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

For my one hundred first Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Tricia Springstubb  about the middle grade book Half Magic by Edward Eager. When four children find a magic coin, they soon discover that you should be careful what you wish for. At least half the time, anyway.

Tricia Springstubb is author of  such books as the Cody Chapter book series, What Happened on Fox Street, Every Single Second, and the picture book Khalil and Mr. Hagerty and the Backyard Treasures.  Her latest book is the middle grade novel The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe. You can find her website at Triciaspringstubb.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, then send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Amy Makechnie about the middle grade novel The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. It will be published on Monday, July 5, 2021.

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For my one hundred first Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Christine L. Villa  about the picture book Saturday by Oge Mora. A mother and her daughter have a very special Saturday planned, when all their plans go topsy-turvy. But it may turn out to be a special and wonderful day after all.

In addition, at the top of the podcast I spoke to Lizette Serrano, Vice President of Educational Marketing at Scholastic about Scholastic’s Summer Reading Program. For more information about the Summer program you can visit www.scholastic.com/summer

Christine L. Villa is author of  such children’s books as ZooBooLoo, The Magic Paintbrush, and Will you Still Love Me? A Puppy Haiku Story. She is also the founder of the publishing company Purple Cotton Candy Arts. You can find her website at christinevilla.com and you can find information about Purple Cotton Candy Arts publishing at www.purplecottoncandyarts.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, then send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Tricia Springstubb about the middle grade novel Half Magic by Edward Eager. It will be published on Monday, June 21, 2021.

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For my one hundredth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast (100!), I interviewed author Crystal Maldonado  about the classic picture book Corduroy by Don Freeman. It is a story about a young girl, a stuffed bear, a department store escalator ride, and a missing button, but it is also a story about friendship, adventure, and imagination.

Crystal Maldonado’s debut YA novel Fat Chance, Charlie Vega  was released in February. You can find her website at www.crystalwrote.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, then send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Christine L. Villa about the picture book Saturday by Oge Mora. It will be published on Monday, June 7, 2021.

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For my ninety-ninth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Ray Anthony Shepherd about the middle grade verse novel Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson. ZJ’s dad is a football star and local hero. But when his dad’s behavior changes because of injuries sustained on the field, ZJ must look for a new way forward with the help of his family and friends.

Ray Anthony Shepherd is author of Now or Never: 54th Massachusetts Infantry’s War to End Slavery. His most recent book is the picture book biography Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge.  You can find his website at www.rayanthonyshepard.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, then send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast (my 100th podcast!) will be with author Crystal Maldonado about the classic picture book Corduroy by Don Freeman. It will be published on Monday, May 17, 2021.

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For my ninety-eighth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Michelle Schaub about the middle grade book Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Dictionary for a Better World is a dictionary of words to help children build empathy and community using poetry, anecdotes, quotes and suggestion for actions to try.

Michelle Schaub is the author of such books for kids as Dream Big, Little Scientists: A Bedtime Book,   Finding Treasure: A Collection of Collections, and Fresh-Picked Poetry: A Day at the Farmer’s Market. Her latest picture book is called Kindness is a Kite String: The Uplifting Power of Empathy. You can find her website at www.michelleschaub.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 Ray Anthony Shepherd about the middle grade verse novel Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson. It will be published on Monday, May 3, 2021.

The post Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z – an interview with Michelle Schaub appeared first on Dream Gardens.

For my ninety-seventh Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Judith L. Roth about the middle grade illustrated novel Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. When a squirrel name Ulysses gets sucked up into a vacuum cleaner and transforms into a flying, poetry-typing super-squirrel, Flora is there to protect him from the evil forces that set out to destroy him–like her mom!

Judith L. Roth is the author of such books as  Goodnight Dragons, Serendipity and Me, and the recently released picture book Venetian Lullaby. Her latest book is another picture book called Hiding Baby Moses. You can find her website at judithlroth.wordpress.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 Michelle Schaub about the middle grade book Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini . It will be published on Monday, April 19, 2021.

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For my ninety-fifth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Julie Leung about the middle grade folktale collection Tongues of Jade by Lawrence Yep. Based on a selection of stories gathered by the WPA from Chinese immigrants in California in the early twentieth century, Lawrence retells these folktales full of magic and monsters and a little bit of mischief.

Julie Leung is author of the Mice of the Round Table middle grade series, Who Did It First?: 50 Scientists, Artists, and Mathematicians Who Revolutionized the World and the picture book biography Paper Son: The Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant & Artist. Her latest book is another picture book biography called The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee. You can find her website at jleungbooks.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. 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 Judith L. Roth about the middle grade novel Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. It will be published on Monday, April 5, 2021.

The post Tongues of Jade: an interview with Julie Leung appeared first on Dream Gardens.

For my ninety-fifth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Robert Hoyman about the middle grade novel There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom by Louis Sachar. Bradley Chalkers is the most hated kid in fifth grade, and he’s fine with that — or so he says. But when a new boy a new school counselor enter his life, Bradley begins to wonder if it really has to be that way after all.

Robert Hoyman is author of Limerick Comics. You can find his website at limerickcomics.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. 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 Julie Leung about the middle grade story collection Tongues of Jade by Lawrence Yep. It will be published on Monday, March 15, 2021.

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For my ninety-fourth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Victoria Bond about the historical novel The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation by M. T. Anderson – Vol. 1: The Pox Party; Vol. 2: The Kingdom on the Waves. It is a epic and wrenching story set during the Revolutionary War about how the rhetoric of freedom and liberty so often withers under the brutal shadow of slavery.

Victoria Bond is an educator and award winning author of Zora and Me. Her latest book, the third book in this series about the writer Zora Neale Hurston as a child, is  Zora & Me: The Summoner. You can find her website at victoriabondauthor.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. 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 Robert Hoyman about the middle grade novel There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom by Louis Sachar. It will be published on Monday, March 1, 2021.

The post The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: An interview with Victoria Bond appeared first on Dream Gardens.

For my ninety-third Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Ann Burg about the novel The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. The Hundred Dresses is a classic novel about a young girl, Wanda Petronski, who teaches a group of young children about kindness and acceptance in the most surprisng way.

Ann Burg is the author of such books as Unbound and Serafina’s Promise.  Her latest books is the historical verse novel Flooded, Requiem for Johnstown. You can find her website at annburg.com.

I also talked to author and literacy advocate Pam Allyn about World Read Aloud Day 2021, which will be Wednesday, February 3. You can find more information about World Read Aloud Day 2021 at www.litworld.org and teacher.scholastic.com/worldreadaloudday.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. 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 Victoria Bond about the novel The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation by M. T. Anderson. It will be published on Monday, February 15, 2021.

The post The Hundred Dresses: An interview with Ann Burg appeared first on Dream Gardens.