One Page At a Time Podcast

Did you ever think of reading for helping to heal trauma? We talk to Jessica Sinarski about her books and reading as a way to help connect with those who have experienced trauma and help them heal.

This week we are joined by Jessica Sinarski, a Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health who works with children and has so much knowledge and experience to share with us!

In this episode we talk about:

1. Jessica’s experience and background working with children and people who have experienced significant trauma in their early lives as well as her passion for digging into the effects of early trauma on the brain and the different paths to healing.

2. Why and how stories and reading can play a role in helping and working with kids who have experienced trauma.

“Story is a powerful tool for connecting and healing.”

3. Why it is important to bring the “big” and “scary” parts of ourselves or our experiences to the surface and process them.

4. Why picture books are a good medium for kids to be able to engage with different parts of the story, depending on their situation and needs.

“That is my goal- to start young and often, dealing with the tough stuff in life.”

5. Jessica’s experiences seeing picture books help people of all ages- even adults- recognize, express or process their feelings.

6. The books that Jessica has written and how they came to be.

“There are kids who desperately need these stories, ...but then they are empathy builders for kids who haven’t had a lot of stressors yet so they can be a friend.”

7. How the books can help take the shame out of having these big feelings and help both kids and adults understand where the feelings come from and how to handle them.

8. What types of books can be helpful when trying to connect with kids who have experienced trauma and a few ideas on when and how to use them.

“Humans... have these little windows where we can learn... and where we’re receptive and ready and can soak things up. Sometimes that’s at bedtime during reading, but that’s where we have to be really tuned into the child, because sometimes it’s during play or it’s when we’re out for a walk…”

9. Heaps of book recommendations to help kids with their feelings and experiences!

10. Extra resources for parents and adults trying to parent and work with kids who have gone through trauma.

“We can’t fix everything. Sometimes you just have to sit with it.”

In Reading: Helping to Heal Trauma we mention

We are so grateful to Jessica for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, her books, and her work can be found in the following places:

Instagram:

@rileythebrave (Jessica Sinarski)

Websites:

Brave Brains

https://bravebrains.com

Riley the Brave

https://www.rileythebrave.org

Common Sense Media Book Reviews

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews

Books we mentioned:

Riley the Brave 

by Jessica Sinarski

This week we are joined by Dr. William Stixrud, neuropsychologist, and co-author of the widely known and regarded book, The Self-Driven Child. We talk with Dr. William Stixrud about becoming and helping your child become a self-driven reader.

In this episode we talk about:

1. What is motivation in relation to the issues Dr. Stixrud addresses in The Self-Driven Child.

2.. The connection between some things we have researched and read about in Scholastic’s Kid and Family Reading Report, especially the “Decline by Nine” with the principles of child self-motivation.

“I love you too much to fight with you about reading.”

3. Some words of encouragement for those who are skeptical of handing over more control of their reading and academic habits to their children.

“Making peace with the fact that you really can’t force a kid to do something is really liberating as a parent.”

“I want to support kids in every way to become a good reader, but I also want to pay attention to what we know about the brain. If at the end of the day, at night when a kid is tired and done with school, the idea that making them read is going to make them better, it just doesn’t make any brain sense at all.” 

4. How we can help kids who are struggling with reading.

“What I recommend is that they...be allowed to listen. We know that the same brain systems activate if you are listening to a story or if you are reading it yourself- the same brain systems having to do with comprehension.”

5. How we can prioritize our relationship with a child when there are struggles or friction.

6. How the difference in boys’ and girls’ physiology and development can play a role in their reading development and how important it can be to bear this in mind. 

7. Some thoughts on rewards and incentives and how we can use them to our and our kids’ advantage.

“It’s not trying to bribe them to do stuff we want to do, it’s...helping them beat their own goals.”

We are so grateful to Dr. Stixrud for taking the time to talk with us! More information about him, his work and what we chatted about can be found in the following places:

Resources we mention in Helping Kids Take Control of their Reading

Instagram:

@simplyonpurpose with Ralphie Jacobs

Websites: 

Simply on Purpose

The Stixrud Group

https://stixrud.com

Scholastic’s Kid and Family Reading Report

https://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/home.html

Books

The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

What Do You Say? by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

(coming Fall 2021)

Grit by Angela Duckworth

You may also be interested in:

Fighting the Decline by Nine with Lauren Tarshis

You may have missed our last episode with Kai Gomeau...

This week we are joined by a very impressive teenager! Earlier in 2020, Kai Gomeau was looking for ways to get involved in some community service, but, as it has for so many of us, Covid threw a wrench into his plans. Kai was determined, however, and decided to start his own virtual reading program- Read With a Teen. 

In this episode we talk about:

1. Kai’s reading habits as a busy teenager, how and when he fits time to read in and what he likes to read.

2. How Kai's project, Read With a Teen, went from a memory from Kindergarten to a successful online program with connections all over the country and even world!

“I had to go out and find another way…”

3. What Read WIth a Teen is and how it works.

“He started the program not liking reading, but as a couple weeks went by… when I would offer to read a book he’d be like, ‘no no no, let me read, let me read!’”

4. Some of the sessions and experiences that Kai has had that have made an impact on him.

“Part of that might have been reading with someone else that wasn’t his mom and doing it for fun!”

5. What Kai’s vision of the future of Read With a Teen is and the goals he has for himself and his program.

“I’ve heard from a lot of my high school friends that they don’t like reading and that they never liked reading, so I was like, ‘huh...I should fix that.’” 

In Read with a Teen with Kai Gomeau we mention:

We are so grateful to Kai for taking the time to talk with us! More information about him and Read With a Teen can be found in the following places:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ReadwithaTeen

Books we mentioned:

Pete the Cat (series) by James Dean

Fox in Socks by Dr Seuss

Scooby Doo Storybook Collection edited by Beth Dunfey

The Book with No PIctures by BJ Novak

Don’t the Pigeon Drive the Bus (series) by Mo Willems

Elephant and Piggie (series) by Mo Willems

Mercy Watson (series) by Kate DiCamillo

Shel Silverstein (author)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

William Shakespeare (author)

The Odyssey by Homer

Percy Jackson (series) by Rick Riordan

Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling

Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King

Catch a Fire by Timothy White

If you liked Read with a Teen with Kai Gomeau, be sure to check out our interview with Sarah Wood about what your child's teacher wants you to know about reading.

We both had reading goals we mastered in 2020 and want to share with you some 2020 favorite reads from us, One Page at a Time hosts, Jill Berrett Given and Amanda Fristrom

As we look forward to a new year in our podcast, we wanted to take a minute and look back at the last year. It was a big year in reading for both of us, so before we dive back into the awesome guests we get to chat with, we decided to share some of our favorites of all the books we read! In this episode we talk about:

What our 2020 reading goals were and how they changed and developed as the year went on.

Our top five books for the year! We each had our own criteria for picking our top books, so we ended up with a pretty diverse list! We will link to all the books we picked below.

How the pandemic and other events in 2020 changed our (and so many other people we have talked to!) reading habits and limited the scope and type of books we read.

And finally, we wrapped up the episode sharing our 2021 reading goals with each other (and all of you)!

We talk about our reasons for reading fluffy fiction. Interested in learning more about just one of the benefits of reading fiction? Here's the Harvard Business Review article and the research study Amanda refers to about how fiction positively affects decision making.

In 2020 Favorite Reads we mention:

Amanda's reads:

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson

Lovely War by Julie Berry

The Four Kingdoms (series) by Melanie Cellier

Jill's reads:

The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff

Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin

Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan

The War That Saved My Life/The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

We also mention:

Holes by Louis Sachar

Chronicles of Narnia (series) by C. S. Lewis

Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

A Boy Called Bat (series) by Elana K. Arnold

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 

Sophie Kinsella (Author)

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Shannon Hale (author)

Gail Carson Levine (author)

In 2020 Favorite Reads we also mention these resources:

Everyday Reading and here is the 2021 Reading Log

Adam Sockel, Professional Book Nerds for a podcast on book recommendations (here's our interview with Adam about Professional Book Nerds)

Superhero Book List (from yours truly)

The (first?) grandparent edition of How we read with Jean and Mark Yockey helps us all to gain the perspective of a parent who raised their kids on books and now read to their grandchildren as well - wherever in the world they are.

This week we are joined by Jean and Mark Yockey, parents of our one and only Amanda! They wear so many hats, including educators, PhD holders, a nurse, an entrepreneur, and, what they joined us especially to talk about: grandparents! Books were always a huge part of their lives as they raised their family and the theme has carried on into their grandparenting.

In this episode we talk about:

1. A little bit about how their family’s book collection evolved through the years, through many moves to new cities, states and homes and now as the kids have grown up, left home and started families of their own.

2. Their experiences being the parents of teenagers with different reading styles and interests.

3. The evolution of their experiences from parents to grandparents when it comes to reading. 

“it’s different if you see somebody in a picture or on a computer screen, vs seeing them in person... After one story, though, then it’s like, ‘okay... I remember this and life is good.’”

4. What do they like about reading with their grandchildren?

5. Their experiences reading with one of their grandchildren who is on the Autism spectrum.

“Books are a good way to introduce him to other things in the world that he is a little more reluctant to open up to.”

6. The benefits of revisiting a familiar or favorite book to help kids through concerns or difficult times.

“There’s a fair amount of uncertainty and loss of structure [right now]..that we can’t control, but you can always go back and revisit the magic of your friends that are in books, even if you can’t see your real friends as much.”

7. How they juggle and manage to read to as many of their 7+ grandkids as possible at one time- both in person and virtually!

“I don’t run around as much as I used to; I can’t keep up with them! It’s a good opportunity for me to sit down and relax and rejuvenate, too.”

8. What are some of their favorite things to read with their grandkids?

9. How they tailor their reading and discussion about books to their grandkids’ different ages.

10. Thoughts on how parents of adult children can help encourage their children to make books a part of their grandkids’ lives.

We are so grateful to Mark and Jean for taking the time to talk with us! 

In this How We Read with Jean and Mark Yockey we mentioned:

The Monster at the End of This Book

by Jon Stone

Mercer Mayer

(author of the Little Critter series)

The Berenstain Bears

by Stan and Jan Berenstain

 Go Dog Go!

by P. D. Eastman

Chickens to the Rescue

by John Himmelman

Robot Bot Bot

by Fernando Krahn

Llama Llama (series)

by Anna Dewdney

Never Let a Unicorn Scribble!

Just how does a dyslexic become an author of a series of picture books teaching language and grammar rules to children? Kimberlee Gard shares her story with us.

This week we are joined by children’s book author Kimberlee Gard, who is an inspiration for anyone who has a loved one who struggles with reading or is experiencing the struggle themselves. Growing up with dyslexia, she, in her own words, “spent her childhood running from books instead of reading them.” As time went on, she gained the tools and skills she needed to not only unlock the joy of books, but has become the author of them! She has written several picture books and is passionate about the power that books have to change children- especially ones who may not follow the same path to a love of reading that their peers might.. 

In this episode we talk about:

1. What it was like for her growing up with dyslexia and not being able to read by herself until she was about ten years old.

“That really set me apart and way behind my peers...it makes you feel different; it makes you struggle with who you are.”

2. A few of the tools that Kimberlee learned along the way in her journey of learning how to read and form a positive relationship with reading and writing.

“It can change a child’s life to be encouraged by focusing where their attributes are instead of where their struggles are.”

3. How her struggle reading actually helped to turn her into a storyteller and led to her writing career and how it affects her writing today.

“I think that struggles can sometimes become a gift, and I know that is true for me.”

4. Why Kimberlee decided to write a children's book about punctuation of all things!

“The majority of the time, punctuation is not taught until children are far past the initial stages of reading and because of this, children have to go back and relearn how to use punctuation or they just discount it and don’t use it at all!”

5. How her “Learning is Fun” book series was born out of her desire to focus on where she struggled as a kid and create tools to help other children.

In How Did a Dyslexic Become an Author,.?! we mention:

We are so grateful to Kimberlee for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her and her books can be found in the following places:

Instagram:

@kimberlee.gard

Websites:

Kimberlee's website

Books we mentioned:

The Day Punctuation Came to Town by Kimberlee Gard

The Mighty Silent e! by Kimberlee Gard

The Little i Who Lost His Dot by Kimberlee Gard

Karma Wilson (author)

If you like this episode, you may be interested in listening to episode 23: Building Character with Picture Books with Mary Costello

We know, talking finances with kids doesn't usually rank high on a parent's list of highlights. Moneybunnies may just be able to help you out with that, however.

This week we are joined by Cinders Mcleod, cartoonist, illustrator and author extraordinaire. She taught herself everything she knows about finances during her decades-long career with publications all over the world (even making it into the Guiness Book of World Records!). In recent years, she has been sharing her hard-earned wisdom with the world through her illustrated picture book series, Moneybunnies, which are wonderfully imaginative and a wonderful way to start conversations about money and finances with children.

In this episode we talk about:

1. Moneybunnies! Cinders grew up not really talking about money in her home, so she began wondering and pondering on it from a very early age. Her ponderings came into play during the 2007-08 financial crisis, when more people were concerned about teaching kids about money, and she decided to turn them into a series of books to help kids navigate the world of money.

“I left my newspaper to focus on a series of books that could help kids navigate the world of money, because I wanted to write the books that I really could have done with when I was a kid.”

2. The individual books in the series and what they are all about. 

3. The universality of the books- Cinders created her own world to set the books in, a bunny world, so that children all over the world can understand and relate to the stories and, by extension, the principles they teach.

“My intention isn’t to tell parents how to do it, but to get the conversation started.”

4. Some thoughts and tips on actually starting conversations about money with children and specifics about how the Moneybunnies books and other resources Cinders has on her website can play a part in the conversations.

5. Cinders shared some feedback she has received from people who have read and used her books.

“I wanted through my social comment cartoons to help the world, but I think fate directed me to something probably more important, which is helping children get a good start at having better lives...if I can do that, that’s pretty magic!”

6. How the humor and very approachable illustration in the books make them very palatable to both children and adults, which came from both her background as a cartoonist as well as her experiences with her own children.

7. Possibilities of starting conversations with your kids when you as the parent or adult might need to instigate them rather than waiting for your children to come to you and ask the questions.

“I’m really proud of what I learned in my life because I had to, and if I can share [those] little things I learned with children, then maybe I can help them skip a few steps!”

8. We wrapped up by taking advantage of chatting with a cartoonist to get her thoughts on cartoons and especially cartoon books.

In "Show Me the Money...Bunnies! Talking Finances with Kids " we mention:

We are so grateful to Cinders for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, her books, and the Moneybunnies’ world can be found in the following places:

Websites: 

https://www.moneybunnies.com

Books we mentioned:

Earn It by Cinders McCleod

Book recommendations, printable reading lists, a free ecourse on raising a reader and more all reside at this website, but here we interview Janssen about what everyday reading looks like to learn what goes into this powerhouse of information.

This week we are joined by Janssen Bradshaw, the woman behind the incredibly popular website and instagram account, Everyday Reading. While she seems to have a hand in everything from designing rainboots to perfecting the chocolate chip cookie, her background as a librarian led her to bringing us the support and book recommendations that make her sites stand out.

In this episode we talk about:

1. Janssen’s background from growing up in a “serious reading family” to discovering her own reading tastes as an adult and even becoming a school librarian in Boston before she started having her girls.

2. How her website started and evolved into what it is today.

“I thought, ‘I’m going to start reading again!’ So I went to the library, and I just wandered through all the stacks and I thought, ‘I have no idea even what to read!’”

3. What it was like to be a school librarian in Boston and some of the lessons she learned from those experiences.

4. What it takes for Janssen to make her epic book recommendation lists and some of the resources she uses for them. We learned she has a whole post on her website that compiles those resources, which she shared with us: 

https://everyday-reading.com/how-i-find-new-picture-books-and-where/

5. How book tastes are very unique and your taste may not line up with someone who is recommending books to you, but how there are books out there for everyone.

“There’s never better conversations on my blog or instagram than when I say, ‘what book does everybody love that you can’t stand?’”

6. What are some of the elements that make a book one of Janssen’s “favorites” and what are some of Janssen’s most popular recommendation lists from her website.

7. Where someone can start when they come to her website for the first time and get the most out of the information that she has compiled over the years.

8. Advice on what to do when the kids in your life start to get opinions about what they want to read and how to balance letting them read what they want while still suggesting and reading your book picks with them.

“Just because they don’t like it now doesn’t mean they’ll never like it.”

9. Some tips for anyone who is struggling finding books that their kids will read or having other kids of friction when it comes to kids and reading.

“I feel like as a parent...my job is to make reading fun and something that they enjoy.” 

10. We wrapped up with a little bit (or a lot) of love for audiobooks and how amazing they are for kids!

We are so grateful to Janssen for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, her website, and her oodles of excellent book recommendations can be found in the following places:

To find more about what Everyday Reading looks like:

Instagram: 

@everydayreading

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/EverydayReadingBlog

Websites:

https://everyday-reading.com

We help you bring out the best in princesses and superheroes in your books - whether they are for you or your children!

We know. You don't know what to think of your toddler trying to climb walls like Spiderman and your daughter singing "Let it Go" for the bajillionth time. Luckily Dr. Sarah Coyne has done the research and spills all for ways we can bring out the best in princesses and superheroes using books about these beloved characters.

This week we are joined by Sarah Coyne, professor and a director at the School of Family life at Brigham Young University where she studies gender, body image, children, and adolescence. Her studies are vast and varied, but she joined us today to chat about a topic that many people have strong opinions about- superheroes and princesses. 

In this episode we talk about:

1. How an experience with her then-three-year-old daughter asking if she was too fat sparked Dr. Coyne’s interest in the scientific study of princesses and superheroes.

“[A colleague] said, ‘I don’t really have any research to back me up here in terms of scientific studies,’ and I thought, ‘well that’s what I do for my job, so I think I’ll do a study on Disney princesses!’”

2. What some of the results of Dr. Coyne’s studies on the effects of both princesses and superheroes on young children have been.

3. Some of the criticisms of princess and superhero stories, but also how they are changing with time and thoughts on how we can consume them rather than simply give up on them.

“There’s all these beautiful themes that are mentioned in the princess movies, like loyalty or defending your family members or following your dreams or how to work really hard and not give up when people are mean to you...I think if we focused on those messages and those themes we would do a lot better than generally focusing on appearance or how pretty they are, which is sometimes what we do.”

How to focus on the good using books

4. How we can focus on the good in these stories and characters using books.

“If you’re watching a movie, it’s hard to pause it and be like, ‘okay, let’s talk about what’s going on here,’ but with a book it feels more natural to do that… It’s a really beautiful opportunity to be able to talk about some of those good themes we find in princess movies as opposed to watching a move.”

5. How we can take a child’s more superficial interest in a character or story and help them see different aspects and attributes of those beloved characters that we would love for our kids to emulate or internalize. 

6. We dip just a bit into Dr. Coyne’s studies about aggression in children and adolescents and the role superheroes might play in that. She had some great thoughts on using those stories to start conversations and using them to learn and grow.

“I’m not a big fan of banning things just flat out; I really believe that media can be such a valuable tool in all sorts of different ways… Media is just a tool and you can use a tool for both good and evil.”

In Bringing out the Best in Princesses and Superheroes we mention:

We are so grateful to Dr. Coyne for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her and her research can be found in the following places:

Websites: 

https://sarahmcoyne.com

Social Media Curriculum for 5-8 graders-

https://sarahmcoyne.

We are focusing on focus and helping kids read independently in this episode - a sometimes overwhelming subject. If you have a wiggle-worm or reluctant reader in your life, this may be a helpful listen.

This week we are joined by Kristen Berrett, an educator who has worked with non-profit youth mentoring organizations for many years. She is an avid reader (not surprising, as she is one of co-host Jill’s five sisters) who joined us to share her thoughts and years of experience working with children and teenagers from all sorts of backgrounds.

In this episode we talk about:

1. How many parents and others who work with kids would love for said kids and teens to read more, but aren’t sure how to help them have the focus needed to read independently.

“If we are talking about teaching a child the skill of being able to focus and read independently, just the same with any skill- practice makes perfect.”

2. Several things that Kristen has studied and researched that can affect a child’s ability to focus (and, by extension, their ability to read independently). Two main ones that she has focused on in her career are screen time and childhood trauma.

“Even as I’m working from home today I have like 12 internet browsers open and I’m going back and forth between all of them and it’s not teaching anybody- kids or adults- how to focus on one thing.” 

3. Things that Kristen has learned both through her research as well as through working with kids that can help children improve their ability to focus.

4. How meditation and mindfulness is a growing idea in schools, after-school programs and even families that can help kids “get their brain back into a place where they can focus.”

“Even just a few minutes in nature every day can help a kid learn how to calm their mind and slow things down so that they can focus on other things during the rest of their lives.”

5. Some techniques that Kirsten has seen actually help kids improve the effects of childhood trauma, which can be a big factor in kids’ ability to focus.

6. The unique classroom experience Kristen had when she was teaching- elementary school physical education and high school leadership classes for Latinos and refugees-  and how she used books in her classes.

“Because of the demographics of the classes I was teaching, we had a lot of conversations about race and about what that means, to be different from other people...and the book really opened up a lot of those conversations.”

7. Independent reading and young children, starting habits early and how audiobooks can play a role in that.

8. Research and resources Kirsten has used to build her knowledge base in this subject.

We are so grateful to Kristen for taking the time to talk with us! More information about her, and some of the things we chatted about can be found in the following places:

Books we mention in Focusing on Focus: Helping Kids Read Independently

The Deepest Well Nadine Burke Harris

Paul Tough, author

Peaceful Piggie Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean

Blue Willow by Doris Gates

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell