In this episode of the Ready for Reading podcast, host Penney Letrud-Samons discusses the role of literacy in the recovery journey of military personnel and their families. She is joined by award-winning author and filmmaker David Barclay Moore and licensed clinical social worker Crystal Bettenhausen-Bubulka LCSW, MSG.

They explore the importance of promoting mental health awareness and breaking the stigma surrounding it, especially in the military community. David shares insights from his book Boyogi, which addresses invisible wounds and the need for mental wellness advocacy. Crystal discusses her journey into the mental health field and the importance of normalizing discussions about mental health. Books play a crucial role in teaching resilience and coping skills to children. They serve as mirrors, reflecting our experiences and identities, and as windows, offering glimpses into different cultures and perspectives.

Reading allows children to escape, learn, and develop empathy. Books can help normalize challenges and celebrate failure, teaching children that mistakes and trials are growth opportunities. Reading also strengthens bonds between parents and children, fostering healthy relationships and connections. United Through Reading facilitates this bonding through reading, especially for military families who may be geographically separated.

Resources From This Episode:

Dollar General Literacy Foundation Guides

United Through Reading Literacy Resources

Download the United Through Reading App

Read our latest blog posts

Books Referenced in the Show

Boyogi

The Kissing Hand

The Invisible String

Night Catch

Our Guests

Connect With Crystal

Connect with David

How You Can Help Our Mission

Donate to United Through Reading

Buy books for military families

UTR on Social Media

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

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In this episode, Penny Letrud-Samons interviews Kelly Starling Lyons and Niña Mata, the author and illustrator of the book -Ty's Travels All Aboard-, which has been selected as the 2024 Book for the Military Child, in conjunction with April’s Month of the Military Child. The Book for the Military Child unites and celebrates military children across the globe through their shared experiences. Kelly Starling Lyons is an award-winning author with over 30 children's books to her name. Niña Mata is an award-winning illustrator known for her diverse artwork.

They discuss Kelly and Niña’s creative journey, the inspiration behind the book, and their feelings about Ty's Travels All Aboard being chosen for military children and their families. They also advise aspiring artists and encourage kids to find adventure through creativity. The episode highlights the importance of reading and storytelling and the impact of books on children's lives.

Resources from this episode:

Dollar General Literacy Foundation Guides

United Through Reading Literacy Resources

Download the United Through Reading App

How to Find a UTR Story Station

Watch this episode on YouTube

How you can help our mission:

Donate to United Through Reading

Buy books for military families on Amazon

Connect on social media:

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

Subscribe to our newsletter

In this episode, our host, Penney Letrud-Samons, speaks with United Through Reading's Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships, Molly Haskin, MS CCC-SLP, to discuss the importance of reading aloud and its impact on comprehension. They introduce the concept of P.I.E. and how it relates to reading:

• Promotes brain development
• Improves language and learning skills
• Encourages a positive association with literacy) as the critical ingredient for successful reading.

They also explore the traditional reading-aloud experience in the classroom and the challenges emergent readers face in comprehension. Mrs. Haskin shares best standard practices for reading, including playing with sounds and reading together. They highlight how United Through Reading supports literacy in military families and provides resources for parents and children.

Mrs. Haskin received her Master of Science in Communication, Speech, and Hearing Disorders from East Carolina University. She has practiced in her field for ten years and finds the development of early childhood literacy skills a specific area of interest.

As a United Through Reading Programs team member, Mrs. Haskin facilitates program distribution and implementation to Army, Air Force, and Space Force commands worldwide. By disseminating the program across commands, she maximizes the number of Soldiers benefitting from the program to ultimately increase connections for military families affected by service-related time apart.

Resources from this episode:

Dollar General Literacy Foundation Guides

United Through Reading Literacy Resources

Download the United Through Reading App

Watch this episode on YouTube

How you can help our mission:

Donate to United Through Reading

Buy books for military families on Amazon

Connect on social media:

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

Subscribe to our newsletter

Samantha Hagan-Lingad, the woman behind our book selection, joins us on this episode with special guest interviewer and Communications Director at UTR, Jessica Hall. They discuss how United Through Reading chooses books for our library, why it’s important for those books to be diverse, and some great titles that you can read to your kids and request from our library, especially for kids in the 4 to 8-year-old age range. Jessica even gets some advice on how she can pick books for her young daughters, and Samantha’s advice may surprise you.

Resources from this show:

• United Through Reading’s book list

• Llama Llama Holiday Drama

• Llama Llama Series

• Mo Willems books

• Berenstain Bears Night Before Christmas

• UTR book recommendations:

  • Books Celebrating Black Americans

  • Books Celebrating Asian Americans

  • Books Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

  • Books Celebrating Women in History

• Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship

• Knight Owl

• The Book with No Pictures (AKA “The Silly Book”!)

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Veterans United Home Loans. Veterans United Home Loans is dedicated to helping Veterans and military families become homeowners.

In two short decades, they’ve closed over half a million VA Loans. But they don’t measure their success in numbers, they measure it in living their values every day: Be Passionate and Have Fun, Deliver Results with Integrity and Enhance Lives.

United Through Reading is proud to be a part of Veterans United Home Loans' effort to lift up military families and communities across the country.

• Download UTR’s reading app: utr.org/app

• Help keep military families reading by supporting UTR: Give.utr.org

Marty Martinez is the CEO of Reach Out and Read and a champion of children’s health. He and Josie discuss why reading builds connection, and also why that connection and bonding is so important to a child’s healthy development. They also discuss the research on why reading routines are so important for kids and families, and how those little moments of reading matter.

Books mentioned in this show:

• Corduroy, by Don Freeman

• Berenstain Bears

• The Bear in the Forest, by David Crossley

More Resources:

• Reach Out and Read

• Learn more about Marty Martinez

• Reach Out and Read’s book catalog

• United Through Reading’s book catalog

• Article: The Best Choose Your Own Adventure Books

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Veterans United Home Loans. Veterans United Home Loans is dedicated to helping Veterans and military families become homeowners.

In two short decades, they’ve closed over half a million VA Loans. But they don’t measure their success in numbers, they measure it in living their values every day: Be Passionate and Have Fun, Deliver Results with Integrity and Enhance Lives.

United Through Reading is proud to be a part of Veterans United Home Loans' effort to lift up military families and communities across the country.

Learn more about UTR and how you can strengthen your military family’s bond through reading at UTR.org.

• Download UTR’s reading app Want to help keep military families reading? Support UTR today

• What do you think of the Ready for Reading podcast? Review us in your podcast app, or let us know

If you have a military teen, this podcast is a must-listen. Matt and Elena join Josie and share stories on what it’s like to be a military teen and how that led to the creation of their organization, Bloom Military Teens. They also talk about what books they’ve found helpful over the years.

Books mentioned in this show:

• Dear Mil Teen

• The Field Guide to the Military Teen

• Percy Jackson series

• Moon Over Manifest

• Pachinko (best for older readers)

Other links:

• Bloom Military Teens website

• National Military Family Association

• More about Matthew Oh and Elena Ashburn

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Veterans United Home Loans. Veterans United Home Loans is dedicated to helping Veterans and military families become homeowners.

In two short decades, they’ve closed over half a million VA Loans. But they don’t measure their success in numbers, they measure it in living their values every day: Be Passionate and Have Fun, Deliver Results with Integrity and Enhance Lives.

United Through Reading is proud to be a part of Veterans United Home Loans' effort to lift up military families and communities across the country.

Learn more about UTR and how you can strengthen your military family’s bond through reading at UTR.org.

• Download UTR’s reading app Want to help keep military families reading? Support UTR today

• What do you think of the Ready for Reading podcast? Review us in your podcast app, or let us know

Victoria Jamieson is the author of the graphic novel and New York Times Best Seller Roller Girl, and she joins Josie to discuss how she became an author and illustrator and why graphic novels are great reads for kids. In this interview, you’ll hear Victoria talk about her hit book Roller Girl as well as her most recent book When Stars Are Scattered. Josie and Victoria also share a few more of their best book recommendations for military tweens.

Books mentioned in this show:

• Roller Girl

• When Stars Are Scattered

• Ramona and Beezus by Beverly Cleary and Jacqueline Rogers

• Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland

• Science Comics: Plagues: The Microscopic Battlefield by Falynn Koch

• Smile by Raina Telgemeier

• Squish by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

• New Kid, by Jerry Craft

• Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy

• The Terrible Two, by Mac Barnett, Jory John & Kevin Cornell

Find more information about Victoria Jamieson

Learn more about UTR and how you can strengthen your military family’s bond through reading at UTR.org.

• Download UTR’s reading app Want to help keep military families reading? Support UTR today

• What do you think of the Ready for Reading podcast? Review us in your podcast app, or let us know

Dr. Dorinda Williams is an infant and early childhood mental health expert with Zero to Three, an organization dedicated to ensuring that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life.

She’s also a military spouse and has spent much of her career working with military families. Dorinda is the author of Over There, a book that can be found on the bookshelves of many military families and a particular favorite here at United Through Reading.

In this interview, you’ll hear what’s going on in a baby’s brain in the early years, why positive early experiences like reading are so important for small kids, and why Dorinda ended up writing her book Over There. You’ll also discover a few great books for our littlest military kids.

Resources from this show:

• Over There on Military One Source: Daddy version & Mommy version

• Home Again on Military One Source

• Babies on the Homefront app

• Zero to Three’s article, Read Early and Often

• Self-care resources on Military One Source

• Other books for 0-3 military kids:

  • Found by Salina Yoon

  • Books from UTR's Library

Find more information about Dorinda Williams