Welcome to the Children's Book Podcast. I'm Matthew.

And, in lieu of a new episode today, I am pulling off to a rest stop.

When I was a kid, my parents took us on lots and lots of road trips. My younger brother, baby sister, and I would pile into the family station wagon, hitch the pop-up camper, and away we went.

Disney World. Niagara Falls. Kittyhawk. Williamsburg. Dearborn. Sandusky. Rehoboth.

We would drive and drive and drive from our home in central Pennsylvania, and, without fail, one of us kids would drink too much Hawaiian Punch and need to pull over. And because we were often traveling on highways, the easiest place to stop was at a rest stop. My mom would task one of us with carrying the cooler to a nearby picnic bench and we'd fill our tummies with lunch meat sandwiches, sliced apples, and Teddy Grahams. After an impromptu game of tag or frisbee or Disney Yahtzee, we'd visit the restroom one more time, and then pile back into the car for another several hours down the highway.

It is an absolute joy for me to serve as your kidlit librarian podcaster, but I find myself in need of pulling over to a rest stop so that I can stretch my legs, regain my energy, take care of some things that need my attention, and then return rested and ready.

This will mean no new episodes for now. I've got lots and lots of great interviews recorded, but you'll just hear them a few weeks later than originally planned.

In the meantime, I hope you're taking care of yourself, too.

The school year is winding down. You and your family are transitioning into summer. And maybe you even have a few changes or happenings on the horizon that you're thinking about.

I'm rooting for you. And I can't wait to reconnect over a great book soon.

Take good care.

And read some great books.

Bye bye, readers. See you soon.