The celebrated author of over 100 books for children and young readers, Bruce Coville speaks to Theo Baker about audiobooks, covers and titles, his approach to book openings, and much, much more!

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Theo Baker speaks with vice president, executive editor at Scholastic books and New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney. In this two part interview, they discuss Andrea’s path to becoming a reader and an editor, how her background as a journalist has helped her both as an editor and author, the evolution of diversity in children’s publishing, and much more!

Part One: Andrea speaks of becoming a reader, shares the twist in her career journey that led to her becoming a children’s book editor, and reflects on the skills she gained in journalism that apply to her work. (25:44)

Part Two: Andrea tells us about launching the Jump at the Sun imprint at Disney, and her mission at Scholastic. She speaks of her writing discipline, the growth of diversity as a focus in children’s publishing and what gives her “hope for a new day.”

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Andrea Davis Pinkney is vice president, executive editor at Scholastic Books, and is also a New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author. Andrea speaks with Theo about her path to being a reader and an editor, the insights she’s gained from her background in journalism, the evolution of diversity in publishing, and much more!

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Theo Baker speaks with award-winning and best-selling author Daniel José Older. In this two part interview, they cover craft, process, diversity, and so much more!

Part One: Daniel speaks about the difference between genre and literary, his background as a musician, and opens up about his process.

Part Two: Daniel considers the editorial process and how it shapes publishing, speaks of the movement towards a more diverse body of children’s literature, talks world-building, his embrace of bringing Civil War history to life (along with dinosaurs), and much more.

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Daniel José Older is the award-winning and best-selling author of middle grade, young adult, and adult books, including Shadowshaper, Half-Resurrection Blues, and Dactyl Hill Squad. Daniel speaks with Theo Baker about craft, process, diversity, the “secret heart” of a story, and much more!

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Theo Baker speaks with best-selling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown. Their conversation includes Peter’s process, from creating characters to the evolution of his illustration style, how writing his novel was like writing multiple picture books, and so much more.

Part One: Peter speaks about his career, creating characters, and illustration.

Part Two: Peter shares about writing his novel, and details his creative process.

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Peter Brown has written and illustrated many best-selling and award-winning picture books, including Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, Children Make Terrible Pets, and The Curious Garden. His illustrations for Creepy Carrots, written by Aaron Reynolds, earned him a 2013 Caldecott Honor. His first novel for young people is The Wild Robot. Peter speaks with Theo Baker about the evolution of his style, his process and the use of technology.

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Connie Hsu, executive editor at Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan Publishing speaks with host Theo Baker in a  conversation that spans Connie’s journey to becoming an editor, the evolution of her understanding of what an editor should do, how she judges new manuscripts, and what she’s looking for in a new book.

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Connie Hsu is an executive editor at Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan Publishing, a founding member of the Children’s Book Council Diversity Committee, and a member of the Brooklyn Book Festival Children’s Planning Committee. Her authors include Vera Brosgol, Ruth Chan, Angela Dominguez, Shannon Hale, Kathryn Otoshi, Dan Santat, Steve Sheinkin, Mariko Tamaki, Susan Tan, and Tillie Walden. Connie speaks to. Theo Baker about her journey to being an editor, how she sees an editor’s role, and what she’s looking for in a manuscript.

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Graphic novelist and children’s book author/illustrator Sara Varon covers the evolution of her art, the challenge of time management, and the insight she gained on the Maurice Sendak Fellowship residency.

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