The Children's Book Podcast

Steve Light, author of Have You Seen My Dragon?, Zephyr Takes Flight, and Trucks Go, stops by to talk about eye-catching line work, working with preschoolers, and taking field trips to an artist's studio.

Stephen Powers, artist and author of A Love Letter to the City, stops by to talk about using words and paint to reach people and sharing his art with cities around the world.

AJ Smith, author of Even Monsters..., stops by to talk about his debut picture book, building a successful marketing campaign, and his life as an animator.

On Friday, March 21 2014, Books of Wonder celebrated the memory of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi and American Civil Rights leader Malcolm X as they welcomed the creators of two new picture book biographies. Author Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, presented her new biographical picture book about her father's childhood, entitled Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X, offering a unique glimpse into the childhood of this charismatic leader and chronicling his journey to strength and self-reliance. Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, along with co-author Bethany Hegedus and illustrator Evan Turk, presented Grandfather Gandhi, a new nonfiction picture book which tells Arun Gandhi's remarkably personal story of how his grandfather taught him to channel his anger in a constructive way, using it to "turn the darkness into light."

I was invited to moderate the evening panel and was given permission to record the event and share with you all here. Enjoy.

Marc Tyler Nobleman, author of Boys of Steel and Bill: the Boy Wonder, stops by to talk about crafting storyographies, the research behind his "Girl in the Video" series, the value of reading comics, and what you discover when you ask authors to read online reviews of their own books.

Dan Santat, reknowned picture book illustrator and author of Sidekicks and the upcoming Beekle, the upcoming picture book about a yet-to-be-imagined friend and his adventures to find his paired human child, talks about meeting Dav Pilkey, contributing to Comics Squad: Recess, and finding time to craft his own stories.

Tom Angleberger, author of Crankee Doodle, Fake Mustache, and the best-selling Origami Yoda series, stops by to talk about a legion of superfolders, his relationship to his constant collaborator, and connecting with kids first.

Raina Telgemeier, author of Smile, Drama, and the upcoming Sisters, stops by to talk about her process writing comics, contributing to the upcoming Comics Squad: Recess anthology, and school memories of rainy day monitoring.

Katrina Moore, author of So Long, Gnop-Jiye, stops by to talk about her mother's immigration from China, helping students realize that they, too, have a story to tell, and nontraditional publishing.