The Reading Culture

With the 2023 year coming to a close (our first full year in production!), we wanted to celebrate. And what better way to do that than high school yearbook superlative style?

Welcome to a special edition of The Reading Culture podcast – "The Reading Culture: Yearbook."

In this episode, we're rolling out the red carpet to unveil "The Readies," an award show of sorts, to remember the standout moments and stories from the show this year.

Yes, it's a clip show.

 We'll relive the "Most Hilarious Admission," "Most Moving Parenting Story," and "Most Emo Moment," and we'll hand out the "I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying" and name the author "Most Likely to Build a Functional Spaceship." Think you know who gets that one? 

And there's even more than those!

Join us as we reflect back on some of the best moments of The Reading Culture.

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Life is full of small pleasures, bits of magic in ordinary moments that so often go underappreciated. Oge Mora wants to draw attention to those small things and show us the true depth and meaning those moments have in our lives.

In her work as a collage artist, she takes bits and pieces of scrap material and shows us their beauty when all put together. Much like her stories, we are shown that small things are what make the big things, like a Saturday spent with a loved one, or the enticing aroma of an old family recipe. 

Oge Mora burst onto the kid lit scene with her picture book “Thank You, Omu!”, a book that earned her a Caldecott Honor, a Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award, and a host of other accolades. She was also a 2021 Forbes 303 Under 30 lister. 

In this episode, Oge tells us about the community support that built the foundation for her career, the art school epiphany that shifted her perspective from shame to pride, and why she wants her books to feel like a cup of hot cocoa. If you're looking for a moment of joy, you have found it here. 

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

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In Oge’s reading challenge, "Story Collage" she shares some of her favorite picture books with collage illustrations.

You can find her list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Today’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Alli Buffington, Library Media Specialist at Holley Navarre Intermediate School in Santa Rosa County, Florida. She’ll tell us about the most successful reading challenge she’s run at her school.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Repeat Renewals (2:31)

Chapter 2 - Sister Catherine and The Doodler (7:13)

Chapter 3 - A Street Called Home (14:27)

Chapter 4 - That Little Bit of Shift (18:40)

Chapter 5 - An Homage to Connection With Others (25:28)

Chapter 6 - More of Less, and More (32:12)

Chapter 7 - Collage of Stories (32:57)

Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (34:15)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup
• Oge Mora
• Forbes 30 Under 30 - Oge Mora
• Oge Mora (@oge_mora) • Instagram photos and videos
• Columbus Public Library
• King Arts Complex
• “A Street Called Home” Mural – 2005 – Kristine Schramer
• Aminah Robinson
• Romare Bearden
• Alli Buffington's Library (this week’s featured librarian)
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Hena Khan didn’t believe her perspective mattered. As a Pakistani-American Muslim, she grew up not seeing her or her family reflected in the media she was consuming. As any kid might do, she concluded that it was simply because her experience was not important, a realization that became clearer in hindsight. Recalling her childhood writing, she discovered she had unintentionally white-washed her own homemade family newspaper.

Building confidence in her perspective was a gradual process, extending into adulthood. Initially lacking self-assurance, she began writing while toning down her cultural identity to conform to perceived publisher expectations. Over time, her confidence grew, and today, she is recognized for authentically portraying stories rooted in her culture and religion.

Reflecting on her own reading experiences, Hena values shared human experiences that transcend cultural backgrounds. She aims to demonstrate that these relatable moments exist in stories featuring non-white characters and diverse cultures.

Renowned for works such as "Amina's Voice," its sequel "Amina's Song," the "Zara's Rules" series, and "More to the Story," Hena Khan shares her journey of grappling with invisibility as a young reader and the evolution of her faith in herself and her unique perspective. She also recounts the unexpected connection to a book about Christian white sisters in the 1800s in her unconscious quest for stories reflecting her Muslim immigrant family.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

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In Hena’s reading challenge, "Read Desi" she encourages us to celebrate South Asian American writers.

You can find her list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Today’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Allie Buffington, Library Media Specialist at  Holley Navarre Intermediate School in Santa Rosa County, Florida. She tells us about the importance of making the library a space that kids want to come back to.

Contents

Chapter 1 - “Religious Holiday” (2:38)

Chapter 2 - Gogol Search (6:16)

Chapter 3 - Little Women (and the Khanicles) (9:43)

Chapter 4 - Three Cheers From Andrea (18:17)

Chapter 5 - Just Living (22:18)

Chapter 6 - Common Humanity (30:20)

Chapter 7 - Curious About Curious George (33:50)

Chapter 8 - The Door is Open (35:31)

Chapter 9 - Read Desi (37:28)

Chapter 10 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (38:54)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup (for bonus content)
• Hena Khan
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott | Goodreads
• Hena Khan's More to the Story is a Love Letter to Little Women | School Library Journal
• Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin 
• The Salam School for Girls 
• Alli Buffington's Library (this week’s featured librarian)
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (to see reels of author conversations)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

"Don't follow your dreams if that's the only thing you're doing. Ask yourself, what will make you most useful? What will make you most, in terms of a purpose, help you do meaningful work?” - Daniel Nayeri

You want Daniel Nayeri at your dinner party. Always with a story or an insightful question, it turns out he is also the person you want on your podcast! The Iranian-American author of the Printz Award-winning “Everything Sad is Untrue,” and the more recent “The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams,” offered up fresh conversation and a good deal of humor. 

As a writer, Daniel Nayeri is deeply aware of the impact his writing has on readers. As he noted in our conversation, there is perhaps no more intimate power than becoming the dialogue in one’s head. And Daniel feels strongly about using that power to have a positive impact on those who read his words. Part of his purpose, or obligation, he believes, is to “remystify the world.” Just wait until we talk about why cherries grow in pairs! 

In this episode, Daniel explains what he means by remystifying the world, talks about the roadside storyteller that initiated his storytelling journey, and shares his views on purpose (why he takes his so seriously). From his life-changing experience with the Junior Great Books program in elementary school to his current film and book projects, Daniel delves deep into his role as storyteller. 

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

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In Daniel’s reading challenge, "Wise Shorts" he keeps our work and life load in mind offering a curated selection of short stories, reminding us that even the smallest things can have a major impact.

You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

Today’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Nikki Hayter, Library Manager at Franklin Avenue Library in Des Moines, Iowa. Nikki tells us about a program that highlights the deep impact libraries have on communities.

Contents

Chapter 1 - The Ferris Wheel and The Storyteller (2:15)

Chapter 2 - A Retired Conan the Barbarian (6:43)

Chapter 3 - Alberic The Wise (11:30)

Chapter 4 - Remystifying the world (7:18)

Chapter 5 - You get a memoir! And you get a memoir! And… (25:25)

Chapter 6 - How to be interesting (28:20)

Chapter 7 - Wise Shorts (33:31)

Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (34:32)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Daniel Nayeri
• Alberic the Wise by Norton Juster | Goodreads
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

We revisit our Halloween special episode with Lamar Giles.

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On Today's Show

• "The fear is like the ramp on the roller coaster. It's that build-up of adrenaline intention that you're having in that moment when that roller coaster is cranking. It's not the same fear of you walking through a dark alley at night and you sense someone's behind you in real life. That's a different type of fear that I don't know that anybody really wants. This is controlled fear. This is me going into it saying, Okay, I know this part's gonna be scary, but this part's gonna be fun and I want all of it." - Lamar Giles

Lamar Giles says horror is a pressure valve. It has the ability to release pent-up anxiety and fear in a controlled, safe, and fun environment. That's why he'll watch Hellraiser at 4 a.m. to comfort himself when he can't sleep. While the genre isn't for everyone, he knows there are other young readers that will resonate with it the same way he did when he first read Stephen King at 11 years old.

Giles' career has been full of mystery and thriller stories, but with the 2022 release of The Getaway, he has finally fulfilled his lifelong dream of writing a true horror novel. He tells us more about how the genre has helped him in his life and why he thinks kids resonate with his writing.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Growing Up as Lamar Giles (3:16)

Chapter 2 - The Dinosaur in the Cereal Box (5:48)

Chapter 3 - The Draw to Horror (8:26)

Chapter 4 - It (9:30)

Chapter 5 - The Pressure Valve (13:54)

Chapter 6 - Connecting with Young Readers (17:23)

Chapter 7 - Writing Black Characters (16:19)

Chapter 8 - Publishing Horror (20:19)

Chapter 9 - The Getaway (22:07)

Chapter 10 - A Vehicle for Social Commentary (23:59)

Chapter 11 - Fear On Screen (25:10)

Chapter 12 - Scary Good Stories (27:18)

Chapter 13 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (27:53)

This episode's Beanstack featured librarian is Christopher Parker, a media specialist at Blue Ridge Elementary in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Today he shares with us more about his most successful library program, 'Book Buddies'. 

Links

• Lamar Giles
• Don Cheadle & Sony Pictures TV Developing YA Book ‘The Getaway’ For TV – Deadline
• The Reading Culture Podcast
• Beanstack

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show

• "It (TV) was my junk food, but also it was my in with the kids to be able to talk about pop culture, to know all the little nuances and jokes about the cultural zeitgeist things.” - Dan Santat

Media and stories around us around us are more than just entertainment. They provide a common space, a piece of the world around us that connects us to others. We learn from these stories, shape our own views and ideas, and listen to and share these ideas with others. 

Dan Santat, a son of Thai immigrants in rural SoCal, found solace and belonging in the storytelling of 80's TV shows and movies, connecting with others' experiences and perspectives. His fascination with storytelling coupled with his talent for drawing led him on a journey of self-discovery that would ultimately diverge from the career path his parents had urged him to pursue.

In this episode, Dan shares openly about his fraught relationship with his dad. Dan’s honesty is humorous and nostalgic and real all at once. He talks about the freedoms and limitations of growing up in the 1980s and how they helped him discover a passion for storytelling as a means of communicating. Dan also tells us about his experience of embracing art, despite his parents' differing expectations, and how his journey has impacted the messages he imparts to students he meets today.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

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In his reading challenge, "Profound Panels" Dan wants listeners to embrace the hidden wisdom in the medium that first sparked his love of storytelling: comics.

You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Connie Sharpe from Metro Nashville Public Schools. She told us about the importance of the connection between administrators and librarians. 

Contents

Chapter 1 - Thai in SoCal (2:25)

Chapter 2 - Crime Fighting (vehicle here) (6:55)

Chapter 3 - The Trial and Death of Socrates (12:59)

Chapter 4 - A Book About Dan (21:04)

Chapter 5 - Passing on Heritage (and advice) (24:09)

Chapter 6 - A Storyteller’s Legacy (31:03)

Chapter 7 - Profound Panels (34:17)

Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (35:40)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Dan Santat
• Dan Santat | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
• Longlist for National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
• Shane (movie) - Dan’s dad’s favorite movie before moving to America
• X-Men (comics that changed Dan’s life)
• Flowers in the Attic (how were we allowed to read this at such a young age?!)
• The Trial and Death of Socrates (a critical book for Dan)
• The Replacements (Dan’s show on Disney)
• Kung Fu: The Movie (starring David Carradine…hmmm)
• Dan’s acceptance speech at Caldecott-Newbery banquet
• A conversation about “Drawn Together” by Dan and Minh Lê
• American Born Chinese (a book that is very important for Dan)
• Dan Santat
• Dan Santat | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
• Connie Sharp at MNPS (this week’s featured librarian)
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show

• "I think that has a lot to do with why I was so interested in writing for children. It's like, I was trying to heal. I was trying to heal my childhood experiences through writing, through these characters.” - Kacen Callender

Just as books provide readers with a space to learn, see themselves, reflect, and cope with their inner thoughts, writing has served as a means for Kacen Callender to process and heal from their own trauma. Throughout their writing journey, Kacen has traversed the various stages and ages of their life, opening wounds and finding ways to heal them through fiction. 

This transformative process began with their debut novel “Hurricane Child” in 2018 which not only earned Kacen critical acclaim but also accolades such as the Stonewall Book Award and Lambda Literary Award. Since then, Kacen has authored other titles such as “Felix Ever After” and “King and the Dragonflies”, the latter of which won a National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Now, Kacen is entering the next phase in their writing journey, delving into the enduring adult repercussions of childhood trauma.

Kacen’s vulnerable and emotional storytelling has had profound impacts on readers around the world, particularly Queer readers who often find their own journeys reflected in Kacen’s work. 

In this episode, Kacen shares more about their personal journey of processing trauma through writing. They also discuss how fanfiction played a pivotal role in inspiring their creative path and how the fictional storyline within a Canadian teen drama that helped them come to terms with their own identity.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In their reading challenge, "Trans YA Spec"  Kacen wants readers to imagine freedom for the trans community through works of speculative fiction.

You can find their list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Meredith Derrick, library coordinator for Klein Independent School District outside of Houston, Texas. She shares a funny story about a student’s attempt at a thoughtful teacher appreciation surprise.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Reckoning with Trauma

Chapter 2 - Annie John

Chapter 3 - Fiction in Our Own Hands

Chapter 4 - Honest Representation

Chapter 5 - The Journey Continues

Chapter 6 - Dream State

Chapter 7 - Diversity on the Shelves

Chapter 8 - Trans YA Spec

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian 

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Kacen Callender
• Fan Fiction
• Adam Torres (Degrassi)
• Annie John
• Stonewall Book Award | Kacen Callender
• Klein ISD
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show

• "I'm just being real. I'm telling my story. I think Nikki Giovanni calls it dancing naked on the floor. I am unafraid and I'm doing my dance… I don't feel like I can go wrong if I'm just being me.” - Kwame Alexander

Exciting reluctant middle school kids about reading (or really, anything) can be a battle. Getting them to think reading is cool is another. Kwame Alexander excels at both. His ability to authentically relate to his readers is a skill around which he has built his career.

Kwame is beloved by parents, educators, and students, for his ability to ignite a love of reading (especially middle school boys) through poetry and characters who reflect their real experiences. But his impact extends beyond just an introduction to books, he also opens the door for readers to explore their own emotional depths. As he tells us, “I think part of my job is just to show a different side of masculinity.”

Kwame is best known "The Crossover," "The Undefeated," "The Door of No Return," and numerous other novels and poetry collections. He also recently authored his memoir "Why Fathers Cry at Night." He won the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Book Award among many other awards, and this year "The Crossover" was adapted into a Disney Plus original TV series. 

In this episode, he tells us about his own upbringing surrounded by Black storytelling and literature, reveals his secret to making middle-schoolers think he’s “cool”, and shares about a letter he received (which was “not fan mail”) that inspired a surprise visit to an unsuspecting kid.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

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In his reading challenge, "Blackout,"  Kwame wants listeners to utilize their favourite books to look inward and make some art of their own.

You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Kirsten, the programming specialist for the Indianapolis Public Library. She shares some moving stories about a book club she runs for teens at a residential treatment facility. 

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Contents

Chapter 1 - Glasses first (2:10)

Chapter 2 - Mom’s stories, dad’s garage (3:53)

Chapter 3 - Love After Love (9:11)

Chapter 4 - The “Reluctant” Readers (14:01)

Chapter 5 - Kwame Shows Up (17:50)

Chapter 6 - America’s Next Great Authors (24:18)

Chapter 7 - Blackout (27:34)

Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (28:09)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Kwame Alexander
• Folly Island
• NYT article by Teddy Wayne about the potential benefits of clutter
• Beef, No Chicken
• Love After Love by Derek Walcott
• Kwame’s Newbery Banquet Speech
• Why Fathers Cry: The Podcast | Kwame Alexander
• #KwameShowsUp
• Nikki Giovanni
• Collected Poems, 1948-1984 -  Derek Walcott
• The Crossover | Official Trailer | Disney+
• America's Next Great Author
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show

• "I think it comes down to caring about the characters. When you care about the characters, you care about the world that they live in.” - Neal Shusterman

When Neal Shusterman was in college, he was told to stop building worlds and start building characters. He listened. And from then on, his worlds became more magical and deep than ever before, because, as he says, when you care about characters, you care about the world they live in.

Neal’s career has revolved around incredible and fantastical lands of his own creation. In these worlds, he builds rules and structures that he sticks to rigidly, even if that means following a story arc he had no intention of writing to begin with (he tells us that story in the episode). 

Getting immersed in settings unlike – but not far from – our own provides crucial lessons about perspective. This outside perspective allows us to shed our preconceptions and witness characters and events in a way we would be unable to otherwise. It’s an incredibly impactful storytelling style for young readers just learning these skills, and Neal is a master at it.

Neal Shusterman is best known for his "Unwind Dystology" series, his Printz-winning "Scythe" trilogy, and "Challenger Deep," which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2015. 

In this episode, Neal shares how getting immersed in his favorite fictional worlds inspired him to create some of his own, he’ll talk about how and why he prioritizes characters to enhance immersion, and how seriously he takes sticking to the rules of his world.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

***

In his reading challenge, "The Nature of Consciousness," Neal wants to send us into various fictional worlds to challenge our perception of a prevailing debate in our own world: A.I.

You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Danielle Masterson, assistant director at the Wilmington Public Library in Massachusetts. Danielle shares some wisdom to settle the debate of what “qualifies” as reading.

Contents

Chapter 1 - The Trouble with Star Trek Blueprints (2:11)

Chapter 2 - The Jaws of (Neal’s) Life (9:02)

Chapter 3 - Desktop Quotes (10:32)

Chapter 4 - Stories From the Cabin (15:14)

Chapter 5 - No Characters, No World (18:02)

Chapter 6 - A Sense of Hope (24:10)

Chapter 7 - The Power of a Teacher (27:12)

Chapter 8 - The Nature of Consciousness (30:30)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (31:23)

Links

• The Reading Culture
• Neal Shusterman
• Neal’s National Book Award Speech for “Challenger Deep”
• Jaws movie trailer
• The Talmud
• Neal’s Upcoming Graphic Novel, “Courage to Dream”
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and extra content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
• Challenger Deep - National Book Foundation
• Wilmington Memorial Library
• The world of Scythe - An interview with Neal Shusterman

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

On Today's Show

• "That's still my trick too, never tell them how they're feeling. Never begin to even show how they're feeling. They'll get it anyway. You're describing negative space and the negative space you can't even get at.” - Jon Klassen
  
  

Where there is empty space, our brains will fill in the blanks, and often, the way in which we personally fill those blank spaces is far more potent than anything that can be written in words or shown in an image. That’s why despite being gifted in both illustrating and writing, Jon Klassen always intentionally restrains himself from specificity. 

Jon is a Caldecott Medal winner author and illustrator known for his distinctive minimalistic art style and quirky but profound writing. His work includes his Hat Trilogy, starting with "I Want My Hat Back", along with newer works such as "The Rock from the Sky," “The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale” and many collaborations with his longtime friend and author Mac Barnett. 

In this episode, Jon tells us the story of how he learned to embrace the unspoken through a “gunshot moment” in his youth. He’ll talk about how he intentionally incorporates negative space into his work and why that is so impactful for young readers in particular, and we’ll hear about the SNL classics that inspired his coy sense of comedy. 

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. 

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In his reading challenge, "A Tale to Remember," Jon invites readers to follow a process that for him emerged unintentionally in the creation of his latest book, "The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale." You can find his list and all past reading challenges at thereadingculturepod.com.

This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Ellen Clark, the Children's Outreach Librarian for Kokomo Howard County Public Library in Indiana. Ellen shares an experience she recently had that highlights the emotional impact librarians have not just on a community writ large, but on each individual reader.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Seventies University Guy Reads (2:25)

Chapter 2 - Sketch Book Art Kids (not Jon) (7:51)

Chapter 3 - Waiting For Godot (13:10)

Chapter 4 - The Existential Gun Shot (19:40)

Chapter 5 - No Sad Bears (21:47)

Chapter 6 - Part 2 (28:34)

Chapter 7 - A Girl and Her Skull (30:37)

Chapter 8 - A Tale to Remember (34:51)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (36:12)

Show Links

• The Reading Culture
• Jon Klassen
• The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and extra content)
• Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
• Elm Trees of Manitoba
• P.D. Eastman
• Mac Barnett
• Jon’s Ghost Story
• The Hat Trilogy
• Waiting for Godot
• For Whom the Bell Tolls
• Jack Handy - Fuzzy Memories
• George and Martha by James Marshall
• Book Review: ‘The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale,’ by Jon Klassen - The New York Times
• The Far Side Comics
• Bill Watterson
• Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
• The Children’s Book Podcast
• KHCPL.org

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producer: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey