Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Turning Back the Pages
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Turning Back the Pages episodes
- The Great Judy Blume
Look who's back!? After a long podcast break, I'm back with regularly scheduled Turning Back the Pages episodes. To get us started, we're talking all things Judy Blume!
Who is the great Judy Blume, and what makes her so great? Today, I talk through Judy's life and her work and what makes her work worth rereading years later.
Next week, author and illustrator Selina Alko will join me to continue the conversation about Judy Blume as we specifically talk about the book Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself, Judy's semi-autobiographical novel.
Join me on Substack for more stories and thoughts on TBTP's authors of the month. This week, I'm sharing the story of how the 6th grade girls at my school got around a Judy Blume book ban.
This episode would not have been possible without the work of Rachelle Bergstein and Mark Oppenheimer's biographies about Judy.
Clips of Judy Blume's interview are from Temple University's Profiles in Literature
Follow Ally on Instagram or Substack
Thank you to Juqboxmusic and zXennial_Music for the show music
21 min - 21. The Story of Ferdinand
This week on the podcast, I am joined by Stephanie Wildman.
Stephanie Wildman, author of six children’s books, became a Professor Emerita after serving as the John A. and Elizabeth H. Sutro Chair at Santa Clara Law. She is a grandmother, mother, spouse, friend, good listener, who can sit “criss-cross apple sauce” thanks to her yoga practice. Her latest, STORY POWER! (co-authored with Simon Wildman Chung, illustrated by Estefanía Razo) is now available.
Links and Resources:
You can follow Stephanie hereAbout the show:
You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pages on Bookshop.org.
Follow Ally on Instagram or Twitter/X
Thank you to Juqboxmusic and zXennial_Music for the show music
36 min - 20. A Wrinkle in Time
What does A Wrinkle in Time, Drama in Real Life stories, andbutt brains all have in common? Usually not much, but today, I discuss all three in this week’s episode of Turning Back the Pages with author Tanya Kyi.
Tanya Lloyd Kyi is the author of more than 35 books for children and young adults. She writes about science, pop-culture, history, and places where the three overlap. Tanya has worked in the past as a graphic designer, an editor, and a dishwasher. (She considers herself entirely qualified for that last one.) Her favourite color is blue, her favourite food is cheese, and her favourite book is A Wrinkle in Time. Tanya lives in Vancouver, B.C., where she’s a lecturer for the UBC School ofCreative Writing.
Relevant Links:
Follow Tanya on Instagram.
Buy FEELING YOUR FEELINGS
About the show:
You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.
Follow Ally on Instagram
Thank you to Juqboxmusic and zXennial_Music for the show music.
32 min - 19. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
This week on the podcast, I am joined by Beth Hollar Gier. Beth chose From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which was a favorite childhood book for both of us, so we enjoyed a half hour of gushing about how much we love this book.
Beth Hollar Gier grew up along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. She studied music at the University of Michigan and worked with middle school and high school students for many years. In 2023, she earned her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. These days, she lives and writes in Michigan, serves as a mentor for the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, and cherishes time with her family. IT’S LIKE WE TOUCHED THE MOON is her debut novel.
Relevant Links:
Beth’s book It’s Like We Touched the Moon is out now! A novel-in-verse, perfect for elementary aged readers!
You can find Beth online on Instagram.
About the show:
You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.
Follow Ally on Instagram.
Thank you to Juqboxmusic and zXennial_Music for the show music
34 min - 18. Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever
This week on the podcast, I am joined by Lindsay H. Metcalf. We discuss nursery rhymes, Richard Scarry's illustration style, talking kids through hard topics, tariffs, and more! In the words of Stefan, "This episode has everything!"
Lindsay H. Metcalf is a former journalist who writes nonfiction and poetry about people who strive to make theworld better. Her books, including No Voice Too Small and No World Too Big, have won honors such as the International Literacy Association’s Social Justice Literature Award and the Green Earth Book Award, as well as best-of-the-yearnods from Kirkus, Bank Street College of Education, and others. Lindsay began her writing career as a reporter, editor, and columnist for The Kansas City Star and other news outlets. She lives near her family’s working farm in Kansas with her husband, two sons, a geriatric cat, and a devoted lapdog. Her sixth book—Tomatoes on Trial: The Fruit V. Vegetable Showdown, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham—releases August 12, 2025, from Calkins Creek.)
Relevant Links:
Lindsay's book Tomatoes On Trial: The Fruit V. Vegetable Showdown is out now! I promise you won't want to miss this one.
You can find Lindsay online on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
About the show:
You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.
Follow Ally on Instagram.
Thank you to Juqboxmusic and zXennial_Music for the show music
38 min - 17. The King Who Rained
Welcome to season THREE! This week on the podcast, I am joined by Jen Barton to discuss The King Who Rained by Fred Gwynne.
Jen Barton is a goofball masquerading as an adult. She is also the award-winning author of seven books for kids. She loves reading, cooking, gardening, and hopes to someday meet a dragon during a long walk in the woods. She started writing after the world’s most boring day in the car, a harrowing experience survived only by telling stories with the kids. Just a short girl with a tall imagination, Jen lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and spends much of her time thinking ofsilly things to amuse children.
Relevant links:
Follow Jen on Facebook, Twitter, buy Forest Bath
About the show:
You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.
Follow Ally on Instagram or Twitter/X
Thank you to Juqboxmusicand zXennial_Musicfor the show music
33 min - 16. Where the Sidewalk Ends
This week on the podcast, I am joined by author Chelsea Lin Wallace.
Chelsea Lin Wallace is a poet, a school theater director, and an award-winning children’s author with an impressive lineup of books including Ode to a Bad Day, The Boo-Boos of Bluebell Elementary, and Dare to be Daring. When she's not penning stories, she's passionately involved in guiding kids through theater productions, coaching volleyball, and being a source of support through all their ups and downs. Shelives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and dog. You can also visit her at www.chelsealinwallace.com.
Relevant Links:
Follow Chelsea on Instagram
About the show:
You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.
Follow Ally on InstagramThank you to Juqboxmusic and zXennial_Music for the show music
38 min - 15. Ramona the Pest
This week on the podcast, Hollie Michaels joins me to discuss her favorite childhood book, Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary.
Hollie Michaels is an author, illustrator, playwright, theater teacher, and director. She is the author of a new chapter book series Golda and Ezra, published by Capstone. Recently she was a finalist for the Cornerstone Writer-in-Residence Program at Wilton Library, a RUCCL mentee two years in a row, and her illustration portfolio won the Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in 2023.
Hollie has a background in theater and film. She holds two masters, one in Creative Writing Scripts from City University of London, and the other in Educational Theater from City College of New York. Before the pandemic Hollie was a k-12 theater educator. Currently Hollie is focused on writing for children full time. She is also a published youth playwright. Her middle grade play Children of Hooverville is published by YOUTHplays and is performed around the country by middleschool students. She is an active member of 12X12, SCBWI, and Kids Comics Unite. She lives in New England with her two kids, one corgi and one former ally cat.
Relevant Links:
Follow Hollie on Instagram and BlueSky
About the show:
You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.
Follow Ally on Instagram
Thank you to Juqboxmusic and zXennial_Music for the show music
25 min - 14. Madeline
Today, author Tami Lehman-Wilzig joins me to discuss the classic childhood book Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans.
Tami Lehman-Wilzig is an award-winning author of 13 published Jewish content picture books, and threemore on the way this year. Her titles include the award winning books: SOOSIE, The Horse That Saved Shabbat; Keeping The Promise; NathanBlows Out the Hanukkah Candles; Passover Around the World and Green Bible Stories for Children. She is also the creator of a unique, digital story/lesson plan series entitled Shabbat Around the World. PJ Library has selected five of her books for its English speaking market, and hastranslated three of her books into Spanish and one of her books into Russian for those language markets.
Living in Israel for over forty-five years, Tami served as one of the country’s leading English language advertising copywriters for thirty-five years, creating the marketingimage of numerous Israeli exporters. Tami lives in Kfar Saba with her husband. A busy Savta (grandmother), she spends her time writing stories, creating glass and ceramic art, and going on photography shoots.
Relevant links:
Follow Tami on her website, Facebook, on Instagram, and on LinkedIn.
On the Wings of Eagles out now!
Video about Bemelmans' art
About the show:
You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.
Follow Ally on Instagram
Thank you to Juqboxmusic and zXennial_Music for the show music
31 min - 13. Margaret Wise Brown
This week, I'm telling the story of the visionary storyteller Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny and many, many others. She's also the inspiration to this very podcast! Listen to find out why.
Relevant Links: Weekend EditionIn the Great Green Room by Amy Gary
Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon by Leonard S. Marcus
About the show:
You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.
Follow Ally on Instagram
Thank you to Juqboxmusic and zXennial_Music for the show music.
12 min
About Turning Back the Pages
From the publisher's feed
The show that interviews children's book authors about their favorite childhood book.