Worlds Awaiting

Better Writers (3:22)

Reading and writing go hand in hand. Practicing one improves the other. Today on Worlds Awaiting Steve Graham, a professor at Arizona State University’s Teacher College, talks with Rachel about how parents can help their children become better writers. He also emphasizes that writing is a powerful tool that helps them acquire info at school and better-equips them for future jobs. For over 30 years Graham has been researching how to teach young people to write effectively, and, how writing can be used to support reading and learning. He’s author of numerous reports and books on writing instruction including Powerful Writing Strategies for All Students. 

Katherine Paterson (14:00)

Katherine Paterson is the Newbery Medal-winning author of Bridge to Terabithia. Patterson talks with Jessica Verzello of the Worlds Awaiting team about her newest book, My Brigadista Year. This historical novel follows a young Cuban teenager as she volunteers for Fidel Castro’s national literacy campaign and travels into the impoverished countryside to teach others how to read. Katherine Paterson has written more than thirty books and is recipient of many of the highest accolades awarded in children’s literature.

Author Advice (22:16)

We finish up the show today with children’s book author David John Butler, who offer some tips for youth and adults who want to enter the world of writing.

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:22 - Better Writers

00:14:00 - Katherine Paterson

00:22:16 - Author Advice

Twain Story Discovered (3:32)

Historical figures can sometimes be larger than life. But, they led real lives as well – like something as simple as telling their children a bedtime story. Today, Rachel visits with children’s book author, Philip Stead, who along with his illustrator wife Erin brought to life a bedtime story that Mark Twain made up for his daughters. It was never published in his lifetime. Stead shares the backstory – of the recent discovery of the manuscript and he and his wife being sought out to re-purpose and expand the story that is entitled The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine. Philip and Erin Steed are also the author and illustrator of the Caldecott-winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee, as well as Bear Has a Story to Tell and Lenny & Lucy. The Steeds live in northern Michigan.

Taming the Wild Text (13:31)

Up next, literacy expert and author Pam Allyn talks to Rachel about the book that she co-authored with Monica Burns, Taming the Wild Text, a valuable resource that helps kids become better readers in the 21st century – across the vast spectrum of material available both digitally and in print. She’s founding director of LitWorld, a global literacy initiative serving children across the United States and in more than 60 countries. Allyn is author of a number of books including: Every Child a Super Reader, Your Child’s Writing Life, and What to Read When.

Book Review (24:09)

We finish up the show with Ally Lybbert, a BYU student who is studying Elementary Education, reviewing a book entitled, Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket. Additional book reviews are available on the Worlds Awaiting page on byuradio.org.

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:32 - Twain Story Discovered

00:13:31 - Taming the Wild Text

00:24:09 - Book Review

Twain Story Discovered (3:32)

Historical figures can sometimes be larger than life. But, they led real lives as well – like something as simple as telling their children a bedtime story. Today, Rachel visits with children’s book author, Philip Stead, who along with his illustrator wife Erin brought to life a bedtime story that Mark Twain made up for his daughters. It was never published in his lifetime. Stead shares the backstory – of the recent discovery of the manuscript and he and his wife being sought out to re-purpose and expand the story that is entitled The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine. Philip and Erin Steed are also the author and illustrator of the Caldecott-winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee, as well as Bear Has a Story to Tell and Lenny & Lucy. The Steeds live in northern Michigan.

Taming the Wild Text (13:31)

Up next, literacy expert and author Pam Allyn talks to Rachel about the book that she co-authored with Monica Burns, Taming the Wild Text, a valuable resource that helps kids become better readers in the 21st century – across the vast spectrum of material available both digitally and in print. She’s founding director of LitWorld, a global literacy initiative serving children across the United States and in more than 60 countries. Allyn is author of a number of books including: Every Child a Super Reader, Your Child’s Writing Life, and What to Read When.

 

Book Review (24:09)

We finish up the show with Ally Lybbert, a BYU student who is studying Elementary Education, reviewing a book entitled, Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket. Additional book reviews are available on the Worlds Awaiting page on byuradio.org.

When something affects us, we often feel a need to share it. Perhaps a passage from a book or even a poem excites or engages you. You just want to share that excitement by telling someone else about it. Today’s episode of Worlds Awaiting is prompted by an event sponsored by LitWorld. It’s called “World Read Aloud Day.” Coming up, some of our BYU Radio colleagues share passages from their favorite books. 

Featured are: 

Jeff Simpson, Co-host of the The Matt Townsend Show reading from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. 

Tennery Norton is the producer of Top of Mind and she'll be sharing a passage from a favorite book of hers, Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie

Reed Wolfley, also of the Top of Mind team, reads from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. 

Our host Rachel Wadham shares The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter. 

Cole Wissinger, Technical Director, Worlds Awaiting, finishes things off with a fun picture book by Krystin Crow, Bedtime in the Swamp.

When something affects us, we often feel a need to share it. Perhaps a passage from a book or even a poem excites or engages you. You just want to share that excitement by telling someone else about it. Today’s episode of Worlds Awaiting is prompted by an event sponsored by LitWorld. It’s called “World Read Aloud Day.” Coming up, some of our BYU Radio colleagues share passages from their favorite books. 

 

Featured are: 

Jeff Simpson, Co-host of the The Matt Townsend Show reading from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. 

 

Tennery Norton is the producer of Top of Mind and she'll be sharing a passage from a favorite book of hers, Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie

 

Reed Wolfley, also of the Top of Mind team, reads from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. 

 

Our host Rachel Wadham shares The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter. 

 

Cole Wissinger, Technical Director, Worlds Awaiting, finishes things off with a fun picture book by Krystin Crow, Bedtime in the Swamp.

Dog and Bear (3:23)

Let’s say you’re the proud owner of a stuffed bear. And let’s say he can talk. What would it say? Children’s book author and illustrator, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, tells us about her stuffed bear, along with her very much alive pet Dachshund. These two animals became the leading characters in her popular book series, Dog and Bear. Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator and recipient of multiple honors including the Caldecott Honor Award and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award.

Fan Fiction (13:38)

Up next, Rachel chats with English Professor, Jonathan Alexander, who writes frequently about Fan Fiction. Alexander gives us more insight into the genre, which involves fans who expand existing fiction with additional characters and settings. Alexander is Chancellor's Professor of English, Education, and Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, where he is also Founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Writing & Communication. He’s the author, co-author, or editor of thirteen books, including Writing Youth: Young Adult Fiction as Literacy Sponsorship.

Poetry (26:23)

We finish up today’s show with two poems: William Wordsworth’s I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud read by Ciara Hulet, assistant producer at BYU Radio; and Nature, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, read by Classical 89 announcer, Peg Woodruff.

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:23 - Dog and Bear

00:13:38 - Fan Fiction

00:26:23 - Poetry

Dog and Bear (3:23)

Let’s say you’re the proud owner of a stuffed bear. And let’s say he can talk. What would it say? Children’s book author and illustrator, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, tells us about her stuffed bear, along with her very much alive pet Dachshund. These two animals became the leading characters in her popular book series, Dog and Bear. Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator and recipient of multiple honors including the Caldecott Honor Award and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award.

Fan Fiction (13:38)

Up next, Rachel chats with English Professor, Jonathan Alexander, who writes frequently about Fan Fiction. Alexander gives us more insight into the genre, which involves fans who expand existing fiction with additional characters and settings. Alexander is Chancellor's Professor of English, Education, and Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, where he is also Founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Writing & Communication. He’s the author, co-author, or editor of thirteen books, including Writing Youth: Young Adult Fiction as Literacy Sponsorship.

 

Poetry (26:23)

We finish up today’s show with two poems: William Wordsworth’s I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud read by Ciara Hulet, assistant producer at BYU Radio; and Nature, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, read by Classical 89 announcer, Peg Woodruff.

Reading Wellness (3:45)

Does reading really ever make a difference? What part does reading play in our lives? Ideally, it would help us grow as human beings – and better understand what we want to be. And what about the characters in the books we read? Today on Worlds Awaiting Rachel visits with literacy specialist and author, Jan Burkins, who addresses the topic of “Reading Wellness.” In the healthiest sense, books can be a gateway to the world, a doorway into shaping who we want to be. Dr. Jan Burkins has spent her career studying and teaching about how children learn to read. She earned her doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in reading at the University of Kansas. She taught as an elementary school teacher and was a literacy coach for several years, and has published five books about literacy and literacy coaching, including the bestselling Preventing Misguided Reading. Her latest book is Who’s Doing the Work? How to Say Less So Readers Can Do More, co-authored with Kim Yaris.

Book Chat (14:42)

Next, Rachel chats with Jessica Verzello and Sebastian Shiraishi from the BYU Education and Juvenile Literature Library. They discuss an innovative picture book entitled, Du Iz tak written and illustrated by Carson Ellis.

Reading & Writing (24:38)

Now, we finish up this installment of Worlds Awaiting with Whitney Gibbons, Assistant Producer of Thinking Aloud on BYU Radio. She shares her passion for reading and writing and her hopes of seeing her own work eventually published.

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:45 - Reading Wellness

00:14:42 - Book Chat

00:24:38 - Reading & Writing

Reading Wellness (3:45)

Does reading really ever make a difference? What part does reading play in our lives? Ideally, it would help us grow as human beings – and better understand what we want to be. And what about the characters in the books we read? Today on Worlds Awaiting Rachel visits with literacy specialist and author, Jan Burkins, who addresses the topic of “Reading Wellness.” In the healthiest sense, books can be a gateway to the world, a doorway into shaping who we want to be. Dr. Jan Burkins has spent her career studying and teaching about how children learn to read. She earned her doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in reading at the University of Kansas. She taught as an elementary school teacher and was a literacy coach for several years, and has published five books about literacy and literacy coaching, including the bestselling Preventing Misguided Reading. Her latest book is Who’s Doing the Work? How to Say Less So Readers Can Do More, co-authored with Kim Yaris.

Book Chat (14:42)

Next, Rachel chats with Jessica Verzello and Sebastian Shiraishi from the BYU Education and Juvenile Literature Library. They discuss an innovative picture book entitled, Du Iz tak written and illustrated by Carson Ellis.

Reading & Writing (24:38)

Now, we finish up this installment of Worlds Awaiting with Whitney Gibbons, Assistant Producer of Thinking Aloud on BYU Radio. She shares her passion for reading and writing and her hopes of seeing her own work eventually published.

Real People (3:51)

Real stories – real lives – real people. We often meet them in biographies. Perhaps we’re inspired by their examples to move through our own hard times. Individuals who are seemingly ordinary, but accomplish extraordinary things. Today, Jessica Verzello of the Worlds Awaiting team, visits with children’s book author, Jen Bryant, who often writes about such real and inspiring people – some we’ve heard about, others, not. Jen shares how she chooses the people to spotlight in her books. They often find her, she says, or she comes upon them accidentally. Bryant is an award-winning author of picture books, novels and poems for readers of all ages. Her books include The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus; A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams; The Trial (1935 Lindbergh kidnapping trial), and Georgia’s Bones (celebrating the life of artist Georgia O’Keeffe). Jen Bryant has taught writing and Children’s Literature at West Chester University and Bryn Mawr College and gives school and public lectures throughout the year.

Victorian Periodicals (13:42)

Up next, Rachel Wadham talks with Jamie Horrocks, BYU English Professor, an expert in Victorian literature and culture, who focuses on Victorian Children’s Periodicals. These periodicals were forerunners of today’s magazines that serialize stories in sequential editions. Jamie Horrocks researches Victorian aesthetics and the intersection of literature and art, especially in the late nineteenth century. She has published on Oscar Wilde, Vernon Lee, Virginia Woolf, and the Aesthetic Movement.

Book Review (24:57)

We finish up the show with a book review from Joella Peterson, Children’s Services Manager at the Provo City Library. She introduces a picture book entitled The Princess and the Warrior written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh.