Flora &Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures – an interview with Judith L. Roth

Podcast #097

For my ninety-seventh Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Judith L. Roth about the middle grade illustrated novel Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. When a squirrel name Ulysses gets sucked up into a vacuum cleaner and transforms into a flying, poetry-typing super-squirrel, Flora is there to protect him from the evil forces that set out to destroy him–like her mom!

Judith L. Roth is the author of such books as  Goodnight Dragons, Serendipity and Me, and the recently released picture book Venetian Lullaby. Her latest book is another picture book called Hiding Baby Moses. You can find her website at judithlroth.wordpress.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Michelle Schaub about the middle grade book Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini . It will be published on Monday, April 19, 2021.

Tongues of Jade: an interview with Julie Leung

Podcast #096

For my ninety-fifth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Julie Leung about the middle grade folktale collection Tongues of Jade by Lawrence Yep. Based on a selection of stories gathered by the WPA from Chinese immigrants in California in the early twentieth century, Lawrence retells these folktales full of magic and monsters and a little bit of mischief.

Julie Leung is author of the Mice of the Round Table middle grade series, Who Did It First?: 50 Scientists, Artists, and Mathematicians Who Revolutionized the World and the picture book biography Paper Son: The Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant & Artist. Her latest book is another picture book biography called The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee. You can find her website at jleungbooks.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Judith L. Roth about the middle grade novel Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. It will be published on Monday, April 5, 2021.

There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom: An interview with Robert Hoyman

Podcast #095

For my ninety-fifth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Robert Hoyman about the middle grade novel There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom by Louis Sachar. Bradley Chalkers is the most hated kid in fifth grade, and he’s fine with that — or so he says. But when a new boy a new school counselor enter his life, Bradley begins to wonder if it really has to be that way after all.

Robert Hoyman is author of Limerick Comics. You can find his website at limerickcomics.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Julie Leung about the middle grade story collection Tongues of Jade by Lawrence Yep. It will be published on Monday, March 15, 2021.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: An interview with Victoria Bond

Podcast #094

For my ninety-fourth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Victoria Bond about the historical novel The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation by M. T. Anderson Vol. 1: The Pox Party; Vol. 2: The Kingdom on the Waves. It is a epic and wrenching story set during the Revolutionary War about how the rhetoric of freedom and liberty so often withers under the brutal shadow of slavery.

Victoria Bond is an educator and award winning author of Zora and Me. Her latest book, the third book in this series about the writer Zora Neale Hurston as a child, is  Zora & Me: The Summoner. You can find her website at victoriabondauthor.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Robert Hoyman about the middle grade novel There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom by Louis Sachar. It will be published on Monday, March 1, 2021.

The Hundred Dresses: An interview with Ann Burg

Podcast #093

For my ninety-third Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Ann Burg about the novel The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. The Hundred Dresses is a classic novel about a young girl, Wanda Petronski, who teaches a group of young children about kindness and acceptance in the most surprisng way.

Ann Burg is the author of such books as Unbound and Serafina’s Promise.  Her latest books is the historical verse novel Flooded, Requiem for Johnstown. You can find her website at annburg.com.

I also talked to author and literacy advocate Pam Allyn about World Read Aloud Day 2021, which will be Wednesday, February 3. You can find more information about World Read Aloud Day 2021 at www.litworld.org and teacher.scholastic.com/worldreadaloudday.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Victoria Bond about the novel The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation by M. T. Anderson. It will be published on Monday, February 15, 2021.