Tag Archives: podcast

Anne of Green Gables – an interview with Pam Allyn

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Podcast #066

For my sixty-sixth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed literacy educator and author Pam Allyn about the classic children’s novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. First published in 1908, this is first of several novels about the irrepressible red haired orphan Anne Shirley, who despite all the trouble that follows in her rambunctious wake, still finds a tender place in the hearts of the people of Green Gables.

Pam Allyn is a literacy expert, author, motivational speaker, and  Senior Vice President of Innovation and Development  at Scholastic. She is also Executive Director and founder of LitWorld, an advocacy group for children’s rights as readers, writers, and learners, and creator of World Read Aloud Day. You can find more information about Pam and World Read Aloud Day at pamallyn.com, 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! And 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 Kate DiCamillo about the classic children’s novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. It will be published on Monday, December 16th.

Call Me Maria – an interview with Dania Ramos

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Podcast #061

For my sixty-first Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author and playwright Dania Ramos about the young readers novel Call Me Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer. Maria is torn between two worlds, her old home in Puerto Rico where her mother lives, and her new home in the barrio in New York City with her father. Told in a mix of poems, letters, and prose, this lyrical novel tells of a young girl’s search for a place where she can feel like she belongs, and a voice to express the life around her and within her.

Dania Ramos is an educator and playwright as well as author of the 7th Grade Sleuths books Who’s Ju and Ignacio in the Dark. In addition she is podcast manager for the Cocatazo Audio theater, for which she has written the children’s audio fiction series Time Storm. You can find Dania’s website at www.daniaramos.com and the Cocatazo Audio theater  at www.cocotazomedia.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! And 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 Christina Uss talking about the middle grade novel Lizard Music by Daniel Pinkwater and The Trolls by Polly Horvath. It will be published on October 7th.

Giraffes Can’t Dance – an interview with Lori Orlinsky

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Podcast #060

For my sixtieth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Lori Orlinsky about the picture book Giraffes Can’t Dance, written by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. With his long neck and skinny legs, Gerald the Giraffe just wasn’t made for dancing. Or so he thinks, until a friendly cricket tells him that he’s just got to find the right music to figure how to dance in his own special way.

Lori Orlinsky is author of the picture book Being Small (isn’t so bad after all) published by Mascot Books. You can find the Mascot Books website at mascotbooks.com

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! And 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 Dania Ramos talking about Call Me Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer . It will be published on September 16th.

Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings; Soaring Earth – an interview with Padma Venkatraman

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Podcast #058

For my fifty-eighth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Padma Venkatraman about the verse memoirs Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings and Soaring Earth by Margarita Engle.

Enchanted Air was published in 2015, followed by Soaring Earth in 2019.  Each details  Margarita’s experience immigrating to the US after the Cuban revolution of the 1960’s. In the first book we meet Margarita as a child, torn between her love of the Cuba she longs to return to and her struggle to find her place in a country that doesn’t always welcome her with open arms. In the second book we meet up with Margarita again as a young adult as she travels from California to New York in a journey to figure out where she belongs and what she has to offer the world. Told entirely in free verse, Margarita’s story is lyrical and personal, a story that is both unique and universal in her quest to find a place to call home.

Padma Venkatraman is author of  the novels Climbing the Stairs, Island’s End, A Time to Dance, and the 2019 middle grade novel The Bridge Home. You can find Padma’s website at padmavenkatraman.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. And 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 Kathi Appelt, talking about The Grand Plan To Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami . It will be published on August 19th.

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper – an interview with Susan Adrian

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Podcast #056

For my fifty-sixth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Susan Adrian about the middle grade fantasy novel The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.

First published in 1973, The Dark is Rising is the second book in a series of five books known as the Dark is Rising series. It tells the story of Will Stanton, who learns on his eleventh birthday that he is one of the Old Ones, a group of beings with extraordinary powers who are battling against the Dark. Drawing on English and Celtic mythology, The Dark is Rising is both a fantasy about the never ending battle between Good and Evil and a coming of age story of a young boy who must figure his place is in the world.

Susan Adrian is the author of the YA novels Tunnel Vision and The Dark at the End and the middle grade novel Nutcracked. Her latest middle grade novel Forever Neverland was just released June, 2019. You can find Susan’s website at susanadrian.net.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. And 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 Kelly Jones, talking about the middle grade novel  The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater. It will be published on July 16th.