Best Bella Wilson Podcasts (2024)

1
Sarah Aronson, "Abzuglutely!:Battling, Bellowing Bella Abzug" (Calkins Creek Books, 2024) 52:03

5h ago52:03

52:03

In this lively interview with author Sarah Aronson, we celebrate her brand new picture book, Abzuglutely!: Battling, Bellowing Bella Abzug, illustrated by Andrea D'Aquino ‎ (Calkins Creek, October 15, 2024), which focuses on Bella's determination to fight for what is right, as part of her belief in Tikun Olam (repairing the world). We talk about Sa…

1
Childrens' Books in Public Libraries: A Discussion with Pat (Patrick) Gracey 1:07:07

3d ago1:07:07

1:07:07

Pat (Patrick) Gracey is a senior librarian at the Toronto Public Library where he is a children's services specialist, leading the team that selects new picture books for 17 downtown locations (!). In our interview, Pat talks about the magic inherent in picture books, and focuses on some of his favorite Canadian (and semi-Canadian) picture books, i…

1
Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, "We Celebrate the Light" (Penguin, 2024) 57:40

16d ago57:40

57:40

In our three-way interview, I celebrate with world-renowned children's authors Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple (who is also Jane's daughter), their brand new picture book, We Celebrate the Light, published last week (October 8, 2024) by Rise x Penguin Workshop with the 'luminous' illustrations of Jieting Chen (Illustrator). We talk about the process b…

1
Tina Shepardson, "The Sorry Seeds" (Gnome Road, 2024) 45:31

15d ago45:31

45:31

Tina Shepardson and I celebrate her wonderful new picture book The Sorry Seeds, just published (two days ago!!) by Gnome Road with gorgeous illustrations by Bong Hyun Shin. In our candid conversation, Tina reveals the true childhood story that led her to write the manuscript, and discusses her own journey from child to teacher to author, the critic…

1
Kimberly Wilson, "A Credit Card Takes Charge" (Page Street Kids, 2024) 48:12

18d ago48:12

48:12

Are you ready for the story of a credit card that takes cash on a spending spree? In my interview with picture book author Kimberly Wilson, we celebrate brand new book, A Credit Card Takes Charge, published just last week by Page Street Kids (Oct. 1st, 2024). It's third in her series of hilarious, punniful picture books dealing with all things mone…

1
Cathey Stefanec Ogren, "The Little Red Chair" (Sleeping Bear Press, 2024) 44:51

2M ago44:51

44:51

In this, our second interview, Cathy Stefanec Ogren talks about her brand new, wonderfully written and illustrated (by Alexandra Thompson) picture book, The Little Red Chair, just published by Sleeping Bear Press (August 1, 2024). We discuss Cathy's journey to success, the challenge of writing a picture book manuscript that 'begs' to be illustrated…

1
On Haya Shenhav's "100 Rooms" 49:56

2M ago49:56

49:56

Professor Yirmi Pinkus celebrates with us the rerelease of the classic Hebrew children's book, 100 Rooms by Haya Shenhav, in a new American edition (Kalaniot Books, 2024), published (May 1st, 2024) by Kalaniot Books, with his stunning new illustrations. We also discuss his career as an illustrator alongside being an academic teaching the subject, a…

1
Ruth Spiro, "One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story" (Dial Books, 2024) 47:23

2M ago47:23

47:23

In this, our second interview with prolific author Ruth Spiro, we celebrate the publication of her brand new book, One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story (Dial Books, 2024), with the stunning illustrations of Victoria Tentler-Krylov. Ruth talks about her remarkable career, writing scientific board books for toddlers (25 and counting!), as well as sto…

1
Dan Gutman, "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" (Holiday House, 2024) 49:34

3M ago49:34

49:34

Dan Gutman is the renowned, prolific author of some 190 books for kids from kindergarten up to middle school. His books include Rappy the Raptor (picture book) and the "My Weird School" series (early readers) about kids who go to a school in which all the grownups are crazy. Over thirty five million books have been sold . He has also written “Wait!…

1
Muslimness in Books for Young Readers: A Chat with A. M. Dassu 1:00:16

3M ago1:00:16

1:00:16

Persevering with our literary theme this season, in this episode Claudia Radiven and Chella Ward chat to A. M. Dassu about her books for young readers. Az is a children’s author of fiction and non-fiction, whose books include Fight Back (Tu Books, 2022) and Boy, Everywhere (Tu Books, 2021). Her books engage young readers with themes of migration, a…

1
Charly Palmer and Karida Brown, "The New Brownies' Book: A Love Letter to Black Families" (Chronicle Books, 2023) 50:19

4M ago50:19

50:19

In 1920, W. E. B. Du Bois and the NAACP founders published The Brownies’ Book: A Monthly Magazine for Children of the Sun. A century later, The New Brownies' Book: A Love Letter to Black Families (Chronicle Books, 2023) recreates the very first publication created for Black youth in 1920 into a sensational anthology. Expanding on the mission of the…

1
Don Tate, Children's Book Illustrator and Author 49:23

4M ago49:23

49:23

Don Tate is the award-winning author and/or illustrator of numerous picture book biographies, including Pigskins to Paintbrushes: The Story of Football-Playing Artist Ernie Barnes (Abrams) and William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad (Peachtree) and more recently, Jerry Changed the Game!: How Engineer Jerry Laws…

1
Bonni Goldberg, "Doña Gracia Saved Worlds" (Kar-Ben Publishing, 2023) 56:58

4M ago56:58

56:58

Bonni Goldberg, award-winning poet, writer, and educator, writes non-fiction for children and adults. In our animated discussion, we talk about how her recent picture book, Doña Gracia Saved Worlds (published December, 2023, by Kar-Ben and illustrated by Alida Massari) which came about, her life and writing career, Judaism, and advice for aspiring …

1
The Business of Publishing Children's Books: A Discussion with Elizabeth Law 53:35

5M ago53:35

53:35

Elizabeth Law has worked in the publishing field her whole life, first as an Editor at Viking Children’s Books and Puffin Books, as Associate Publisher at Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, then later as Publisher at Egmont USA, and most recently as the backlist and special projects editor at Holiday House Books for Young Readers. Elizabet…

1
Lesléa Newman, "Like Father, Like Son" (Abrams, 2024) 43:13

5M ago43:13

43:13

In our animated interview with prolific, award-winning children's author and poet Lesléa Newman, we celebrate two of her picture books which have just launched, Like Father, Like Son: A Picture Book, published in April, 2024 by Abrams, and Joyful Song: A Naming Story, published in May, 2024 by Levine-Querido. We talk about Lesléa's journey on her w…

1
Robin Newman, "Who's Writing This Story?" (Creston Books, 2024) 49:45

5M ago49:45

49:45

Robin Newman was a practicing attorney and legal editor but has more fun writing children's books about witches, mice, pigs, and peacocks. In our interview, we celebrate the launch of her new picture book, Who's Writing This Story?, illustrated by Deborah Zemke and published by Creston Books (2024), and talk about Robin's journey to literary succes…

1
Jennifer Berne, "A Tour of the Human Body: Amazing Numbers--Fantastic Facts" (Astra Publishing House, 2024) 45:50

6M ago45:50

45:50

In this wonderful second interview with Jennifer Berne we celebrate the launch of her newest picture book, and the first in a series: A Tour of the Human Body: Amazing Numbers--Fantastic Facts (Number Tours for Curious Kids) published by Astra and just launched on May 7, 2024, illustrated by Dawn DeVries Sokol. Jennifer has written many award-winni…

1
Marie-Louise Gay, "Walking Trees" (Groundwood Books, 2024) 57:02

6M ago57:02

57:02

Marie-Louise Gay is an internationally-acclaimed, multi-award winning Canadian author and illustrator of over 60 books. In our interview, we celebrate the recent launch of her newest book, Walking Trees (Groundwood Books, 2024), and discuss her youth, her studies and professional career, and several of her leading books, including the series featur…

1
Julie Carpenter, "Harry and the Highwire: Houdini's First Amazing Act" (Green Bean Books, 2024) 50:45

6M ago50:45

50:45

In this interview, we celebrate Julie Carpenter's first picture book, Harry and the Highwire: Houdini's First Amazing Act (Laura Catalán, illustrator), published by Green Been Books, May, 2024). Before deciding to write for children, Julie was a journalist, writer and editor for over 20 years.In our conversation we talk about the magic of writing, …

1
#35 What's Next? A Farewell to Shaun Braswell 47:51

7M ago47:51

47:51

Join us as we say goodbye and good luck to our very own Shaun Braswell. Thanks everyone for listening to this week's episode. As always we want to thank you and our guests for joining us! We also want to thank Marshall "Max LaMont" Hamilton for providing our music. Please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any of your favorite …

1
On Monsters, Goddesses and Myths: A Discussion with Author Katherine Marsh 44:54

7M ago44:54

44:54

“We’re not monsters, Mom. We’re goddesses—smart, fearless, and beautiful.” That’s the voice of Ava, the superpowered protagonist of Katherine Marsh’s captivating novel for children, Medusa (Clarion Books, 2024). Our discussion focuses on Marsh’s feminist retelling of the Medusa myth—and on the wider topic of the direction of children’s literature a…

1
Laura Bower, "The Imposter" (Gnome Road Publishing, 2024) 43:23

7M ago43:23

43:23

In this heartwarming interview with Laura Bower, we celebrate the launch of her brand new, debut picture book, The Imposter, illustrated by Kerisa Greene, and published by Sandra Sutter, Gnome Road Publishing (2024). Laura talks about her life and writing career, the story behind The Imposter, and her advice for aspiring authors. Learn more about y…

1
Michelle Knudsen, "Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten" (Candlewick Press, 2024) 43:05

8M ago43:05

43:05

Michelle Knudsen is the New York Times best-selling author of fifty books for young readers of all ages, including the award-winning picture books (and personal favorites) Library Lion and Marilyn's Monster. In this, our second interview we celebrate the launch of her new picture book, Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten (Candlewick, 2024),…

1
Shoshanna Lockshin and Efrayim Unterman, "The Devash Megillat Esther" (Hadar Press, 2024) 38:06

8M ago38:06

38:06

The Devash Megillat Esther (Hadar Press, 2024) includes the full Hebrew Megillah text, an original kid-friendly English translation, and carefully selected commentaries from 2,000 years of Jewish tradition brought to life in newly accessible ways. Devash unlocks sophisticated texts for learners of all ages and backgrounds, encouraging deep question…

1
Sue Fliess, "Octopus Acrobatics" (Albert Whitman & Company, 2024) 55:45

8M ago55:45

55:45

Sue Fliess ("fleece") is the award-winning, bestselling author of over 50 children's books including Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket, How to Trap a Leprechaun, Mary Had a Little Lab, Rumble and Roar, the Beatrice Bly's Rules for Spies series, the Kid Scientist series, the Magical Creatures and Crafts series, and many Little Golden Books. Her books h…

1
Emily Barth Isler, "The Color of Sound" (Carolrhoda Books, 2024) 1:03:30

8M ago1:03:30

1:03:30

Emily Barth Isler is the author of AfterMath, an award-winning middle grade novel, and of the forthcoming picture book Always Enough Love. In our interview, we celebrate the publication of her second middle grade novel, The Color of Sound (Carolrhoda Books, 2024), the story of Rosie, a musical prodigy with synesthesia. We talk about her transformat…

1
#34 Act for Youth! Alum Bella Johnson 20:46

8M ago20:46

20:46

Join us as we catch up with AFY alum Bella Johnson! Thanks everyone for listening to this week's episode. As always we want to thank you and our guests for joining us! We also want to thank Marshall "Max LaMont" Hamilton for providing our music. Please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any of your favorite podcast apps. Also b…

1
A Chat with a Children's Book Illustrator: Erin Kraan 51:11

8M ago51:11

51:11

Erin Kraan has illustrated over half a dozen children's books, with more on the way. In our interview we celebrate her latest illustrated picture book, Buffalo Fluffalo (Random House Studio, 2024) written by Bess Kalb. Erin talks about her life and career, and explains her unique process of carving her characters into wood and seeing how their quir…

1
Suzanne Slade, "The Music in George's Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue" (Astra, 2021) 58:03

8M ago58:03

58:03

Suzanne Slade is the Sibert Honor author of more than 170 books for children. A mechanical engineer by degree, Suzanne writes about STEM topics, fascinating figures in history, and occasionally lyrical fiction. Her newest books include Some Days are Yellow, Shining Star: Vera Rubin Discovers Dark Matter, Behold the Octopus!, and Dazzilin' Dolly: Th…

1
Heather L. Montgomery, "Sick!: The Twists and Turns Behind Animal Germs" (Bloomsbury, 2024) 41:43

8M ago41:43

41:43

Heather L. Montgomery writes for kids who are wild about animals, masterfully employing yuck appeal to engage young minds. Her 17 nonfiction books include Something Rotten: A Fresh Look at Roadkill, What's in your Pocket? Collecting Nature's Treasures, and Bugs Don't Hug: Six Legged Parents and their Kids. Here we celebrate Heather's brand new book…

1
Get Signed: A Chat with Literary Agent Lucinda Halperin 34:56

8M ago34:56

34:56

Lucinda Halpern is a literary agent with over 15 years’ experience in both the publicity and agency sides of publishing. Before founding Lucinda Literary, she worked in the Publicity division of HarperCollins, where she assisted on the media campaign for Freakonomics among other New York Times bestsellers. She currently represents authors writing i…

1
Laurie Wallmark and Raakhee Mirchandani, "Journey to the Stars: Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut" (Beaming Books, 2024) 47:56

9M ago47:56

47:56

Laurie Wallmark is the award-winning author of picture book biographies of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) as well as fiction. In our second interview, we celebrate Laurie's new picture book, Journey to the Stars: Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut, co-written with Raakhee Mirchandani, illustrated by Maitreyi Ghosh (Illustrator) ,…

1
My Friends Maurice Sendak and Leonard Bernstein 48:51

9M ago48:51

48:51

Christopher Swann is an award-winning producer and director of documentaries, a playwright, author and editor. In our lively interview we discuss his career, his thoughts on creativity, his friendship with two legendary geniuses: author-illustrator Maurice Sendak, and composer conductor Leonard Bernstein, and the monumental films which these friend…

1
Rebecca Gardyn Levington, "Afikoman, Where'd You Go?: A Passover Hide-and-Seek Adventure" (Rocky Pond Books, 2024) 58:02

9M ago58:02

58:02

In this wonderfully candid conversation with children's book author Rebecca Gardyn Levington, we celebrate her new book Afikoman, Where'd You Go?: A Passover Hide-and-Seek Adventure from Rocky Pond Books (2024) and illustrated by Noa Kelner. This is her third published picture book (her previous books are Brainstorm! and Whatever Comes Tomorrow), w…

1
Talk to the Literary Agent: A Discussion with Victoria Selvaggio 1:01:54

9M ago1:01:54

1:01:54

For Victoria Selvaggio, books have always played an important role in her life. From an early age, she could easily be found reading in a corner with stacks of books or the opposite, crafting her own. Victoria was introduced to SCBWI (The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). Once again, she was hooked! Like all passions, Victoria i…

1
What Makes A Great Picture Book? 54:57

9M ago54:57

54:57

Betsy Bird is the Collection Development Manager of Evanston Public Library and the former Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She writes for the School Library Journal blog A Fuse #8 Production and reviews for Kirkus. She is the host of the Story Seeds podcast as well as the co-host of the Fuse 8 n' Kate podcast that she creates…

1
Meet the Literary Agent: A Chat with Leslie Zampetti 50:28

10M ago50:28

50:28

Today I speak to the wonderful literary agent Leslie Zampetti, who recently launched her own agency, Open Book Literary. A former librarian in special, public, and school libraries, Leslie’s focus is on the right book at the right time for the reader. We talk about her 'chocolate box' experiences as a champion of great children's stories. Mel Rosen…

1
Miriam Halahmy, "A Boy from Baghdad" (Green Bean Books, 2024) 45:21

10M ago45:21

45:21

Miriam Halahmy has published 9 novels for children and teens. Her new book A Boy from Baghdad (Green Bean Books, 2024), tells the story for children the first time in English, of the exile of the Iraqi Jewish community 1949-1951 to Israel and their subsequent difficulties in the Promised Land. The book was inspired by Miriam's husband's family who …

1
Meet the Librarian 1:05:05

10M ago1:05:05

1:05:05

Louise Lareau is the award-winning Managing Librarian at The New York Public Library and currently leads the Children’s Center team at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library. She calls herself a 'book detective. We talk about makes a great picture book, differences among cultures and languages, the role of the library in bringing books to the chil…

1
Renée LaTulippe, "The Crab Ballet" (Abrams, 2022) 58:52

10M ago58:52

58:52

In this fun interview, we celebrate Renée M. LaTulippe's wonderful poem picture book The Crab Ballet (Cameron Kids/Abrams, 2022) and talk about her career and thoughts about children's literature, the importance of poetry in lyrical writing, her love for theater, and advice for aspiring authors. Renée's upcoming book is Limelight: Theater Poems to …

1
#33 Wilson Active Artists 2024 23:28

10M ago23:28

23:28

Thanks everyone for listening to this week's episode. As always we want to thank you and our guests for joining us! We also want to thank Marshall "Max LaMont" Hamilton for providing our music. Please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any of your favorite podcast apps. Also be sure to check out our website wilsonarts.com and f…

1
Isabel Estrada, "La Mariachi" (Sleeping Bear Press, 2023) 39:50

11M ago39:50

39:50

Isabel Estrada, Ph.D., is an author and speaker with an extensive background in music and education. Today we celebrate her recently-published picture own-voices book, La Mariachi (Sleeping Bear Press, 2023), and talk about rerouting her original hope of becoming an opera singer to her dream-come-true publishing journey. Mel Rosenberg is a professo…

1
Charlotte Offsay, "Challah Day!" (Holiday House, 2023) 48:17

11M ago48:17

48:17

Charlotte Offsay was born in England, grew up in Boston, and currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. In our conversation, we celebrate her new picture book Challah Day, illustrated by Jason Kirschner (Holiday House, 2023) and talk about her author journey and advice for aspiring picture book writers. Charlotte is also the …

1
#32 Bill Myers 54:05

11M ago54:05

54:05

Join our conversation with local musician Bill Myers. Thanks everyone for listening to this week's episode. As always we want to thank you and our guests for joining us! We also want to thank Marshall "Max LaMont" Hamilton for providing our music. Please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any of your favorite podcast apps. Also…

1
Lita Judge, "Don't Worry, Wuddles" (Atheneum, 2023) 52:10

11M ago52:10

52:10

Lita Judge is the award-winning author and illustrator of three dozen children’s books (!) including Flight School, Penguin Flies Home, Red Sled, Red Hat, Good Morning to Me!, Born in the Wild, Even the Smallest Will Grow, When You Need Wings, as well as her much celebrated, illustrated young adult novel, Mary’s Monster. In our conversation, we cel…

1
Tara Lazar, "Flat Cat" (Flamingo Books, 2023) 44:04

11M ago44:04

44:04

In this, our second interview, I talk with award-winning children's author Tara Lazar about her new picture book, Flat Cat (Flamingo Books, 2023), illustrated by the also-illustrious Pete Oswald. We talk about where ideas come from, and the process by which the finished text leaves the author's hands and becomes an illustrated picture book. We also…

1
Donating Books to Children: A Chat with Alex Zablotsky of PJ Library 46:18

12M ago46:18

46:18

Alex Zablotsky is the Managing Director of PJ Library, a philanthropy that donates millions of books on Jewish themes to children around the world every year. We talk about the confluence of Jewish and universal themes, the similarities and differences between PJ Library and its Israeli sister, Sifriat Pajama, which shares hundreds of thousands of …

1
Talk to the Agent: A Discussion with Jennifer Unter 52:32

12M ago52:32

52:32

Jennifer Unter has worked in many aspects of the publishing industry for over three decades. After graduating from the University of Michigan, she began her career at Henry Holt & Co. in the editorial department before moving on to the Karpfinger Agency as a junior literary agent, while also attending law school at Fordham University School of Law.…

1
#31 Max Dowdle 34:07

12M ago34:07

34:07

Thanks everyone for listening to this week's episode. As always we want to thank you and our guests for joining us! We also want to thank Marshall "Max LaMont" Hamilton for providing our music. Please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any of your favorite podcast apps. Also be sure to check out our website wilsonarts.com and f…

1
Talk to the Publisher: A Chat with Sandra Shutter 55:48

12M ago55:48

55:48

Sandra Sutter is the owner/publisher at Gnome Road Publishing (aka "Top Gnome"). A former attorney, counselor and author, she has found her way to making great books with great people. The key concept at Gnome Road is "re-readability". Sandra is also a mom and chauffeur to two curious kids, a crazy cat lady, and a fan of kind people.We talked in de…

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