reluctant readers

What if you could captivate young minds and inspire a love for reading? Join me and children's picture book author, Pauline Tate, as we navigate this enchanting world. We dive into the art of crafting engaging characters and compelling narratives, exploring the vital role of illustrations and the delicate balance between simplicity and captivating storytelling. 

Our lively conversation also delves into the business side of things, shedding light on the intricacies of the children's book publishing industry. We serve up invaluable advice on finding the right publishers, researching age brackets, and the importance of networking. Whether you're an aspiring author or a seasoned professional, Pauline's insights are sure to enrich your understanding and approach to children's literature.

We also share our experiences from recent book signings and my upcoming US book tour, emphasizing the importance of reader engagement. Plus, we look at how to foster a love for reading, inspiring young minds to become lifelong learners. So, ready to step into the whimsical world of children's literature? Come along as we journey through this exciting landscape with Pauline Tate!

Creators & Guests

• Jordan Lloyd Bookey - Host
• Shadra Strickland - Guest

• “I remember everything was so shiny. Like the way that Pat illustrated that book, everything glistened, and main characters were Black and that was really cool for me. It was so colorful. I just wanted to live in that world.” - Shadra Strickland on “Clouds” by Pat Cummings

One of Shadra Strickland’s earliest memories is drawing underneath her grandma’s table. From a young age, she had a visual, creative mind. As the daughter of an English teacher, she was an avid reader, and words were important, but it was picture book illustrations that opened her up to a whole new side of storytelling. With a love for drawing from a young age, Shadra soaked up every color and every shape in those books. As an adult, she has pursued a career in illustrating children’s literature and has earned many accolades.

But throughout her experiences illustrating other authors’ stories, a storyteller within her began to emerge, and in 2023 she made the leap to author-illustrator with “Jump In!”. 

In this episode, Shadra takes us through the important artistic influences and moments in her life that led her to this debut solo picture book. She shares the elements of art that stand out to her and how she applies them to her work, and we also discuss the rise and ethics of AI art.

This episode's Beanstack featured librarian is Jen Siderius, the media specialist at New Market Elementary School in Maryland. She shares a heartwarming story about the value of making different book formats available to students and families.

As with all episodes, our author guest creates a unique reading challenge available on Beanstack and at thereadingculturepod.com/shadra-strickland. Listen to the episode to learn more about Shadra’s challenge, Move It!

Contents

Chapter 1 - Newspaper Clippings (2:33)

Chapter 2 - The Allure of Clouds (6:46)

Chapter 3 - Come on, Rain! (12:32)

Chapter 4 - Jumping in to Jump In! (17:28)

Chapter 5 - Out-hustling the Robots (25:36)

Chapter 6 - Doin’ the double-dutch (27:56)

Chapter 7 - What’s next? (30:58)

Chapter 8 - Move It! (34:04)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (35:05)

Links

• The Reading Culture pod
• The Reading Culture pod on Instagram
• Shadra on The Reading Culture pod
• Shadra Strickland
• Shadra Strickland on Instagram
• Beanstack
• Home | New Market Elementary School
• The Children's Book Podcast
  
  

On Today's Show

• "I think there's so much you can do. It's so rich because you have words, you have pictures. Sometimes they say the same things, sometimes they say opposite things. There's such an interplay between the two that I feel like there's so many possibilities." - Victoria Jamieson
  
  

Victoria Jamieson was always an introverted child, but a move across states in middle school pushed her further inward and made her grasp for familiarity. She quickly found comfort in the local library after her mother became the regular host of their summer reading program. While Victoria was an avid reader, burning through Ramona Quimby stories, she also found herself deeply interested in the Sunday comics in newspapers, and eventually comics such as Calvin and Hobbes. 

This lifelong interest in artwork and storytelling would inspire her own career as an author-illustrator. But as Victoria discovered an additional gap in the comic industry for middle-grade literature, she was influenced to take a shot at writing her own graphic novel.

Today, Victoria talks to us about why she loves illustrations in literature, authors that inspired her, and how a dream job rejection inspired her first book.

This episode's Beanstack featured librarian is John Henry Evans, a school librarian at Walter T. Helms Middle School at West Contra Costa Unified School District in California. Today, John Henry shares a moving story about a student, a book, and an unexpected post-it note.

As with all episodes, our author guest creates a unique reading challenge that is available on Beanstack and also at thereadingculturepod.com. Listen to the episode to learn more about Victoria’s challenge of looking through some new “little windows”.

Contents

Chapter 1 - Owner of the library (2:04)

Chapter 2 - Ramona and Beezus (6:57)

Chapter 3 - From Ramona to Rollergirl (11:01)

Chapter 4 - Astrid, The Likeable (15:07)

Chapter 5 - The allure of Lego manuals (18:06)

Chapter 6 - Omar’s Story (24:40)

Chapter 7 - Warm Welcomes (32:27)

Chapter 8 - Little Windows (36:33)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (37:45)

Links

• thereadingculturepod.com
• https://www.victoriajamieson.com/
• https://www.beanstack.com
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-childrens-book-podcast/
• https://www.wccusd.net/

On Today's Show

• "A lot of my books have characters who are lonely, who are trying to figure out their way, who don't feel seen in the world, who don't know how to use their voice. I want to write books for those kids because I want a safe way for them to navigate all that stuff." - Erin Entrada Kelly
  
  

As an introvert battling depression and bullying, it was easy for Erin Entrada Kelly to feel overlooked by those around her, but she found her place in reading and finding uniquely relatable characters. Not those she shared outward similarities with, but those she was able to empathize with on an emotional level.

Inspired, Erin also began to write her own stories, –something that allowed her to build her own world, her own identity, and provide her with that outlet and sense of control she never felt she had. 

Erin’s admiration for these complex characters and an unrelenting dream of being a writer pushed her into the world of youth literature. Her ability to understand and convey the perspective of vulnerable, unseen children in her writing has found her a closely-bonded, communal audience. 

Erin talks to us today about her favorite books growing up, her path to youth literature, and why she believes kids are not ‘incomplete vessels.’ 

This episode's Beanstack featured librarian is Erin Bechdal, a middle and high school librarian at Beaver Area School District in Pennsylvania. She’ll tell us about her go-to author recommendation for students. 

As with all episodes, our author guest creates a unique reading challenge available on Beanstack and at thereadingculturepod.com/erin-entrada-kelly. Listen to the episode to learn more about Erin’s challenge, Here to There.

Contents

Chapter 1 - The Unseen Child (2:12)

Chapter 2 - Born Writing (8:34)

Chapter 3 - Hurricane Child (11:01)

Chapter 4 - Short Stories, Long Journey (15:02)

Chapter 5 - Incomplete Vessels (20:42)

Chapter 6 - A 200-person hug (24:24)

Chapter 7 - Out-of-place (and time) (30:57)

Chapter 8 - Here to There (33:16)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (34:15)

Links

• thereadingculturepod.com
• https://erinentradakelly.com/
• https://www.beanstack.com
• https://www.basd.k12.pa.us/
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-childrens-book-podcast/
  
  

On Today's Show

• "I go to the locations in the books when I can, and I go there and I scout them the same way I scouted them when I was shooting documentaries. I'll just kind of walk around the same way I did for years producing television to really figure out the best way to take advantage of a location." - James Ponti

As a child, James Ponti was not a reader. Instead, he discovered an interest in storytelling through film. James’ mother’s own love for movies, coupled with her artistic career piqued his curiosity about the life of a creative. Throughout his 25 years of experience in visual media, James continued to master his understanding of storytelling techniques, characters, and worldbuilding. Additionally, location scouting for the screen would go on to inspire some of the backdrops for his most famous works.

James’ unique perspective from his start in visual storytelling allowed him to become the immersive, illustrative author that he is today. In this episode, James shares about movies that influenced him, how locations inspire his work, and his transition from movies and television to kidlit. 

As with all episodes, our author guest creates a unique reading challenge that is available on Beanstack and also at thereadingculturepod.com/james-ponti. Listen to the episode to learn more about James’ challenge, Mystery Author. 

Contents

Chapter 1 - The Great Escape (1:46)

Chapter 2 - All The President’s Men (4:43)

Chapter 3 - Santa’s Slay ‘79 (6:21)

Chapter 4 - On The Hospital Floor (8:38)

Chapter 5 - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (12:25)

Chapter 6 - In Good Company (24:37)

Chapter 7 - Co-Conspirators (28:04)

Chapter 8 - Mystery Author (31:33)

Chapter 9 - Beanstack Featured Librarian (33:01)

This episode's Beanstack featured librarian is Kathleen Durant, the Librarian at Camden Middle School in Kershaw County, South Carolina. Listen to the end to hear her creative approach to make reading new books a fun experience for kids.

Links

• https://www.jamesponti.com/
• https://www.beanstack.com
• https://www.thereadingculturepod.com/james_ponti