Reading With Your Kids Podcast

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes three fantastic guests who each showcase a different way stories can shape our lives.
First, Bruce Littlefield joins from his farm in upstate New York to celebrate his picture book "Everything You Need to Know About Life You Can Learn from a Dog." Bruce shares how his usually optimistic outlook was shaken by a rough morning—bad news, a broken porch—and how his dog Felix, joyfully unfazed, inspired him to rethink who the real "lifestyle expert" in the house was. Drawing on years of watching dogs in New York City and at home, Bruce turns traits like self-acceptance, curiosity, forgiveness, and the ability to "shake things off" into gentle life lessons for kids and grown-ups. He and Jed swap heartfelt dog stories—border collies carving tracks in the yard, childhood pets like Snuggles and London teaching responsibility, calm, and empathy—and reflect on how dogs help children learn to care for others.
Then Gregory Rizzi discusses his YA sci‑fi novel "Continuum." Set on a harsh distant planet, the book follows Jacob, a Praetorian Guard soldier, as he discovers the planet's hidden history, strange creatures, and deeper truths about creation, fathers, and sons. Gregory talks about how becoming a father and returning to his faith reshaped the story's themes of suffering, resilience, and what we pass on to our kids.
Finally, Amy Doslich introduces her picture book "STEM Day" and her kid-powered podcast "Kids Ask Authors Answer." A former actuary turned author-illustrator, Amy celebrates lesser-known STEM careers and invites children to ask authors their own fun, surprising questions—plus she's organizing a big free kids' ebook day on August 5.

In this powerful episode, Jed welcomes Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, to explore what truly helps kids thrive. Andreas shares global insights from major international studies, revealing that parents reading with and to their children is one of the strongest predictors of a child's cognitive, social, and emotional development. He warns that for many families, screens are replacing shared reading time—and that heavy tech use in early childhood often correlates with worse outcomes, especially for disadvantaged kids, while reading together strongly boosts development.
Andreas explains how "schoolifying" kindergarten—pushing early academics at the expense of play and social learning—can actually kill children's joy in reading. Drawing on contrasts like France vs. Estonia, he shows that letting young children play, explore, and build curiosity leads to better reading outcomes at age 15 than forcing formal academics too early. Throughout, he stresses that cultural capital and parental engagement—asking about school, reading together, valuing learning—matter more than income, and that real education must balance cognitive, social, and emotional skills. He also reflects on AI in education, arguing it should support deep learning, not replace effort or human connection.
Later, Jed talks with Nazanin Agange Ford, author of the moving picture book My America Blooms. Nazanin shares how her family's immigration from Iran inspired a story about belonging, community, and seeing each other as neighbors first. Her book helps kids understand immigrant experiences, opens conversations about fairness and fear, and uses picture-book storytelling to build empathy and connection—exactly the kind of relational learning Andreas champions.

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two creators whose work celebrates courage, creativity, and the many ways kids can be themselves.
First, Jed chats with Rebecca Caprera about her new middle grade novel in verse, Eva to the Max. The story follows 12-year-old motocross phenom Eva "Eva Knievel" as she chases her dream of qualifying for the national championships. Along the way, Eva navigates family tension with a worried mom, a supportive dad who was paralyzed in a racing accident, and an overachieving older brother whose shadow feels hard to escape. Rebecca also explores the inequalities girls face in extreme sports and shares fascinating history about women in motocross, including those who once raced under male pseudonyms. She explains why verse is the perfect form for this high-octane, sensory-rich story and how the white space and poetic structure invite readers' imaginations to fill in the gaps.
Then, Jed is joined by Phyllis Harris, creator of the wordless picture book Claude, inspired by her own dog, Brinkley, and her love of Claude Monet. Phyllis describes Claude as a playful exploration of perfectionism, creativity, and the power of play. A serious young artist tries to paint her masterpiece while her dog has very different ideas, leading to glorious mess and discovery. Phyllis talks about how wordless books build confidence, imagination, and storytelling skills—especially for emergent readers and families who may struggle with print—and offers heartfelt advice to parents on nurturing their children's artistic side.

In this heartfelt episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed Doherty welcomes Heidi E. Y. Stemple, author of Lydia Loves Bugs, and later Jezebel Rivera, author of Mommy, Where's My Dad?
Most of the conversation centers on Heidi, her work, and her remarkable family legacy. Heidi shares how Lydia Loves Bugs began on her screened-in porch during the early, anxious days of the pandemic, when she wanted to write something purely fun and comforting. Lydia is a bug-loving kid whose mom studies bugs, while her dad and brother are decidedly not bug fans—an intentional celebration of family differences and a playful twist on gender stereotypes.
Heidi talks about growing up in a family deeply rooted in the natural world—especially birds—and how that love of nature shows up again and again in her books. She reflects movingly on the recent passing of her mother, Jane Yolen, noting that Jane has 10 more books under contract and over 100 manuscripts still to be shepherded into the world. Heidi describes how she read to her mother in her final months, including their co-written work and Heidi's new projects, and how Jane always encouraged her children to walk beside her, not in her shadow.
Later, Jed is joined by Jezebel Rivera, who shares the inspiration behind Mommy, Where's My Dad?—a tender, honest picture book drawn from conversations with her son about their family. Jezebel emphasizes the power of redefining family through love, support, and the "village" that surrounds a child.

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes Academy Award–winning director, animator, and author Alan Barillaro to celebrate his new picture book, Today We Will Be Eaten. Alan shares how a seemingly dark premise—a ladybug and dragonfly convinced they'll be eaten—becomes a gentle, meditative story about anxiety, uncertainty, and learning to take a breath. He describes the book as a "little reset," inviting kids and families to slow down, look up, and discover beauty even when life feels scary or unpredictable.
Alan talks about the shift from collaborative animation at Pixar to the intensely personal world of writing and illustrating books, where there's "less to hide behind." He explains his creative process: keeping notebooks of ideas for years, working on multiple projects at once like "tomato plants" in a garden, and borrowing lessons from animation—testing work with trusted readers, listening to how it sounds out loud, and embracing failure as an essential part of finding the story. The conversation also touches on kids' anxiety, helicopter parenting, graphic novels as real reading, and Alan's nuanced view of AI and technology as tools that must be used ethically and thoughtfully. He teases upcoming projects, including Bun's Rabbit 2 and another picture book on the way.
In the second half, Jed chats with Jennifer Dickinson, author of Maggie's Big Break, a middle grade novel about a girl with a stutter who faces bullying but finds belonging in theater. Jennifer shares her own history with stuttering, using story to help kids feel seen, heard, and brave enough to take risks—and encourages families to co-read and talk honestly about fears, bullying, and courage.