New Books in Children's Literature

How great to interview an author who writes splendid music-oriented children's books! In this episode, I was fortunate to interview Author (and I should add, singer) David McMullin, celebrating his brand new board book Rock 'N' Roll, Baby! (Random House, 2026), illustrated by Allison Black, and published (March, 2026) by Random House Books for Young Readers. I discovered that this is a book that can be sung (to the tune of Rockabye Baby), adding another fun element. We talked about David career from Broadway to children's literature, and got him to sing from a favorite musical (that wasn't too difficult).
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A parent's heartfelt letter to their daughter, Uma—and you—on abundant and conscious living—with the light of timeless Indian wisdom. Standing at the threshold of her adult life, Uma asks: “What’s my purpose? How do I choose meaningfully? What is true fulfilment?” As parents, rooted in a lineage of freedom fighters and now global citizens, we’ve shared the teachings of our ancestors—from childhood stories to dinner debates. But will this knowledge still guide Uma’s heart as she soars toward new horizons? Discover how wisdom that sustained generations can enlighten your path—whether you’re in Mumbai or Manchester, seeking purpose in career, joy in relationships, or just figuring out the meaning of existence. 
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It's not every day that I get to interview an author (John Masiulionis) who has written a picture book entitled Walking Each Other Home – Zachary’s Mission: A Hospice for Children (illustrations by Roksana Barwinska) on such a difficult and challenging theme: a child named Zachary who is dying from cancer. Zachary's mission of building a hospice for children before he dies aligns with John's own mission of building a children's hospice in San Diego. In our heart-to-heart talk, we discuss much more - John's successful videocast program (The Children's Books Spotlight Series - II was just interviewed by him) and his own experiences, inspirations, revalations and illness that led him to write his book and seek to help other children's authors on their journey. We also discuss the dilemma of children's authors in choosing between self-publishing and seeking an agent and the traditional publishing route.
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Scholars are only beginning to consider the corpus of nearly one thousand extant books, as well as several periodicals, that constitute the Yiddish children’s literature of the 20th century. However, this body of work was important in both shaping and reflecting key aspects of the modern Jewish experience. We will explore what it means to limn the contours of a canon of Yiddish kidlit and discuss the unique vantage point that studying children’s literature and culture affords with respect to the rest of modern Jewish civilization.

This lecture originally took place on July 2, 2020.
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Interview with Nancy Hudgins, author of children's book Books Good Enough for You: The Storied Life of Ursula Nordstrom (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2026), Editor of Extraordinary Children's Books, Abrams Books for Young Readers" (March 24, 2026). Our wonderful interview intertwines between Nancy and Ursula's lives, their love of children's books, breaking in, and thoughts on opening doors.
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