Reading With Your Kids Podcast

Latin Grammy–nominated musician and debut picture book author Sonia de los Santos joins Jed to talk about birds, borders, and the magic of bilingual stories.
Sonia shares the inspiration behind her new picture book La Golondrina, based on her song of the same name. The story follows a young girl who becomes fascinated with swallow birds while visiting her grandmother, and slowly begins to see her own migration story reflected in their long journeys. Sonia connects this to her real life, growing up in Monterrey, Mexico, then moving to the New York City area to pursue musical theater, eventually finding her calling making music for children and families.
She and Jed swap bird stories (including a backyard turkey named Stella), talk about performing in less‑than‑glamorous multipurpose rooms, and celebrate the joy of seeing every child's face during school concerts. Sonia explains how her music evolved into books, how it feels to let an illustrator "finish" her story visually, and why she's committed to creating bilingual, welcoming spaces where all kids and families feel seen.
They dive into big themes—migration, identity, empathy, and the courage to speak a second language (and make mistakes out loud!). Sonia also teases that La Golondrina is the first in a three‑book series, "Books That Sing / Libros que cantan", complete with lyrics, chords, and a QR code so families can read and sing together.
Plus, we take a listen back to a conversation we had with children's music legend Raffi during his tour to promote his Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times project and his lifelong commitment to honoring and respecting children.

Join Jedlie for a heartfelt, high‑energy double feature celebrating the power of stories, family, and big feelings.
First up, speech therapist and children's author Kimberly Delude chats about her picture book series "Freddie the Fly." Freddie is a lovable little fly who struggles with listening, reading nonverbal cues, and social skills. Kimberly shares how a single bored student in grad school inspired her to create fun, kid‑friendly stories instead of dry, adult‑focused "do this, don't do that" materials. She and Jed dive into why reading with kids builds vocabulary, confidence, and connection, why we shouldn't "dumb down" words in children's books, and how parents being honest about their own struggles can make kids feel less alone. They also touch on selective mutism, the magic of a child finally speaking, and Kimberly's tech‑savvy modern fairy tale "Digital Red."
Then we head to Southern California with Wanda Arlene Barajas, author of "Benny the Brave: A Story of Love, Loss and Learning." Inspired by her real rescue dog who loses a front leg, Wanda's book gently helps kids explore fear, sadness, frustration, and hope. She and Jed talk about preparing kids for life's hard changes before they happen, coping in healthy ways, and how one accident pushed her to finally pursue her dream of writing. Wanda also celebrates the rich, family‑centered culture of Puerto Rico and teases her upcoming book "Karina and Sabi: A Journey to the Heart of Cidra," which spotlights an endangered local dove and the importance of caring for our world.
A warm, inspiring episode for anyone who loves kids, books, dogs, or Puerto Rico.

In this heartfelt and adventurous episode, Jed welcomes Jessica Collins and Lisa Malamed to celebrate their upcoming picture book Where's Big Dog: A Story of Loss and Love. Inspired by Jessica's beloved golden doodle Lucy, the book gently helps children and adults navigate the loss of a pet.
Jessica and Lisa share sweet, funny memories of Lucy—like how she'd jingle her collar instead of barking to wake Lisa up—and talk about how deeply pets become part of the family. They explain that the dogs in the book aren't named or gendered so any reader can see their own pet in the story. Though it began as a way to help Jessica's young daughter process her first big loss, the book has resonated just as strongly with adults and is designed to work almost like a sympathy card for pet grief. Above all, it lands not on sadness, but on love.
Later, Jed is joined by Ellen Cochran, author of the riveting middle grade narrative nonfiction Follow the Water: The Unbelievable True Story of a Teenager's Survival in the Amazon. Ellen tells the astonishing real-life story of Juliane Koepcke, who survived a plane crash, fell two miles strapped to her seat, and then trekked alone for 11 days through the Amazon using the survival knowledge taught by her scientist parents.
Ellen weaves Juliane's story with rich details about Amazon wildlife and science, aiming to fire up kids' curiosity about STEM, nature, and what real scientific thinking looks like in action.

Reading With Your Kids" welcomes two wonderful guests who celebrate the magic of stories, family, and imagination.
First, New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff joins Jed to talk about her new middle grade fantasy, The After Myth. Tracy shares how the excitement of a new book release never fades, especially when a story is as personal as this one. She reveals that her heroine Penelope and sidekick Fifi are secretly based on her real-life college best friend and herself. Tracy describes The After Myth as a Greek‑mythology‑inspired adventure set at Naximanders Academy, where Penelope expects to be sorted into the Athena hall like generations of her family—but ends up somewhere completely different. Along the way, the book reexamines the myth of Pandora's Box and asks whether we've been blaming the wrong person all these years. Tracy also gives a fun peek into her creative process, from story "bibles" and giant bulletin boards to rewriting her opening chapters over and over until the story finally clicks.
Next, Jed chats with author and publisher Eric G. Reid about his heartwarming picture book Dad, Someone Took the Moon. Inspired by a sarcastic comment from his teenage son at the bus stop, the book became a tender keepsake filled with "easter eggs" from his son's childhood. Eric and Jed talk about the joy of reading aloud, how picture books can still move teens and adults, and what it's really like to publish children's books today—including illustrations, AI, and supporting indie bookstores.

On this episode, I welcome Andrea Goldner, affectionately known as Nanni Andi, to talk about her picture book Nanni Andi and Our Adventure to All Friends Park and her lifelong work as a nanny. Andrea shares how, after raising her own kids, she went "back" into childcare because it's what she truly loves and does best. Calling herself a "new wave Mary Poppins," she explains why reading to children from newborn age is so powerful: it builds vocabulary, confidence, and, most importantly, a deep emotional bond.
Andrea describes how her stories prepare kids for real-world experiences—like going to the park, zoo, or museum—so that when they finally get there, it's not scary or overwhelming. Through Nanni Andi, kids already "know" the swings, the slide, or the elephant at the zoo. She's passionate about getting caregivers off the bench (and off their phones) to actually play, push the swings, catch kids at the bottom of the slide, and read together. That's also why she's created matching coloring books—so children can "re-create" their own day at the park and reinforce what they've read.
Andrea talks about the joy of walking up to a house and seeing kids waiting excitedly in the window, the respect that comes from treating children as real partners, and how she's now training other nannies and coaching families on how to hire and support great caregivers.
In the second half of the show, I'm joined by Ben Gundersheimer (Mister G) to chat about his picture book How Many Squirrels Are in the World?, his bilingual music, love of nature, and his mission to get families off screens and back into the real world—together.