logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2024
37m 7s

Summer Rerun: The Wild Robot

REACH OUT AND READ
About this episode

Writing for children—especially books that can be emotionally challenging—requires a great deal of insight, honestly, talent, and self reflection; and that's before you even pick up the pencil! Peter Brown, author of The Wild Robot, a beautifully crafted and deeply moving middle grade novel about technology, nature, and family, joins us to talk about his approach to this work.

Up next
Feb 19
Stress, Trauma, and Children's Minds
We know that stress and trauma uniquely affects children. But we also know that intervening early can help reduce the associated adverse health outcomes — and that a strong caregiver/child relationship is especially powerful at buffering the effects of stress. Dr. Heather Forkey, ... Show More
35m 28s
Feb 5
The New AAP Digital Media Guidance
A child's engagement with digital media isn't just with a device or an app, but with an entire digital ecosystem. Managing these ecosystems can be challenging enough under regular circumstances, but tech's commercialization has outpaced families' access to helpful supports around ... Show More
34m 56s
Jan 22
Sadie Stein on The Saddest Story Ever Told
Stories with a hefty emotional punch often stick with us — and when it comes to timeless stories (think fairy tales) — that punch is often rooted in some pretty dark feelings. Exploring Hans Christian Anderson's famous tale "The Little Match Girl", Sadie Stein, an editor at the N ... Show More
32m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2025
Peter Brown Talks Fatherhood, The Wild Robot, His New Book & More
Peter Brown stops by to talk about his fatherhood journey. He shares the values he is looking to instill into his son. We talk about how it is hard as a parent these days to balance technology and creativity. After that we talk about this new book, The Wild Robot On The Island an ... Show More
40m 55s
Jun 2025
A good vibe with the wild tribe
<p>Join Emma and Ash on &quot;On the Sofa with British Mums&quot; as they chat with the amazing Jeri from My Wild Tribe! This mum of five is a home cook extraordinaire, a crafting whiz, and a travel lover who knows how to make adventures meaningful. Jeri shares her secrets to mak ... Show More
38m 13s
Jun 2025
Peter Brown on Writing
Peter Brown is both a writer and illustrator. We talk to him about how he plots a story and the teacher he hated who set him on his path to becoming a professional artist. Kitty Felde is host. 
8m 35s
Jul 2024
Best July Books With Meriam Metoui
On our Best July Books, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then debut novelist Meriam Metoui joins us to discuss one of the best books of July, Portrait of a Shadow (Henry Holt, July 16), in which “a girl’s search for her missing sister peels back a deeper myst ... Show More
51m 56s
Feb 2025
Old MacDonald
We're going to use our imaginations to visit Old MacDonald and see all the animals on the farm! But it isn't all fun and games... there's lots of chores to do on the farm! In this imagination adventure, Caitie learns the importance of patience and that good things take time.See P ... Show More
24m 46s
Jan 10
Play for Me, Peter - by Carol Selick
Play for Me Peter is a picture book about a young boy who wants to play jazz piano like his grandfather. But when the music stops so dies Peter’s dream of learning the piano. But with the help of a surprise gift and the support of his grandmother and a supportive piano teacher, P ... Show More
7m 28s
Dec 2016
S1 E20: BeeBop Tales: Episode 5
It's the BeeBop Tales Season Finale! Yay BeeBop! In this episode, he faces off with his arch-nemesis, Barron, discovers a secret about the warlock that will change everything, and has a visit from an old, old friend. And there's lots of art, a great joke, and interdimensional tra ... Show More
18m 59s
Aug 2025
364. Ryan asks: What if a weird antidote turned you into a shark? (w/Brian Yanish)
Shark and Bot, the famous kids’ comic book characters, visit What If World along with their creator, Brian Yanish. Of course, Brian quickly gets turned into a shark-man by Abacus P. Grumbler… Lessons include: Art takes practice, but that’s part of the fun! This week, we’re joined ... Show More
27m 38s
Nov 2024
Making human music in an AI world
For the third episode in our series about the future of music, we talk with Ge Wang. Ge is a professor at Stanford, a co-founder of Smule, the conductor of Stanford’s laptop orchestra, and has been at the center of technology and artistry for most of his life. We talk about how h ... Show More
50m 39s