Home. It’s something we spend our whole lives building and rebuilding. Sometimes it’s made of walls and windows. Others, it’s made of words.
Sophie Blackall builds hers through imagination and community. The two-time Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator, known for works such as Hello Lighthouse, If You Come to Earth, and Finding Winnie, has spent her life transforming that search into stories.
In this episode, No Wasted Sunshine: Sophie Blackall on the Meaning of Home, Sophie shares her nomadic childhood, her fixation on the idea of home, and why she never feels settled. She also discusses the books she reaches for to feel safe. We also talk about Milkwood—the magical farm retreat she created for the children’s book community to cook, commune, and collaborate.
Settle in for a wide-ranging conversation that explores the meaning we construct within and around our lives.
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For her reading challenge, Home, Sophie has curated a collection of books that explore how we build and replace the places that hold us.
Peruse selected titles and Sophie’s complete reading challenge for free at thereadingculturepod.com/sophie-blackall
This week's Beanstack Featured Librarian is Kimberly Thompson, the library media specialist at East Side Middle School in Bullock County, Kentucky. She tells us all about the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards and how they’re getting everyone in her school reading, including the adults!
Show Chapters
Chapter 1: Where Is Home?
Chapter 2: Wasted Sunshine
Chapter 3: A Perfect Picture Book
Chapter 4: Not Just a Farmhouse
Chapter 5: Under Milk Wood
Chapter 6: Paper Houses
Chapter 7: So Now What?
Chapter 8: Reading Challenge
Chapter 9: Beanstack Featured Librarian
Links
Host and Production Credits
Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey
Producers: Mel Webb and Lower Street Media
Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Mel Webb, Jordan Lloyd Bookey