On the StoryMakers podcast, multi-award-winning author and illustrator duo, Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome offer us a window into a child’s experience of the Great Migration in OVERGROUND RAILROAD, and then introduce us to the characters and history behind the second book in the FINDING LANGSTON TRILOGY, LEAVING LYMON. About OVERGROUND RAILROAD A window into a child’s experience of the Great Migration from the award-winning creators of Before She Was Harriet and Finding Langston. As she climbs aboard the New York-bound Silver Meteor train, Ruth Ellen embarks upon a journey toward a new life up North– one she can’t begin to imagine. Stop by stop, the perceptive young narrator tells her journey in poems, leaving behind the cotton fields and distant Blue Ridge mountains. Each leg of the trip brings new revelations as scenes out the window of folks working in fields give way to the Delaware River, the curtain that separates the colored car is removed, and glimpses of the freedom and opportunity the family hopes to find come into view. As they travel, Ruth Ellen reads from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, reflecting on how her journey mirrors her own– until finally, the train arrives at its last stop, New York’s Penn Station and the family heads out into a night filled with bright lights, glimmering stars, and new possibility. James Ransome’s mixed-media illustrations are full of bold color and texture, bringing Ruth Ellen’s journey to life, from sprawling cotton fields to cramped train cars, the wary glances of other passengers and the dark forest through which Frederick Douglass traveled towards freedom. Overground Railroad is, as Lesa notes, a story “of people who were running from and running to at the same time,” and it’s a story that will stay with readers long after the final pages. About LEAVING LYMON A companion novel to Finding Langston, recipient of a Coretta Scott King Writing Honor and winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Behind every bad boy is a story worth hearing and at least one chance for redemption. It’s 1946 and Lymon, uprooted from his life in the Deep South and moved up North, needs that chance. Lymon’s father is, for the time being, at Parchman Farm–the Mississippi State Penitentiary–and his mother, whom he doesn’t remember all that much, has moved North. Fortunately, Lymon is being raised by his loving grandparents. Together, Lymon and his grandpops share a love of music, spending late summer nights playing the guitar. But Lymon’s world as he knows it is about to dissolve. He will be sent on a journey to two Northern cities far from the country life he loves–and the version of himself he knows. In this companion novel to the Coretta Scott King Honor-winning Finding Langston, readers will see a new side of the bully Lymon in this story of an angry boy whose raw talent, resilience, and devotion to music help point him in a new direction. ABOUT Lesa Cline-Ransome Lesa Cline-Ransome is the writer of many picture books. Her picture book biography titles include Satchel Paige, Major Taylor, Champion Cyclist, Young Pele, Soccer’s First Star, Helen Keller, The World in Her Heart, Before There was Mozart and Words Set me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass. Other titles are Quilt Alphabet, Quilt Counting and her newest is Light in the Darkness, A Story about How Slaves Learned in Secret. Originally from Malden, Massachusetts, Lesa has worked as a proofreader, fashion copywriter, publicist, teacher in the New York City Schools, and taught writing for adults. She has a B.F.A. in Merchandising and Management from Pratt Institute and an M.A. in Education from N.Y.U. She lives in Rhinebeck, New York and with her husband and frequent collaborator, illustrator James Ransome, four children and St.

Charyut! Attention! Aram Kim is back on StoryMakers for a chat about her new book LET’S GO TO TAEKWONDO! In this Kidlit RADIO podcast, join Aram as she catches us up on what her character Yoomi from NO KIMCHI FOR ME has been getting up to, learn about the rituals of the martial art Taekwondo and how to count to ten in Korean! ABOUT the Book WATCH Aram’s StroyMakers episode HERE! Download LET’S GO TO TAEKWONDO Activites from Holiday House! ABOUT Aram Kim Aram Kim is a New York-based children’s book author/illustrator. She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and when she was two, her family moved back to South Korea. When Aram grew up, she came to New York to study illustration. She is currently living in Queens, NY, where she is happily surrounded by diverse food and culture. She has been working for various publications and participating in numerous exhibitions and collaboration projects. Sponsored by Holiday House CONNECT WITH ARAM KIM Website | Twitter | Tumblr

We’re heading to the barbershop in “Booklyn” with Hyewon Yum on this podcast of StoryMakers! Join the author of LION NEEDS A HAIRCUT for a chat about why haircuts can be a bit scary when you are little and then get your styling groove on with Rocco and Hyewon’s super fun haircut printable. What kind of haircut should little lion and Dad get? Download this drawing sheet and style their hair! About The Book This relatable story from award-winning author-illustrator Hyewon Yum explores the universal fear of first haircuts with honesty, tenderness, and humor. Little lion needs a haircut. But he doesn’t want one! Is he worried? No. Is he scared? NO! He just likes his hair the way it is. R-O-A-R! But there’s someone else who needs a haircut, too . . . it’s Dad, and he doesn’t want one, either! Maybe if they go to the barbershop together, there will be nothing to worry about. ABOUT Hyewon Yum Author and Illustrator of These books: The Twins’ Little sister, Last Night, a Fiction Honorable Mention for the Bologna Ragazzi Award and Winner of the Golden Kite Award; There are No Scary Wolves, Winner of Society of illustrators’ Founder’s Award; The Twins’ Blanket, a Junior Library Guild selection; and Mom, It’s my first day of Kindergarten!, which won the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award and was selected as a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Sponsored by ABRAMS   CONNECT with Hyewon Yum Website | Facebook | Instagram  

On this kid lit podcast episode of Read Out Loud, T.E. McMorrow reads aloud THE NUTCRACKER IN HARLEM. ABOUT THE BOOK Written by T.E. McMorrow and illustrated by James Ransome. This jazz-inspired reinvention of The Nutcracker is a worthy tribute to the dreamlike wonder and magic of the Christmas season. In this original retelling, set in New York City during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, one little girl finds her voice as a musician thanks to her enchanting adventures with a magical toy. Watch T.E. McMorrow’s Read Out Loud Episode! ABOUT T. E. McMorrow T. E. McMorrow belongs to the third generation of writers in his family. A journalist and playwright, he is also a member of the Drama Desk in New York City. Many years ago, he worked as a stagehand for the Dance Theatre of Harlem, an experience that helped plant the first seeds of inspiration for this book. Mr. McMorrow splits his time between Manhattan and the East End of Long Island with his wife, Carole, and their two cats, Cinnamon and Moxie ABOUT James Ransome James Ransome is both a painter and award-winning illustrator, with work exhibited in both private and public art collections. He has illustrated over 50 books, and his awards include the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Picture Book Honor and the ALA Notable Book Award for Sky Boys; the Coretta Scott King Honor for Uncle Jed’s Barbershop; the Coretta Scott King and IBBY awards for Creation; the NAACP Image Award for Let My People Go and Our Children Can Soar; and the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance Award, Rip Van Winkle Award, SEBA Best Book of the Year Award and Dutchess County Executive Art Award for Individual Artist. CONNECT WITH T. E. McMorrow Twitter CONNECT WITH James Ransome Website | Instagram | Facebook CONNECT WITH KidLit TV Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube

Away in a manger — was a whole lot of noise! As Joseph and Mary try to get the baby Jesus to sleep, they discover stables aren’t the quietest places! As you try to get your own little ones to sleep this holiday season, listen together to Laura Sassi reading GOODNIGHT MANGER on this kidlit podcast episode of Read Out Loud. ABOUT THE BOOK Goodnight, Manger  (Zonderkidz) Written by  Laura Sassi; illustrated by Jane Champman Goodnight, Manger, written by Laura Sassi and illustrated by New York Times bestselling artist Jane Chapman, tells the story of Mary and Joseph as they try to lull Jesus to sleep in the noisy stable after his birth. Watch Laura’s Read Out Loud Episode! CONNECT WITH LAURA SASSI Website CONNECT WITH KidLit TV Facebook| Instagram | Newsletter | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube

Quick! KidLit Radio listeners, one of Santa’s reindeer has gone missing. If Santa and the other seven reindeer can’t find Prancer, there may never be another Christmas! Find out where Prancer has gone on this holiday podcast episode of Read Out Loud as Rocco reads the picture book classic, WHERE’S PRANCER by Syd Hoff. Watch Rocco read WHERE’S PRANCER? ABOUT THE BOOK WHERE’S PRANCER? by Sid Hoff As Santa Claus is giving his reindeer a treat after a long night of delivering presents, he notices something alarming. Prancer has disappeared! Where in the world could he be? In the Philippine Islands? Or Sweden? Or Sioux City, Iowa? Santa and the other reindeer have got to find him in the twinkling of an eye, because if they don’t, there may never be another Christmas… This holiday classic from the creator of Danny and the Dinosaur, available for the first time in a full-color paperback edition, will spread Christmas cheer to a whole new generation of readers. CONNECT WITH KidLit TV Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube Executive Producer: Julie Gribble 

Ever wonder who came up with the idea for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons? KidLit Radio is back with a special Thanksgiving podcast edition of Read Out Loud. Join Rocco as he reads Melissa Sweet’s BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY. ABOUT THE BOOK Balloons Over Broadway By Melissa Sweet  Everyone’s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day when young and old rise early to see which giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire, rendered in brilliant collage illustrations! Watch the Read Out Loud Episode! CONNECT WITH MELISSA SWEET Facebook | Website CONNECT WITH KidLit TV Facebook Group | Facebook Page | Instagram | Newsletter | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube

Sunday dinner is on the table. Whatever you do — DON’T LET ANTIE MABEL BLESS THE TABLE! Find out why on this podcast episode of Ready Set Draw as Vanessa Brantley-Newton reads her tale of family, thanksgiving, and patience. Watch Vanessa’s Episode of Read Out Loud ABOUT THE BOOK Auntie Mabel and her family and friends have gathered for their big Sunday dinner and can’t wait to dig into a delicious, mouthwatering meal. Before they can begin, Auntie Mabel starts and doesn’t stop blessing everyone and everything she surveys: the yams and Brussels sprouts, the table and chairs even the president of the United States! Author and illustrator Vanessa Brantley Newton’s delectable celebration of food and family is a joyous appreciation of how traditions and rituals bring us, and keep us, together. ABOUT VANESSA Vanessa Brantley Newton was born during the Civil Rights movement and attended school in Newark, NJ. Being part of a diverse, tight-knit community during such turbulent times, Vanessa learned the importance of acceptance and empowerment in shaping a young person’s life. When she read Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, it was the first time she saw herself in a children’s book. It was a defining moment in her life and has made her into the artist she is today. As an illustrator, she includes children of all ethnic backgrounds in her stories and artwork. She wants all children to see their unique experiences reflected in the books they read so they can feel the same sense of empowerment and recognition she experienced as a young reader. CONNECT WITH VANESSA Website | Facebook  CONNECT WITH KidLit TV Facebook Group | Facebook Page | Instagram | Newsletter | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube

Osiyo! That means hello in Cherokee! Join Rocco and author Traci Sorell on KidLit RADIO for a chat about her book about the four seasons, WE ARE GRATEFUL, OTSALIHELIGA, which was inspired by the people and culture of the Cherokee Nation today! Learn along with Rocco as Traci shares some words from the Cherokee language! Watch Taci Sorell on STORYMAKERS! ABOUT the Book Otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is a word that Cherokee people use to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the Cherokee New Year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by Traci Sorell, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and illustrated by Frané Lessac, this nonfiction look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah. ABOUT Traci Sorell Traci lives with her family in the Cherokee Nation, out in the country like she did as a child. Back then, she had geese, chickens, horses, dogs, and cats. Her mother’s Cherokee family has been in the area since the removal of most Cherokee people from their southeastern homelands in 1838. Traci grew up hearing stories about her ancestors and looking at their photographs with her elisi (eh-lee-see), grandma. Now her son does that with his elisi in addition to fishing in the nearby lake and learning about Cherokee culture. Sponsored by Website | Facebook | Twitter CONNECT WITH Traci! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook CONNECT WITH KidLit TV Facebook Group | Facebook Page | Instagram | Newsletter | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube Executive Producer: Julie Gribble 

Sometimes when we are really excited about something that is going to happen, we picture it in our minds beforehand — what a birthday party will be like, what might be under the Christmas tree, or even how a visit with our favourite people might go. Sometimes what ends up happening isn’t quite how we imagined it! In this podcast episode of Read Out Loud, join author/illustrator Katie Yamasaki as she reads WHEN THE COUSINS CAME, a book about difference, adversity, and how we deal with things when they don’t quite meet our expectations. Watch Katie’s Episode of Read Out Loud ABOUT THE BOOK WHEN THE COUSINS CAME by Katie Yamasaki Lila is excited for her cousins Takeo and Rosie to visit. They’re going to ride bikes, paint, and camp together! But when the cousins arrive, everything’s wrong: Rosie and Takeo are better painters than Lila, have skateboards instead of bikes, and don’t want to camp outside. Lila is terribly disappointed until the cousins make her a surprise: a big banner for their “best cousin” Lila! This sensitive story about insecurity, hosting, and friendship reminds children that negative thoughts and anxiety over exclusion don’t always translate to reality. ABOUT KATIE Yamasaki’s mural work has enabled her to travel widely, creating visual dialogues among diverse communities. From schools to prisons, housing occupations to hospitals, Yamasaki sees her art as a vehicle for dialogue, a tool for building platforms for communication. Yamasaki has painted over 80 murals around the world. Another major focus of Yamasaki’s work is storytelling. She has published 3 books: Honda, The Boy Who Dreamed of Cars (Lee and Low, 2007); Lifelines, the Black Book of Proverbs (Broadway Books/Random House, 2009), and Fish for Jimmy, her first book as both author and illustrator (Holiday House, 2013). Yamasaki also has two additional books in the works as author/illustrator, “When the Cousins Came,” (Holiday House, est. 2017) and the biography of her architect grandfather, Minoru Yamasaki, “YAMA,” (Lee & Low, est. 2017). Yamasaki earned BA at Earlham College and her MFA in the Illustration as Visual Essay program from the School of Visual Arts in 2003, where she is currently a member of the faculty.Yamasaki comes from a huge, diverse family, that is full of (among many other things), artists and teachers. CONNECT WITH KATIE Website | Facebook Page CONNECT WITH KidLit TV Facebook Group | Facebook Page | Instagram | Newsletter | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube