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PODCAST

The Children"s Literature Podcast

Grown-up discussion of works written for children, with lesson ideas and activities to share with kids

education books

All Episodes

14:33

151 – Why Can’t University Students Read?

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/10/21

A recent article in The Atlantic caught my attention. “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books” by Rose Horowitch shares stories from professors at elite schools who have found that over the last 20 years (the time period in which kids got smartphones . . . hmmm . . .) students’ attention spans have … Continue reading "151 – Why Can’t University Students Read?"

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26:58

150th Episode Mailbag!!!

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/10/10

We’ve reached 150 Episodes!! We can hardly believe it and are celebrating by answering questions from YOU. Find out what kind of hate mail we’ve been getting, what happens to poor Chloë when Mom starts geeking out about the Silmarillion, which Taylor Swift songs are our favorites, and a lot more! The format of the … Continue reading "150th Episode Mailbag!!!"

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27:27

149 – The Voice of Rohan

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/10/04

Howard Shore carefully brought the text of The Lord of the Rings to life in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, choosing instruments and melodies that the people of Middle-Earth could have created for themselves. No theme shows this better than the one that speaks for the people of Rohan, from the clever selection of a Hardanger … Continue reading "149 – The Voice of Rohan"

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20:02

148 – The Voice of The Shire

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/09/17

Just two episodes to go before our 150th Episode celebration! This time you’ll hear: – A tribute to James Earl Jones, who had a bigger impact on children’s literacy than you might realize! – What we are reading now. Chloë is enjoying The Misadventures of Max Crumbly and T.Q. is cracking open a comic book … Continue reading "148 – The Voice of The Shire"

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12:59

147 – Tolkien About Music

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/09/04

This is the first episode in a series about how Howard Shore’s film score for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy drew directly on the text of the book, supporting the story at all times. There’s also a bit of show business to attend to, including some great conversations I’ve been having with listeners, … Continue reading "147 – Tolkien About Music"

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16:10

146 – Snow Much Drama

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/08/26

The drama around Snow White, the troubled remake of Disney’s 1937 masterpiece, is unfortunate because it really was unnecessary! Just a little bit of familiarity with the folktale published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 could have spared the filmmakers (and some outspoken actors) a lot of time and trouble. Also in this episode, you … Continue reading "146 – Snow Much Drama"

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16:13

145 – Film Review: Harold and The Purple Crayon

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/08/18

I predicted that the film adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson would focus too much on adults at the expense of telling a story for children. It looks like I was right. And shockingly . . . I’m about to make the case that Deadpool and Wolverine is more of a … Continue reading "145 – Film Review: Harold and The Purple Crayon"

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9:58

144 – The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Quantum Theatre

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/08/08

Co-hosts T.Q. Townsend and Chloë Townsend (and the rest of the family) saw a very funny musical production of The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck put on by Quantum Theatre at Bradgate Park in Leicestershire. This was NOT a show that was just for kids. Parents were laughing just as much as the children, and the … Continue reading "144 – The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Quantum Theatre"

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24:43

143 – The Poetry of Taylor Swift

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/07/22

What does the world’s biggest pop star have to do with Lord Byron? Quite a lot actually, at least in terms of her poetry. Taylor Swift writes catchy songs about dramatic, volatile relationships — the kind that aren’t a good idea in real life but are awfully fun to sing about. And her song “Blank … Continue reading "143 – The Poetry of Taylor Swift"

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5:34

142 – Where’s Wally Has Lore

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/07/05

This was supposed to be a short video about a good use of localization in children’s books and then I found out that Where’s Wally has far deeper lore than you would expect. And then my wacky imagination ran with it. Lots of localization is annoying, because it’s done by publishers who don’t have confidence … Continue reading "142 – Where’s Wally Has Lore"

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9:20

141 – Hamlet Unplugged Review

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/06/24

I saw Hamlet performed by The Lord Chamberlain’s Men at Bradgate Park in Leicestershire on June 22, 2024. This theater company performs Shakespeare plays the way they were done back in the Bard’s day: no microphones, minimal sets, props, and costumes, and an all male cast. It was a fascinating experience to see Hamlet performed … Continue reading "141 – Hamlet Unplugged Review"

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8:52

140 – Jane Austen: Sassy Teen Author

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/06/17

Jane Austen didn’t wait to become an adult to start writing. As a kid she was telling stories to her family, and in her early work you can see her wicked sense of humor and her ability to step inside the mind of another person — even if that person held views completely different from … Continue reading "140 – Jane Austen: Sassy Teen Author"

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21:40

139 – Audiobook: The History of England by Jane Austen

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/06/03

This is a recording of “The History of England, from the Reign of Henry the 4th to the Death of Charles the 1st” by Jane Austen, written when the author was only 16 years old. It was illustrated by Jane’s sister Cassandra and completed in 1791.

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5:58

138 – Can Peter Jackson Recapture the Magic?

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/05/27

Peter Jackson is getting the band back together to make movies about . . . finding Gollum?? For real? Will these films be any good? Will this be another case of a filmmaker trying and failing to recapture the magic? Find out what I think about the prospects for these new films. Check out the … Continue reading "138 – Can Peter Jackson Recapture the Magic?"

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16:01

137 – Peter Pan Goes Wrong made us LAUGH

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/05/20

Co-hosts T.Q. Townsend and Chloë Townsend recently went to the Curve Theatre in Leicester to see Peter Pan Goes Wrong, a hilarious comedy interpretation of J.M. Barrie’s classic children’s play and novel about Peter Pan, the Darling Children, the Lost Boys, and of course, Captain Hook. The play was put on by Mischief Theatre, a … Continue reading "137 – Peter Pan Goes Wrong made us LAUGH"

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6:59

136 – Butterfly in the Sky

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/05/13

I’ve just seen the documentary Butterfly in the Sky, which is about the public TV show Reading Rainbow. This show, which was hosted by LeVar Burton, helped millions of kids, including me, to understand just how magical it was to take a look in a book. Watch me try not to get choked up as … Continue reading "136 – Butterfly in the Sky"

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10:24

135 – Sold A Story Episode 10

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/05/06

Emily Hanford is back with Episode 10 of Sold a Story. I wanted to take some time to listen to this one several times and think about it before responding, because it addresses some very serious challenges in the literacy wars. Some people who were confronted by the failings of Balanced Literacy — the highly … Continue reading "135 – Sold A Story Episode 10"

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18:06

134 – Politics in Anne of Green Gables

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/04/29

Politics? In a story about a young teen girl from a tiny town in Canada’s smallest province from over 140 years ago? Actually, yes! Politics come up frequently in the classic novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, and they have some surprising things to say to modern readers, most importantly that we … Continue reading "134 – Politics in Anne of Green Gables"

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18:49

133 – St. George and the Dragon

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/04/22

We went to the St. George’s Day celebrations in Leicester City to have some fun and learn a little bit about the very ancient story in which St. George slays a dragon to save a city from its really, really bad breath. Hear the original tale and find out why it still has good ideas … Continue reading "133 – St. George and the Dragon"

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13:02

132 – “Lancelot and Elaine” in Anne of Green Gables

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2024/04/15

Tennyson’s poem “Lancelot and Elaine” plays a huge part in the plot of Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne and her friends decide to act out the scene where the Lady of Shalott dies and floats downriver to Camelot, where the court of King Arthur mourn her. However, Anne learns the hard … Continue reading "132 – “Lancelot and Elaine” in Anne of Green Gables"

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