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PODCAST

Worlds Awaiting

Topics that help the rising generation discover literature and experience the world around them. Worlds Awaiting is a weekly program for grownups who care about children hosted by children"s literature expert, Rachel Wadham, Education and Juvenile Literature Librarian at the BYU Library. Guests include authors, experts, teachers, and parents.

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All Episodes

28:18

Fictional Worlds of Peril, Book Characters with...

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/08/05

Fictional Worlds of Peril (3:28) Of all the worlds awaiting our youth, dangerous worlds can pack the biggest wallop. Dangerous settings in fiction abound, because they make compelling stories. But just how dangerous should they be? BYU English professor, Jon Ostenson, talks to Rachel today on Worlds Awaiting about the popularity of fictional worlds of peril, dystopia, and apocalypse. Jon specializes in literature for teens and young adults. He’s taught Junior High and High School English, and

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28:54

Books in Small Bites, Building Lifelong Readers

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/07/29

Books in Small Bites (3:49) We live in a fast-paced world – overflowing with texts, tweets and Instagram posts – small bits of info grabbed on the run. We’re in a breathless hurry and want everything short. But books haven’t gone away quite yet, nor should they. So, how do we convince busy people, especially the young, to sit down and read a real book, even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time? Our first guest, Esha Gupta, co-founder of a new company, HOOKED, has co-developed a tool that is

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28:36

Book Inspired by Folktale, Discovering Gems in Poetry

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/07/22

Book Inspired by Folktale (3:40) Some stories aren’t new. In fact, some stories have been around for centuries. But then, along comes an author who makes it new and fresh, with a personal touch. That’s exactly the story behind our guest author today, Breeana Shields, who has just successfully published her first book, a fictional story based on a very old tale from India about Visha Kanya or “a Poison Maiden.” Breeana’s book is entitled Poison’s Kiss. The sequel, Poison’s Cage, comes out in 2018

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27:50

Help Kids Find Joy in Reading, Favorite Books

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/07/15

Joy in Reading (3:38) What encourages learning? Catching and correcting all a learner’s mistakes or catching that learner doing something right? Dr. Roxanne Owens, Chair of the Teacher Education Department at DePaul University talks to Rachel on Worlds Awaiting about helping children find joy in reading through more encouragement and less criticism. She also suggests that reading together as a family can put a positive spin on the child’s desire to read. Owens has been a faculty member at DePaul

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28:35

Keep Kids Reading During the Summer

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/07/08

Summer Reading (3:22) What’s summer for anyway? Swimming? Baseball? Movies? Art projects? What about reading? Research says that when kids leave the classroom over the summer, they can lose 1-3 months of learning. Mary Bigler wants adults to keep kids reading during the summer months to avoid losing all that ground. Bigler promotes what she considers to be the “ABC’s of Summer Reading.” She’ll tell us what those are on today’s show. Once a pre-school teacher and now, a professor, Bigler has spent

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28:14

Comics: Gateway to Helping Kids Connect with Literature

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/07/01

Graphic Novels (4:05) Who would have thought it possible that reading simple comic books – Spiderman and Superman, you name it – could help a teenager become a better reader and develop a love for even more demanding literature! High School English teacher, Ronell Whitaker, has done this very thing in his classroom. He uses comics and graphic novels as a gateway for leading his students along toward more advanced literature. His method, first developed by fellow teacher, Eric Kallenborn, has grown

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28:05

Moms’ Influence on Kids’ Reading, Author Ann Martin

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/06/24

Moms’ Influence on Kids’ Reading (3:20) Parents often feel pressure to have a mastery of phonics or other elements of reading as they strive to turn their own children into readers. But according to one mom, Wendee Wilcox Rosborough, what has worked best for her children has been her visible example of reading on her own, as well as reading aloud to them and exposing them to libraries and book stores. She talks to Rachel on Worlds Awaiting today. Wendee’s father Brad Wilcox is an educator at BYU

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28:37

Encourage Kid’s Questions, Author Andrea Davis Pinkney

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/06/17

Encourage Kid’s Questions (3:32) Do you ever get inundated by a child’s incessant questions? Turns out that this can be a good thing. Being curious can lead to an interest in science or music, sports, or just about anything really. Rebecca Sansom, of the BYU Chemistry Department co-founded the BYU Chem Camp for elementary aged students. She talks to Rachel today about encouraging our kids to notice the world around them and start investigating. Samson has also served as an Albert Einstein

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29:18

Our Natural Affinity for Music, Creativity

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/06/10

Music Talent (3:48) We humans respond quite naturally to music. It begins at birth, and some even say – before birth. But certainly from our earliest stages of life we have an innate capacity to sway or wiggle with a melody. Just watch a baby who responds and moves almost instinctively to the music all around it. Dr. Steven M. Demorest, professor of music education at Northwestern University, talks with Rachel about our natural affinity for music and how we can nurture that love of music in our

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28:40

Increase Confidence in Reading, An Author’s Favorites

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/06/03

Increase Confidence in Reading (3:42) How do you fix a car motor? Where is Timbuktu? Do Bees sleep? You can learn a lot just by reading. But what if you lack confidence in your reading skills? A lot of things you’re dying to know, might seem far out of reach. Dawan Coombs teaches Reading Pedagogy in the BYU English Department. She talks with Rachel now about how our perception of ourselves as readers can affect our desire to read, no matter what our age. Coombs especially wants children to get

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25:08

Discover Exciting Worlds Through Books

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/05/27

Amy Johnson (3:44) Science and stars; dragons and knights; tigers and turtles; magic shoes and magic carpets; and even a crazy cat in a striped hat who drops in while your mother is out. All these can be found in books – exciting worlds and possibilities available to our children each time we lead them to read. Our first guest today, blogger Amy Johnson, mother of 5 boys, talks to Rachel about why literacy and reading is so important to her as a mom. An avid reader herself, Johnson has established

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28:57

Book Characters, Understanding Other Cultures

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/05/20

Book Characters (3:35) In fiction, a successful character is one you can identify with. One you can believe in because he or she seems real. Good writers can pull this off. But how do they do it? The answer might lie in the matter of true empathy and compassion. Our first guest today – young adult author Martine Leavitt talks to Rachel about how she “lives” with her characters for a while to get to know them better. Martine is an award-winning author of books for young adults, with her most recent

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29:17

Game On! Helping Kids Become Writers

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/05/13

Game On! (3:59) What on earth did kids do in their free time in the 50’s, 60’s, and even the 70’s without cell phones, tablets, social media or computer games? Anyone remember that old-fashioned reality that virtual reality tries to imitate – you know, like hide and seek or freeze tag, riding bikes, fishing, hula-hoops … oh, and television or radio? The world has changed, it seems, in big ways. Our first guest today - author, artist, and Video Game Director Dustin Hansen talks to Rachel about the

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28:10

Book Settings, Hi/Lo Books

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/05/06

Book Settings (3:11) If you could travel back in time, where would you want to go? Prehistoric Europe? The land of the ancient Inca civilization? … There’s always Egypt with its untold mysteries, marvels, and mummies. Our first guest, Young Adult book author, Jennifer Nielsen, takes her readers on flights of fancy in her book series, Mark of the Thief. The setting is ancient Rome, with some magic mixed in. Nielsen visits with Rachel about her work behind-the-scenes including the research that goes

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28:29

Humor and Kids, Teaching Good Citizenship

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/04/29

Humor and Kids (3:42) You want a little bit of humor? Well, you’re not alone. Just about everyone does, and children are hardly an exception. In fact, one of the best ways to get children reading is to offer them the enjoyment of something funny. Our first guest today, educator and author Mary Bigler, talks to Rachel about why she thinks humor in books for children is important – and that this type of book can boost a child’s desire to read. Mary also will recommend books with jokes, riddles,

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28:56

Fathers, Sons, and Reading, Mom Book Reviews

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/04/22

Fathers, Sons, and Reading (3:24) Mothers have a great influence over their children. But let’s talk today about fathers. Children who like to read - boys or girls – say they saw a male adult in their life – a father, grandfather, or even an older sibling – reading regularly. Three generations meet with Rachel today to talk about this very thing – Gene Nelson, Provo City Library Director; his son Trent, who is teacher in a local middle school; and, Trent’s 9 year old son, Lincoln. We’re going to

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28:38

Real Characters, Helping Kids Engage with Writing

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/04/15

Real Characters (3:33) When children experience difficulty, loss or pain, they often look for help and comfort from someone who understands – someone who has been there. The best books will often bring us characters who have also ‘been there’. Our first guest today on Worlds Awaiting, children’s book author, Kate DiCamillo, talks about the characters she creates – some of them very close to home and with experiences similar to hers. DiCamillo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and two-time

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28:57

Spirituality and Literacy, Social and Emotional Skills

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/04/08

Spirituality and Literacy (3:31) Isn’t there more to life than just getting a job, paying the next bill, or filing your taxes? If you as an adult want more out of life than that, young students probably do, too. So why should their learning boil down to passing the next test, learning to fill out a job application or career and vocational training? Our first guest, Brad Wilcox, a professor in the Department of Teacher Education at BYU and a literacy expert, believes in the great benefit for our

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29:03

Tallulah the Ballerina, Audio Books

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/03/25

Tallulah the Ballerina (3:25) “Tallulah decided she’d better pay attention. She watched closely. She turned her feet and curved her hands near her hips in first position. She bent her knees in a plié. She did it perfectly. I am an excellent ballerina, she thought.” Hundreds of children know and love this story about Tallulah, a young ballet student, although, it may be new to you. Today we’ll acquaint ourselves with the author of the book series, “Tallulah.” Her name is Marilyn Singer

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29:09

Children’s Book Tribute, Engaging Kids with Poetry

Worlds Awaiting ·

2017/03/18

Children’s Book Tribute (3:49) So very often, a book from childhood becomes a friend for life – A classic we’ll never forget. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats was just such a book for our first guest. In fact, this simple tale was important enough to Andrea Davis Pinkney that she found a way to produce her own tribute to the book, its author, and its impact. Rachel Wadham helps us into this story of love for a book in a conversation with Pinkney, who is the author of many books for children and

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154 results

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