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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

24:47

209 – Reading Rapunzel to Kids: Messy and Fun

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/11/03

First, we start off with some MORE tedious Harry Potter book drama. Then you get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into a Fireside Fairy Tale. I always test stories on my kids and their friends, and I don’t mind that there are interruptions and a bunch of noise. Asking questions means they are interested, … Continue reading "209 – Reading Rapunzel to Kids: Messy and Fun"

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17:15

208 – Take Me to the Promised Land

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/10/19

We start off with some book drama about a hilarious, not-safe-for kids parody of Paddington Bear on the comedy show Spitting Image as well as an unneccessary freakout over a url printed on children’s books leading to a spicy site. In the main story, the biggest surprise for me this year is the amount of faith-based … Continue reading "208 – Take Me to the Promised Land"

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20:44

207 – Fireside Fairy Tale: Rapunzel (1812)

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/10/09

In this Fireside Fairytale, I share the first published version of Rapunzel, which was recorded by the Brothers Grimm for their famous 1812 collection of German folktales, Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Find out why this early version was offensive to 19th Century morality, and also why it really wasn’t as racy as pearl-clutching Victorians thought it … Continue reading "207 – Fireside Fairy Tale: Rapunzel (1812)"

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22:17

206 – Did Mahmoud V. Taylor Cause CHAOS?

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/10/05

In June, the United States Supreme Court ruled on the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor. A group of Maryland parents had sued their local school district, asking for the restoration of their rights to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ curriculum that they felt undermined their First Amendment rights to direct the religious upbringing of … Continue reading "206 – Did Mahmoud V. Taylor Cause CHAOS?"

en-US

8:21

205 – Lady Voldemort? HBO, Say It Ain’t So!

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/09/27

There are rumors — unproven rumors — going around that HBO is auditioning women for the role of . . . Lord Voldemort? Nobody wants this, and this isn’t just a nerd meltdown. The story will actually be broken in pretty significant ways if Lord Voldemort becomes Lady Voldemort. Also, we’ve been reading The Hobbit … Continue reading "205 – Lady Voldemort? HBO, Say It Ain’t So!"

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16:47

204 – King of Kings is a Masterclass in Immersive...

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/09/16

Did I just watch a Bible movie and really, really . . . enjoy it? I guess so, and I’m quite happy about that. I am continuing my roundup of movies that have come out this year which are based on books for children. King of Kings was released in the spring by Angel Studios … Continue reading "204 – King of Kings is a Masterclass in Immersive Storytelling"

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13:30

203 – A Tired Mom Review of Fantastic Four: First Steps

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/09/11

I’m starting my roundup of all the summer movies based on books for kids with Fantastic Four: First Steps. Find out how many Snapes I gave this one based on its accuracy to the beloved comic books, and how being a mom affected the way I saw this movie.

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24:49

202 – Was Graham Linehan’s Arrest “Kafkaesque” and...

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/09/07

I am very nervous about publishing this episode, because it could bring me unwanted attention. But things have changed to the point where I no longer feel that simply doing my best to be decent will protect me. Free speech is precious, and it’s a principle we should all stand up for, even when it … Continue reading "202 – Was Graham Linehan’s Arrest “Kafkaesque” and “Orwellian”?"

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30:18

201 – Fireside Fairy Tale: Tommelise

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/08/30

This story comes to you by the fire pit at a family member’s house back home in California. The evening is warm, the sea breeze is pleasant, and the bright full moon is shining. So settle in and enjoy my translation of Tommelise by Hans Christian Andersen, which is usually given the title “Thumbelina” in … Continue reading "201 – Fireside Fairy Tale: Tommelise"

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27:27

200 EPISODES!

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/08/28

This is the 200th audio episode of The Children’s Literature Podcast! All we can say is THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Oh, and I suppose we can say a bit in response to your questions.

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9:50

199 – The Original Three Bears Got Sweet Revenge

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/08/21

The first recorded version of The Three Bears was a poem written and illustrated by Eleanor Mure for her little nephew’s birthday in 1831. It was never published, but was handed down through the years and now resides in the Toronto Public Library’s manuscript collection. This version of the story is hilarious, with a poetic … Continue reading "199 – The Original Three Bears Got Sweet Revenge"

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6:58

198 – Amazon’s War of the Worlds Is a Waste of Ice

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/08/06

I did not like this film.

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9:35

197 – Mists of Iga: Teen Ninjas, Cool Swords, and...

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/07/30

My brother, Kyle Mortensen, published a wonderful indie book shortly before he died in an accident. He intended to publish three more books in this exciting historical fiction series set during the Warring States period in Japan, but I try to be glad that we at least have the first book, Mists of Iga, which … Continue reading "197 – Mists of Iga: Teen Ninjas, Cool Swords, and Abiding Friendships"

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10:34

196 – The Rainbow Fish is Dystopian Horror

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/07/29

I am not a fan of The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. It’s a book that portrays mooching, bullying, and gaslighting as good things, but lots of people don’t notice that because, well, it’s really, really pretty.

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7:58

195 – James Gunn’s Superman is . . .

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/07/25

Middling movies are the hardest to review!

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20:19

194 – George Orwell Predicted AI Art

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/07/18

This show starts with some hilariously wholesome news about how Fantastic Mr. Fox broke into the Twickenham Library, and of course Orkney Library had to weigh in. Then it’s on to our main segment, which is just a tad heavier what with it being about how the current challenges presented by AI art were forseen … Continue reading "194 – George Orwell Predicted AI Art"

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8:43

193 – The Star Spangled Banner Explains Why Americans...

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/07/04

Here’s the back story about how Francis Scott Key came to be trapped on a boat in Baltimore harbor for 25 hours, waiting to see if in the morning . . . the star-spangled banner would still be there!

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33:37

192 – Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/07/03

Here’s a reading of the moderately racy, earliest printed version of Jack and the Beanstalk. There’s nothing really dirty in here, but please listen to it on your own before deciding to share it with kids. This story, first printed in 1734 in a wild collection of funny stories called “Round About Our Coal Fire, … Continue reading "192 – Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean"

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11:27

191 – Juliet and Romeo is Truly Tragic

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/07/02

Taking Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy and turning it into a Gen Z musical was . . . a mistake. Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s best known plays and a rite of passage for high school students. Shakespeare is always up for reinterpretation, but sometimes moviemakers get a little carried away. Find out why … Continue reading "191 – Juliet and Romeo is Truly Tragic"

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8:29

190 – Take Me Out to the Ball Game Sing Along

The Children"s Literature Podcast ·

2025/06/16

Enough of you expressed interest in a sing along, so let’s do it! Here’s how you can participate: And here is the backing track video to help you sing along: Downloads: Lead sheet for “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” MP3 download of the backing track

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96 results

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