Reading Wellness (3:45) Does reading really ever make a difference? What part does reading play in our lives? Ideally, it would help us grow as human beings – and better understand what we want to be. And what about the characters in the books we read? Today on Worlds Awaiting Rachel visits with literacy specialist and author, Jan Burkins, who addresses the topic of “Reading Wellness.” In the healthiest sense, books can be a gateway to the world, a doorway into shaping who we want to be. Dr. Jan

Real People (3:51) Real stories – real lives – real people. We often meet them in biographies. Perhaps we’re inspired by their examples to move through our own hard times. Individuals who are seemingly ordinary, but accomplish extraordinary things. Today, Jessica Verzello of the Worlds Awaiting team, visits with children’s book author, Jen Bryant, who often writes about such real and inspiring people – some we’ve heard about, others, not. Jen shares how she chooses the people to spotlight in her

Combining Arts with Reading (3:47) Learning to read involves a whole lot more than just words and letters. Here’s an obvious example – picture books. What child isn’t well-served, motivated, and inspired to learn to read with a few illustrations on the pages? Perhaps less-obvious, is this matter of pursuing literacy – and the support that can come from art, music, and dance. Today on Worlds Awaiting, Rachel Wadham visits with an enthusiastic advocate of combining art with a child’s growth towards

Fostering Moral Literacy (4:09) Rushing through life, not noticing others or not thinking about others—perhaps even ignoring their challenges or difficulties—we’re all guilty of this. Can we do better? What do we have that others lack? What have been our unearned privileges, and what privileges have been denied to others sometimes by fate, but also by social injustice? Our first guest today, Dr. Ramona Cutri, is passionate about society’s need for deeper reflection about what we see in the

Hanukkah (3:53) What is the “Holiday Season”? Well, that depends entirely on where you live and the culture you come from. Where does Hanukkah fit in your life or culture, if it does at all? Known as the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah is observed for eight days and nights, sometime between late November to late December. Here on Worlds Awaiting we wouldn’t want to pass up the opportunity to talk about literacy as it relates to holidays. So, today, we’re focusing on

Summers in Cuba (4:08) Childhood memories can be so vivid – a visit to grandma’s house, fishing with a cousin during summer vacation, maybe you actually roasted chestnuts on an open fire!   These experiences stay lodged in our minds our whole lives. Poet Margarita Engle knows this as well as anybody. She’s written a delightful picture book about her childhood visits with relatives every summer – in Havana! All the Way to Havana is the name of the book, and just to make sure the illustrator got

Reading Aloud (3:55) It’s no secret that grandparents dote on their grandchildren. But have you ever thought about doting in a way that can make a lasting difference – actually giving those youngsters a let up on life? Today we’ll hear from one grandfather who dotes with a purpose – and that purpose is literacy. Rachel talks to Brad Wilcox and his daughter Wendee about the way this plays out in their extended family. Brad Wilcox is a professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Brigham Young

The Book Lady (3:55) Have you ever heard of The Book Lady? The Book Lady is actually someone you already know. She’s quite a celebrity, known the world around. Dolly Parton has dedicated herself to the cause of children’s literacy in an unusual way. And of all her many accomplishments, she frequently says that she’s most proud when people call her The Book Lady. Her organization, Imagination Library, has distributed well over 50 million free books to children. David Dotson is President of the

STEM Education (4:01) On Worlds Awaiting we often talk about reading and writing, but what about the third “R” - 'rithmetic. Arithmetic is, of course, an essential foundation stone for all of science, and by all rights, should be included in a broad view of literacy for children. Our first guest, BYU Electrical Engineering Professor Aaron Hawkins, talks with Rachel about the growing field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math – the STEM subjects. Hawkins emphasizes the importance of STEM

Kids and Finance (3:42) We all need money just to get along in the world, then hopefully, a little more to do some fun things. Can money ever last? Can we really control our money, rather than it controlling us? Our first guest, financial planner Gregg Murset, helps us think about our own financial skills and emphasizes the importance of teaching these skills to children. Murset is co-creator of Busy Kid, a website that aids parents and adults in teaching kids how to manage money. A father of six,

Second Chances (3:44) Who hasn’t occasionally wanted a second shot at something? Would it surprise you to learn that even the best authors often want, and sometimes get, a second chance? Our first guest Michael Buckley has such a story. He talks to Rachel and her intern Olivia Noli, about publishing the 10th anniversary edition of his series, The Sisters Grimm. He didn’t make major changes, but he did get a chance to tweek some things. Buckley is the New York Times bestselling author not only of

Reading with Writing (3:37) In a perfect world for children, learning to read would come hand-in-glove with learning to write. Taking notes about things we hear or read makes it easier for us to remember and even helps in developing good character traits and virtues. Our first guest, Educator and author Mary Bigler, talks to Rachel about a great way to get added value from reading aloud to children. She recommends taking things just a little further, as she’ll explain. She also has some great book

Learning Technical Skills through Minecraft (3:33) Video games are sometimes a solitary activity but at other times it can be a social activity with others. The expert we’re about to hear talks about how the latter kind of gaming, where young minds participate in groups, can become a healthy learning experience as well. Dr. Mimi Ito co-founded and directs a program called Connected Camp. The program partners 8-13 year old kids with high school students who teach them technical skills while playing

Discerning Quality in Media (4:19) Are kids capable of understanding the beautiful and the complex? Perhaps we should give them more credit than we do. Are they able to discern quality in media? How can we help them sift and sort? Illya Kowalchuk, Director of Education of the Pop Culture Classroom, talks to Rachel on today’s Worlds Awaiting about how he used video game design and comics in his Middle School classes to generate interest in learning other subjects. Kowalchuk also shares how he feels

The Emperor’s Ostrich (3:37) Any story about a bad monarch should probably end in one of two ways: the author either needs to kill him off or banish him. Well, maybe there’s a third way: you could try to reform him. In her latest book, The Emperor’s Ostrich, author Julie Berry opts for reform. She talks to Rachel about writing The Emperor’s Ostrich, or rather, how she let the story write itself. Berry is the author of the 2017 Printz Honor novel The Passion of Dolssa, the Carnegie and Edgar

A Night Divided (3:38) Truth can be stranger than fiction. And often more fascinating. Many a Young Adult novel begins with a compelling story from history – something that really happened. Our first guest, Young Adult book author Jennifer Nielsen became interested in the Berlin Wall and the many personal stories defined and shaped by it. She soon discovered that there were no children’s books about the Berlin Wall in English. This moved her to write her own book called A Night Divided that focuses

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

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

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

This is part four of a four part series focused on the story of Alain and Natalie's podcast. Starting with their first episode, Alain and Natalie look back at their journey and talk about why they started their podcast, what their goals were, what motivated them to continue, how they find ideas for new episodes and more. As they go over the past 87 episodes they recall memories and play excerpts of selected recordings. This series is much more than a rewind of the podcast. It is the opportunity