The Children's Book Review: Growing Readers Podcast

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Megan E. Freeman to discuss her YA novel in verse, The Secret to Belonging. Megan shares how she turned the experience of being the "invisible child" in a family shaped by a sibling's addiction into a story about longing, courage, and creating joy from the ashes of despair.
From the moment a college fund vanishes to the scholarship that sends her protagonist to a remote corner of Norway, Megan reveals the craft choices behind this lush, aching story: why she wrote the entire novel in second person, how her own exchange year above the Arctic Circle shaped the setting, and why first love is one of many discoveries rather than a rescue. Megan also reads a passage from the book and talks about recording her own audiobook. Whether you're a teen who feels unseen, a parent, an educator, or a lover of novels in verse, this conversation is a reminder that the secret to belonging may be closer than we think.
Read the transcript on The Children's Book Review (coming soon).
Highlights:
From Middle Grade to YA: How The Secret to Belonging sat fallow for two years before Megan returned to finish it
The Invisible Child: Writing about the collateral damage of addiction from the sibling's point of view
The Reader as Confidant: Why second person let the protagonist tell her unvarnished truth
Losing the Lifeline: The college fund as the inciting incident, and the parachute that opens after the fall
Arctic Norway: Megan's own exchange year, learning a language, and feeling like a toddler
Belonging on Her Own Terms: A first love that isn't a Cinderella story
The Five-Pointed Star: Why every child needs trusted adults beyond their parents
Reading and Recording: A passage from the book and the surreal experience of narrating the audiobook

Notable Quotes:"The reader is her true and only confidant." —Megan E. Freeman
"I think that the secret to belonging is in here. It's in yourself. And it's just a question of excavating that and figuring out what that secret is for you in your situation, in your life." —Megan E. Freeman
Books Mentioned:
The Secret to Belonging by Megan E. Freeman: Amazon or Bookshop.org
Alone by Megan E. Freeman: Amazon or Bookshop.org
Away by Megan E. Freeman: Amazon or Bookshop.org
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds: Amazon or Bookshop.org
Me (Moth) by Amber McBride: Amazon or Bookshop.org
Listen to the Girls by Crystal D. Giles: Amazon or Bookshop.org

About Megan E. Freeman:Megan E. Freeman is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of novels in verse for young readers, including Alone and Away. She spent her junior year of high school as an exchange student in northern Norway, an experience that inspired The Secret to Belonging, and now lives in Colorado. Visit: https://www.meganefreeman.com/
Natalie Foss:
https://www.instagram.com/nat.foss/
Credits:Host: Bianca Schulze
Guest: Megan E. Freeman
Editor: Kelly Rink
Producer: Bianca Schulze

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze sits down with Shaun Tan—the Oscar-winning author and illustrator of The Arrival—to talk about his new visual novel, Hometown, a wildly imaginative, dreamlike story about a girl who must decide whether to trust a stranger who tells her she doesn't belong in the perfect world she's always known.
Shaun shares the story behind the story—how Hometown developed on its own timeline rather than as a deliberate companion to The Arrival's 20th anniversary, why he still doesn't fully understand why themes of home, displacement, and belonging keep resurfacing in every book he makes, and what he hopes a reader might carry from Hometown decades from now. He talks candidly about the despair that shadows every burst of creative inspiration, why he's learned to treat failure as simply "part of the process," and why he finds negative reviews more interesting than frustrating.
Read the transcript on The Children's Book Review.
Highlights:
Sketchbook Confessions: A rapid-fire round covering pencil-first habits, one word for his art style ("unexpected"), and one word for what home means to him ("familiarity")
The Arrival at 20, Hometown Arriving New: Why the pairing of his two milestone books this year was pure coincidence, not design
The Same Story, Different Points of View: Shaun's honest uncertainty about why home, displacement, and belonging keep resurfacing in nearly every book he's made
The "Steaming Garbage Pile" Part of the Process: How embracing creative despair and failure has made making books a happier experience after two decades
Belonging With Critical Thinking: Why Hometown's young heroine gathers many points of view before deciding where she belongs—and what that says about belonging in general

Notable Quotes:
"Belonging is essential. Feeling of belonging is essential. But it's got to be some critical thinking about that, because otherwise it's gonna end in chaos." —Shaun Tan
"I'm making books to have a conversation with people, and as broad a group of people as possible. That's what interests me." —Shaun Tan
Books Mentioned:
Hometown by Shaun Tan: Amazon | Bookshop.org
The Arrival by Shaun Tan: Amazon | Bookshop.org

About Shaun Tan: Shaun Tan is an award-winning author and illustrator known for visual narratives that explore home, displacement, and belonging, including The Arrival, The Lost Thing, and Tales from Outer Suburbia. In 2011, the animated short film adaptation of The Lost Thing won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Tan lives in Australia.
Visit: https://www.shauntan.net/
Credits: Host: Bianca Schulze / Guest: Shaun Tan / Editing: Kelly Rink/ Producer: Bianca Schulze

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze sits down with National Book Award–winning author Shifa Saltagi Safadi to talk about her new novel in verse, Sisters Alone—a heart-stopping story about two sisters, trapped alone by a sudden blizzard, who must survive the storm and finally tell each other the truth.
Shifa shares the story behind the story—how a childhood memory of stealing a library book about dolphins first made her realize she was a reader, why she still wrestles with imposter syndrome even after winning the National Book Award for Kareem Between, and what she wants young readers to take from Rama and Leena's fire-and-ice sisterhood. She reads the opening pages of Sisters Alone aloud and gives listeners a first look at her upcoming picture book, The Kaabah Cat.
Read the transcript on The Children's Book Review.
Highlights:
The Dolphin Book Confession: How stealing a nonfiction book about dolphins from her second-grade ESL classroom became the moment Shifa first knew she was a reader—and the years-later confession that followed
Imposter Syndrome, Even Now: Why winning a National Book Award for Kareem Between didn't quiet Shifa's self-doubt—and how she keeps writing anyway
Fire and Ice: Building Rama and Leena as two sisters with opposite ways of surviving grief, and why both had to feel equally true
Why Verse: How the spare, poetic form of Sisters Alone became the only way to hold intrusive thoughts, grief, and a blizzard all at once
A Preview of THE KAABAH CAT: A first glimpse into Shifa's picture book coming this January, about a boy's prayer, a runaway cat, and a joyful romp around the Kaaba

Notable Quotes:
"Sisterhood and love and honesty and opening up to those who love you—that is a strength. It's not a weakness at all to be honest with other people about what our demons are." —Shifa Saltagi Safadi
"Writing just has to come from the heart. And that's definitely not AI... we're sharing our hearts with the world as writers, and it's scary to share your heart with the world." —Shifa Saltagi Safadi

Books Mentioned:
Sisters Alone by Shifa Saltagi Safadi: Amazon | Bookshop.org
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi: Amazon | Bookshop.org
The Kaabah Cat by Shifa Saltagi Safadi: Amazon | Bookshop.org

About Shifa Saltagi Safadi: Shifa Saltagi Safadi is the National Book Award–winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. Born in Syria, Shifa immigrated to the U.S. with her parents as a young girl and is a bilingual Arabic/English speaker. She holds a bachelor's degree in English literature, is a former English teacher, and once reviewed Muslim books on her blog, Muslim Mommy Blog. Shifa is passionate about spreading a love of reading to children through storytimes and school visits, and hopes readers of every background will find themselves in her stories.
Visit: shifasafadi.com

Credits: Host: Bianca Schulze / Guest: Shifa Saltagi Safadi / Producer: Bianca Schulze

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze sits down with Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator Matthew Cordell to talk about his new picture book, 102—a cozy, topsy-turvy nighttime adventure about a sick child who follows a cricket into a hidden, miniature world on a quest to help a family of mice make a very specific batch of soup.
Matt shares the wild story behind the book's art—drawn entirely with a scented, multi-colored ballpoint pen he found in his kids' art supply stash—along with his own soft spot for owls as an avid birder, why curiosity is the thing that drives his work most, and how fatherhood continues to shape the stories he tells. Along the way, they also get a first look at his forthcoming picture book biography, STARMAN.
Read the transcript on The Children's Book Review.
Highlights:
The Pen Behind the Book: How a scented ballpoint pen from his kids' art stash became the sole tool for an entire picture book—and why it took sixteen of them to finish
The Owl Spread: Matt's love of birding, and what it was like illustrating a creature he knows intimately with a tool that offered almost none of his usual control
Soup as a Story Shape: Why 102 is the second time Matt has built a quest around delivering soup, echoing his earlier book Evergreen
Curiosity as a Compass: Matt's belief that children's curiosity is the most inspiring force he knows—and why he thinks the world needs more of it
A Preview of STARMAN: A first glimpse into Matt's next book, a picture book biography of David Bowie, out September 1st

Notable Quotes:
"It's a pretty wild, surreal story... I drew the whole book with a multi-colored ballpoint pen I found in my kids' art supply stash. It took 16 of these pens to do the whole thing—not to put too fine a point on it!" —Matthew Cordell
"Children are bursting with curiosity, potential, and creativity. They are the best and most inspiring audience in the world." —Matthew Cordell

Books Mentioned:
102 by Matthew Cordell: Amazon | Bookshop.org
Evergreen by Matthew Cordell: Amazon | Bookshop.org
STARMAN by Matthew Cordell: Amazon | Bookshop.org

About Matthew Cordell:
Matthew Cordell has illustrated many books for children, including The Only Fish in the Sea and Follow That Frog, both by Philip Stead. He has also written and illustrated numerous picture books of his own, including Hello, Neighbor!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers, Bear Island, and Wish. His work has been published in languages including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, French, and Italian. Matthew's books have been Best of the Year selections by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and his wordless picture book Wolf in the Snow received a 2017 Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor and the 2018 Caldecott Medal. He lives in suburban Chicago with his wife, author Julie Halpern, and their two children.
Visit: matthewcordell.com
Credits:
Host: Bianca Schulze
Guest: Matthew Cordell
Producer: Bianca Schulze

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze sits down with 2026 Randolph Caldecott Gold Medalist Cátia Chien to celebrate her luminous picture book Fireworks, created with author Matthew Burgess.
Cátia takes us from the bowling alley parking lot where she received the Caldecott call, to the childhood in Brazil that inspired the book's heartbeat—two sisters discovering the world together on a steamy summer day. Along the way, she shares her philosophy of experimentation over mastery, her belief that children feel everything deeply before they can name it, and why honoring a child's inner world is at the core of everything she makes.
Read the transcript on ⁠The Children's Book Review.
Highlights:
The Bowling Alley Caldecott Call: The unforgettable moment Cátia received the news—and how her husband and eight-year-old son each responded
Awards and Inner Validation: The conversations Cátia had with her son about external recognition versus what it means to make art for yourself
The Opening Spread: Why the book begins with grandma's kitchen—and how that image of love sets the foundation for every page that follows
The Staggering Finale: Cátia walks through the intimate, luminous final spread and what she was trying to capture about a child's inner world
Translating Sensation Into Art: How she approached—what does sound look like? what does heat feel like?—and why play is always her starting point
Experimentation Over Mastery: Her studio practice today and how she knows when a piece is done
The Librarian Who Changed Everything: How Mrs. Novosel handed picture books to a teenager who couldn't yet speak English
A Thousand Worlds: The origin story of her free picture book directory celebrating BIPOC creators
What Children Can Hold: Why protecting children from complexity can leave them feeling alone—and how picture books can be the bridge
Notable Quotes:
"When someone thinks that your work is not good, it's their opinion of the work. The most important question is: what do I think? And then I ask myself—what do I have to learn?" —Cátia Chien
"Take my love with you. That's what this book is. It opens with grandma feeding them so their bellies are full of love and courage before they venture out." —Cátia Chien
"I wasn't a big talker when I was a kid, but I was a big feeler. I felt everything so big." —Cátia Chien
Books Mentioned:
Fireworks by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Cátia Chien: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠
The Bear and the Moon by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Cátia Chien: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠
A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz, illustrated by Cátia Chien: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠
The Longest Letsgoboy illustrated by Cátia Chien: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠
If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠
About Cátia Chien:
Cátia Chien is the 2026 Randolph Caldecott Gold Medalist for Fireworks. A Brazilian Taiwanese painter and visual artist, she is also a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated award winner, a two-time Society of Illustrators Gold Medalist, and a three-time Golden Kite Award winner. Her acclaimed works include The Longest Letsgoboy, The Bear and the Moon, and A Boy and a Jaguar (ALA Notable Book; Schneider Family Book Award). She has also worked as a visual development artist on animated films including Wish Dragon and The Little Prince. She is the founder of A Thousand Worlds—a free, curated picture book directory celebrating BIPOC creators. She lives with her family in the Bay Area of Northern California.
Visit: ⁠https://www.catiachien.com⁠A Thousand Worlds: ⁠https://www.athousandworlds.com⁠
Credits:Host: Bianca SchulzeGuest: Cátia ChienProducer: Bianca Schulze