Language During Mealtime

Interview with Dr. Anthony Manna, Author and Retired Professor of Children's Literature

Today I will be interviewing Dr. Anthony Manna, award-winning children's author. Dr. Anthony Manna is also a retired professor of children's and adult literature, literacy education, and drama from Kent State University, 

Through his many experiences and through his passion as an award-winning educator of 50 years, Dr. Manna has inspired kids and teens around the world to become confident, skilled, and happily-motivated readers and writers. 

He has taught in schools and universities in Turkey, Greece, Albania, and the United States, where he immersed kids, teens, and young adults in powerful multicultural books and entertaining, action-packed activities, to help them enjoy the discoveries about themselves and others that great books and their own writing can encourage them to explore. 

Dr. Manna's newest release, Loukas And The Game Of Chance (published by Mascot Books) is a reimagined Greek folktale, illuminated with dramatic and evocative pen and ink drawings that provide an ideal backdrop for the intrigue that fills this  touching story of human struggle, courage, and resilience.

He divides his time between Ohio and Arizona. 

Official Website: www.AnthonyMannaBooks.com

Facebook: @Anthony.L.Manna

Twitter: @DrTony42

Instagram: @DrTony42

To learn more about Anthony and read my full review, check out my website here.

Interview with Jeanne Lasala Taylor, Author of Just Bunny and the Great Fire Rescue

Today I will be interviewing actress and children's book author, Jeanne LaSala Taylor. 

Jeanne has written plays, screenplays and now a children’s book Just Bunny and the Great Fire Rescue, that she hopes to expand into a series.  Jeanne has taught acting, voice, speech and movement at several universities including Middlebury College, UC Irvine, the New York Film Academy and Marymount Manhattan College.  Jeanne is also working to help women in business find their true, connected voices with her Voices at Work seminars.  As an actress, Jeanne has been seen in off-Broadway plays and musicals, as well as on TV and in independent films. Jeanne was also the original Artistic Director and a founding member of Coyote REP Theatre Company which produced plays in Manhattan and “sound plays” for iTunes.  She just narrated her first audiobook for Audible; Dancing with Shiva by Lynette Brice. She is an avid New York Yankees fan and is incredibly proud to have graduated from the University of Virginia (BA English) and UC Irvine (MFA Acting). 

To read the full post about Just Bunny the Great Fire Rescue and learn language and literacy tips for your child, visit my website here.

Interview with Author and Literacy Advocate, Todd Tuell

In this podcast, I will be interviewing Todd Tuell, Children's Book Author and Literacy Advocate.

In addition to being a frequent contributor to children's magazines such as FACES Magazine for kids, Todd is the picture book author of Ninja, Ninja, Never Stop! (Abrams Appleseed). He is a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines, and literacy and parenting blogs. His favorite writing is for children and young adults.

​Along with writing for kids, he loves teaching at writers' and educators' conferences and as an instructor of Children's Literature at the University of Denver's University College.

​​Todd is a literacy advocate and strongly believes that literacy skills in children can be improved by simultaneously incorporating physical motion and as many senses as possible.

To read my review and learn more about how to facilitate language and learning with your child, visit my website with a full review here.

 

Interview with Valerie Bolling, Author of Let's Dance

Valerie Bolling has been an educator for over 25 years and a writer since age 4. She is a graduate of Tufts University and Columbia University, Teachers College and currently works as an Instructional Coach with middle and high school teachers.

In addition to writing picture books, Valerie writes a Monthly Memo for teachers that she publishes on Twitter, and she has been published in The National Writing Project’s Quarterly (“The Family Writing Project Builds a Learning Community in Connecticut”) and NESCBWI News (“Microaggressions Don’t Feel ‘Micro’”). Recently, she had a poem accepted for publication by Cricket Media. 

http://valeriebolling.com

https://twitter.com/valerie_bolling

https://www.instagram.com/valeriebollingauthor

https://www.instagram.com/letsdancebook

 

Interview with Speech Language Pathologist and Author, Jo Ann Gramlich

Jo Ann Gramlich is a speech pathologist and the award-winning author of Talk, Play, And Read With Me Mommy, which was inspired by her personal interest and passion for helpig young children and watching them learn and achieve.

She believes that every child has a voice that should be heard, and that it begins by empowering a child to tap into their imagination and skillful mind.

Jo Ann feels her philosophy of making learning fun brings out the best in our children and helps them to explore their own creative abilities during their early years and going forward.

She currently lives in Buffalo, New York, where she continues her writing, educating, speaking, and creative endeavors.

Official Website: www.TalkPlayAndRead.com

To learn more about Jo Ann and read my review of her book, click here.

Interview with Lauren Mosback, Author of My Sister's Super Skills

Lauren Mosback is a mother of 3, a new children’s book author, a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Behavior Specialist living in the Philadelphia suburbs. She has provided counseling services for children, adolescents and their families throughout the last 10 years of her career and opened a private practice a few years ago.  

 Lauren specializes in helping children, teens, and their families navigate issues related to anxiety, depression, ADHD, grief/loss, trauma, social skill difficulties, and low self-esteem. In counseling, Lauren helps cultivate a strong sense of self-worth in her clients, instilling in them the value of kindness toward self and others. Lauren helps her clients identify and build on their unique strengths while equipping them with useful tools to help address their individual areas of need. 

Lauren wrote My Sister's Super Skills to introduce children to healthy social-emotional skills in a fun way! This interactive story teaches emotional awareness and shares various empowering skills with children by linking each skill with an animal behavior, which children can easily remember and act out. As a counselor for children, Lauren knows the importance of learning these invaluable tools at an early age to manage stress, grow self-esteem and assist in navigating today's world! To learn more about Lauren, check out her website here.

To watch Lauren read her book and read my #kidlit review, visit my website here.

Special Interview with Phyllis Fagel, Author of Middle School Matters....Discussion about COVID-19 and Middle Schoolers (Online Learning, Anxiety and Parent Tips)

Phyllis Fagel has worked in both public and private schools with students in grades K-12. She currently works full time as the school counselor for Sheridan School in Washington, D.C. and provides therapy to children, teens and adults in private practice at the Chrysalis Group, Inc.

Phyllis is the author of “Middle School Matters” and a journalist. She’s a frequent contributor to the Washington Post, focusing on counseling, parenting and education, writes the Career Confidential weekly advice column for PDK, Intl. for educators, and “The Meaningful Middle” column for AMLE (Association of Middle Level Educators). She also has written for Psychology Today, Working Mother, Time, U.S. News & World Report, and Your Teen, and her ideas have been shared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, and The Chicago Tribune, among many other outlets.

To learn more about Phyllis, visit her website here. 

For additional resources suggested by Phyllis for online learning for your middle schooler, visit my website here. 

 

Interview with Patrick Arguin, Author of Tools of the Heart Series

Patrick Arguin is a proud children’s author and the creator of the Tools of the Heart where he combines three passions; illustration, teaching and helping little ones blossom into their own! Originally developed in French with the help of two heart-minded collaborators, later to be translated in English, Tools of the Heart aims to help young children learn self-care and develop or maintain a stronger sense of self through its books and guided meditations.

Patrick resides in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada, where he continues to develop Tools of the Heart and its different projects, while also working as a Reiki Master, a counselor, and a school educator.

To learn more about Patrick and how to incorporate language and learning tips, go to my website here.

Interview with Helena Ku Rhee, Author of The Paper Kingdom

Today I will be interviewing Helena Ku Rhee, author of The Paper Kingdom. Helena Ku Rhee works as a VP at Sony Pictures, and also as a writer of children's books. Helena's lifelong dream was to be a writer, and she has been in love with picture books as an art form ever since she was a kid. Her latest picture book, The Paper Kingdom, will be released in a few weeks on February 18th by Penguin Random House.

The Paper Kingdom is based on her childhood, and has received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, who called the book "Enchanting and powerful." The book is also the list of Most Anticipated Children's Books of 2020 by BookPage. You can visit Helena on her website for more information about her writing journey (helenakrhee.com).

To learn more about Helena, read my review of The Paper Kingdom and learning tips, click here.

Interview with Speech Language Pathologist and Children's Book Author, Hallie Sherman

Today I will be interviewing Hallie Sherman, certified speech language pathologist, founder of Speech Time Fun, and author of the children’s book Ella Bella Just Can’t Tell ya!

She graduated from the University at Buffalo in 2005 and received her masters in 2007 from Adelphi University.  Since then, she has worked with children from preschool to high school, in both schools and home-based agencies. 

Check out her website at: https://speechtimefun.com/

To learn more about Hallie and learn some language and learning tips, click here.