Sea Grass

Kid Literature, #102

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Imagine a book. It might look like a small, humble item with creased pages and a tarnished cover, but inside? Inside is the world.

Books make it possible for us to explore, to travel to other cultures, to dip our feet in the cool waters of The Nile or swim in the hot springs of Hungary. They teach us compassion, empathy, and little-known facts. They entertain us, they inspire us, they educate us. Books are vital to growth.

This week on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour, we meet with some of the imaginative people who are creating books for our youngest readers. In this episode, Charlotte Agell, Maria Padian and Kate Egan (who also happens to be the editor of the “Hunger Games” trilogy) explain how and why they write for kids.

Guests

Kate Egan

Kate Egan

Kate Egan has worked in children’s publishing for almost twenty years, both as an editor and an author. She has edited fiction and nonfiction, in paperback and hardcover, for kids from preschool through high school. Some of the authors she’s worked with include Tamora Pierce, Suzanne Collins, and Maine’s own Cynthia Lord. Kate’s first original picture book, Kate and Nate Are Running Late!, was published by Macmillan last fall.

Charlotte Agell

Charlotte Agell

Charlotte Agell is a writer, illustrator, and teacher living in Brunswick. Since 1991, she’s published numerous works of young adult fiction, chapter books, and picture books, including her most recent,The Accidental Adventures of India McAllister, an ALA Top Ten Rainbow Selection. The New York Times Book Review called her work “ebullient.” In her teaching life, she works with 5th-8th graders in Yarmouth, Maine. Originally from Sweden, Charlotte grew up in Montreal and Hong Kong, arriving in Maine to go to Bowdoin College. She’s more or less been here ever since.

Maria Padian

Maria Padian

Writer Maria Padian is the author of the young adult novel Out of Nowhere (Knopf, 2013), a story about the friendship between two Maine high school soccer teammates — one a Somali refugee boy, the other a white boy of Franco heritage. Her other books for young adults include Jersey Tomatoes are the Best (Knopf, 2011) and Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress (Knopf, 2008), which was an ALA-YALSA Best Books pick and also won a Maine Literary award and a Lupine Honor Award. Maria is a graduate of Middlebury College and the University of Virginia. She lives in Brunswick, Maine with her family.

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