Publishers Weekly Pw Kidscast

Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat talks about ‘After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)’, which explores anxiety and fear in the aftermath of the nursery rhyme character’s infamous tumble.

Siblings Jennifer and Matthew Holm talk about bringing their Babymouse character to an older audience in 'Lights, Camera, Middle School!’, the first book in their Babymouse: Tales from the Locker series.

Philip C. Stead and Matthew Cordell talk about ‘The Only Fish in the Sea,’ a daring naval rescue starring the heroine from ’Special Delivery’—and a lot of unruly monkeys.

Maurene Goo talks about her second YA novel, ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love,’ in which a 17-year-old tries to use the tropes of televised Korean “K Dramas” to make a love connection with a classmate, with hilariously disastrous results.

Taran Matharu talks about the third book in his Summoners series, ’The Battlemage,’ about an orphan boy who discovers an ability to summon demons, and about the role that NaNoWriMo and Wattpad played in the origins of the series.

Marcus Pfister talks about the 25th anniversary of his shimmery picture book star, Rainbow Fish, and about the latest entry in the series, ‘You Can’t Win Them All, Rainbow Fish.’

Author and literary agent Holly M. McGhee discusses her middle grade novel ‘Matylda, Bright and Tender,’ about a fourth-grader coping with the death of her best friend.

Jerry Spinelli talks about ‘The Warden’s Daughter,’ a coming-of-age story set in the 1950s in Two Mills, Pennsylvania—a fictional town that will be familiar to readers of the author's Newbery Medal–winning ‘Maniac Magee.’

Jennifer Torres talks about ‘Stef Soto, Taco Queen,’ which follows a seventh-grader as she deals with protective parents, friendship struggles, and her conflicted feelings about her father’s taco truck business.

Singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins talks to PW KidsCast about adapting his song ‘Footloose’ into a picture book set at a rockin’ zoo.

Amy Sarig King (better known to many readers as A.S. King) talks about her first middle-grade novel, ‘Me and Marvin Gardens,’ about a boy who discovers a never-before-seen, plastic-eating animal near his home.

Nick Bruel talks standardized testing, creativity, and not allowing his Bad Kitty books to repeat themselves in a discussion of ’Bad Kitty Takes the Test.'

Author-illustrator David Shannon talks about ‘Duck on a Tractor,’ a sequel to ‘Duck on a Bike,’ in which Duck and his fellow barnyard animals pile onto a tractor and drive into town, confounding the locals.

Ben Hatke talks about his new graphic novel, ‘Mighty Jack,’ a contemporary reinterpretation of the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.’

Debut author Kate Beasley discusses her middle grade novel, ‘Gertie’s Leap to Greatness,’ about a girl determined to become the best fifth-grader at her school, in order to win back her estranged mother.

Matthew Reinhart talks about his latest project, a pop-up retelling of the hit animated film ‘Frozen,’ and the work that went into bringing the story of Elsa, Anna, and Olaf to three-dimensional life.

Patrick McDonnell talks to PW KidsCast about his new picture book, ‘Tek: The Modern Cave Boy,’ about a prehistoric child who is glued to his tablet, phone, and other technology.

Spouses and artistic collaborators Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr talk about their new picture book, ‘Babies Ruin Everything,’ and how their years of experience self-publishing their own titles led to this and other book deals.

Amy Young talks about ‘A Unicorn Named Sparkle,’ about a girl named Lucy, whose dreams of a pet unicorn are thrown for a loop when the animal that shows up looks a bit… goatish.

Chris Barton talks about his new picture book biography, ‘Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions,’ illustrated by Don Tate.