We make it so today with author Jan (J.E.) Thomas, author of The AI Incident and Control Freaks. Lots of good habit discussion, some Star Trek, and exactly how you can be a certified Human Author. Jan is a delight!

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This episode’s book reviews:

HOW TO GROW A FAMILY TREE by Bea Birdsong, illustrated by Jasu Hu

THIS BOOK IS ON FIRE! by Ron Keres, illustrated by Arthur Lin

CASSINI'S MISSION by Katie Venit, illustrated by Julia Blattman

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!!

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Today's second-timer is our last-timer of 2025! Matt Forrest Esenwine graces us once again with his delightful, radio-ready voice for a soothing exit to the year.

In addition to Matt's twelve other books (some of which you can hear about in our first conversation from 2021), this year Matt released his anthology A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World.

We don't get to talk a ton about anthologies, so this was a delight!

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This episode’s book reviews:

JOVITA WORE PANTS by Aida Salazar, illustrated by Molly Mendoza

THIS BOOK IS PERFECT by Ron Keres, illustrated by Arthur Lin

MY DAD IS THE BEST by Fran Pintadera, illustrated by Joan Turu

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!!

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Karyn Friedman-Everham (Josh's agent sibling - hi, Joyce!) has a fascinating story that's a little bit backwards from how most of us approach our debuts, but that's what makes her story fascinating and very endearing!

Her 2024 debut was Otter Oughta Know, followed in October 2025 by Chesed. Two different paths, one cool convo!

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This episode’s book reviews:

NUNU AND THE SEA by Isabella Kung

ERNO RUBIK AND HIS MAGIC CUBE by Kerry Aradhya, illustrated by Kara Kramer

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!!

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

It's been almost five years and THIS is our first episode that includes a singalong?

Today it's Rafael and Allison Rozo day! Check out Diego Fuego the Firefighting Dragon, out July 2025, and Unique Like You, out September 2025!

Allison and Rafael are a delight and we hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we did!

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This episode’s book reviews:

THE FABULOUS FANNIE FARMER by Emma Bland Smith, illustrated by Susan Reagan

THE A-TO-Z TEACHING TOOLKIT by Alicia Meyers

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!!

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

We've known Alicia Meyers since we were all three kidlit babies back in pandemic days when we had no idea what we were doing! Josh still doesn't know what he's doing. Long live Totally Funny Critique Group!

Alicia's educational book The A-to-Z Teaching Toolkit came out this month (November 2025) and we're eagerly awaiting her picture book debut Tic-Errific Me, coming next June!

Alicia hustles. And also rocks a mean teddy bear Halloween costume (check out her socials for evidence).

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This episode’s book reviews:

ALL MY STRIPES by Shaina Rudolph and Danielle Royer, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin

ZOMBEES by Justin Colon, illustrated by Kaly Quarles

THE WORLD'S BEST CLASS PLANT by Audrey Vernick and Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Lynnor Bontiago

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!!

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Ainissa Ramirez has something in common with the subject of her debut picture book, Jim West, inventor of the microphone: the passion, the drive, and the creative spark to turn her commitment into her reality.

It was an honor to talk to Ainissa, and if you want to hear more of her voice, listen to her podcast Science Underground, or maybe her TEDx Talk!

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This episode’s book reviews:

THE WALK, by Winsome Bingham, illustrated by E.B. Lewis

EVERY MONDAY MABEL, by Jashar Awan

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!!

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

...but doesn't work otherwise? We take issue with that part.

But either way: enjoy this conversation with PB Workshop-creator, writer of When Santa Wrote Back!, and wearer of cool glasses Nathan Christopher!

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This episode’s book reviews:

FLY GUY VS THE FLYSWATTER by Tedd Arnold

THE MUSHROOM OF DOOM by Becky Davies and Thomas Elliott

WANDA HEARS THE STARS by Amy S Hanson and Wanda Diaz Merced, illustrated by Rocio Arreola Mendoza

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!!

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Lydia Lukidis is here! She is a wealth of knowledge and experience and has brought all her passion for Garfield and Seinfeld to bear in her latest book Garfeld... I mean, Groucho the Grouchy Groundhog. Enjoy Lydia's verse!

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This episode’s book reviews: JIM! Six True Stories About One Great Artist: James Marshall by Jerrold Connors

LITTLE BOO by Maddie Frost

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes. You can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!!

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur and as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!