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The Yarn

May 7, 2026 by Travis Jonker

Now on The Yarn: Philip Stead

With his latest book - A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic - Philip Stead tried something new: writing middle grade fiction.

April 13, 2026 by Travis Jonker

Dan Santat Spills Some Tea on The Yarn Podcast

In the new episode of The Yarn podcast, Dan Santat talks about . . . everything.

March 27, 2026 by Travis Jonker

Now on The Yarn Podcast: Sara Pennypacker!

Over on The Yarn Podcast, Colby talked with award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Sara Pennypacker about her latest novel The Lions’ Run. Sara is such a pro and this conversation is one I think you’re going to like. Subscribe below to catch every episode of The Yarn: iTunes Spotify Stitcher

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More Recent Posts

A First on The Yarn Podcast: Fuse 8 n’ Kate

February 27, 2026 by Travis Jonker

The Fuse 8 n’ Kate podcast hosted by SLJs own Betsy Bird and sister Kate just hit a big milestone: 400 episodes. To celebrate the occasion, they invited Colby Sharp and I on to debate one of the most unusual Caldecott Medal winning books of all time: The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Is it a […]

Now on The Yarn: Elisha Cooper

February 19, 2026 by Travis Jonker

Over on The Yarn podcast, I talked with Elisha Cooper about his excellent new picture book The Rare Bird. Elisha and I chat about what it means to make art for an audience, the joys and challenges of making a book based on your own pet, and why artists think every book has one picture […]

Now on The Yarn Podcast: Kelly Yang

January 29, 2026 by Travis Jonker

Behind the scenes of the StoryKind podcast with Kelly Yang and Kate DiCamillo!

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Now on The Yarn: Our Annual 2026 Preview Episode!

January 6, 2026 by Travis Jonker

Every year, Colby Sharp and I like to record an episode of The Yarn podcast looking ahead to the upcoming year in children’s books. In our 2026 preview, we talk about books we’re excited to read, books we’ve already read and loved, and make some predictions for the year. You can listen here: Subscribe below […]

Rebecca Stead’s EXPERIMENT

December 11, 2025 by Travis Jonker

Newbery winner Rebecca Stead is our guest on the latest episode of The Yarn podcast. We go behind the scenes of Stead’s latest middle grade novel, The Experiment. We also talk about how this year’s Newbery winner, The First State of Being (by Erin Entrada Kelly), was in part inspired by Stead’s 2010 Newbery winner […]

Behind the Scenes of A Fuse #8 Production

November 25, 2025 by Travis Jonker

It’s Betsy Bird month on The Yarn podcast. In our last episode, Betsy shares how her picture book POP! Goes the Nursery Rhyme (illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi) was made. In our latest episode, Betsy talks about her highly influential children’s literature blog A Fuse #8 Production. If you’ve ever read Betsy’s blog, I think you’re […]

Betsy Bird POPs on The Yarn Podcast

November 20, 2025 by Travis Jonker

I chat with Fuse #8 Production blogger Betsy Bird about her latest picture book.

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