Every episode of the Picturebooking podcast, 2014–2023: conversations with the authors and illustrators behind picture books, and how they make them. Pick a shelf below, or use Ctrl/Cmd+F to find a guest or a book.
Listen anywhere: All episodes on Libsyn · Apple Podcasts · Spotify · RadioPublic · Deezer · RSS
Start here
Ten favorites, if you’re not sure where to begin.
Dan Santat — Beekle (Feb 2015, 1:13:11)
Melissa Sweet — Some Writer: The Story of E.B. White (Nov 2016, 37:51)
Sophie Blackall — Hello Lighthouse / Ivy + Bean (Sep 2018, 58:43)
Oliver Jeffers — The Fate of Fausto (Sep 2019, 28:06)
Christian Robinson — you matter (Jun 2020, 23:42)
Marla Frazee — The Farmer and the Circus (May 2021, 57:43)
Rafael López — Maybe Something Beautiful (Sep 2016, 35:51)
Catia Chien — Things to Do (Apr 2017, 59:13)
Aaron Reynolds — Creepy Pair of Underwear (Aug 2017, 46:38)
Annie Barrows — What John Marco Saw / The Best of Iggy (Mar 2020, 54:02)
Browse by shelf
Author-Illustrator Interviews (94)
Author Interviews (75)
Illustrator Interviews (29)
Author + Illustrator Conversations (4)
Specials, Roundups & Panels (29)
Prefer to browse by date? Each shelf runs newest to oldest.
Author-Illustrator Interviews
Makers who write and illustrate their own books.
2023
Lane Smith — Stickler Loves the World (Oct 2023, 35:19)
Vashti Harrison — Big (Oct 2023, 55:42)
Bob Shea — Chez Bob (Oct 2023, 56:11)
Leah Hayes — I Touched the Sun (Sep 2023, 37:36)
Ed Vere — The Artist (May 2023, 52:39)
Pete Oswald — The Noise Inside Boys (May 2023, 33:52)
Jacob Grant — No Fair (Mar 2023, 27:19)
Jane Smith — Naked Butt Busts Out! (Mar 2023, 8:50)
Stuart Hausmann — Linus (Feb 2023, 28:11)
Doug Salati — Hot Dog (Feb 2023, 55:09)
2022
Charise Mericle Harper — I Cannot Draw A Horse (Dec 2022, 35:15)
Paddy Donnelly — Dodos Are Not Extinct! (Nov 2022, 3:08)
Ana Aranda — Our Day of the Dead Celebration (Oct 2022, 36:55)
Kristin Wauson — Mr. Thatcher’s House (Aug 2022, 36:45)
Blythe Russo — Sloth Sleeps Over (Jul 2022, 48:58)
2021
Grace Lin — A Big Mooncake for Little Star (Oct 2021, 1:03:30)
Antoinette Portis — Wait / Not A Box / Best Frints (Sep 2021, 1:13:27)
Peter Brown — Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (Aug 2021, 39:29)
Sean Rubin — This Very Tree (Jun 2021, 1:01:55)
Marla Frazee — The Farmer and the Circus (May 2021, 57:43)
Paddy Donnelly — The Vanishing Lake (Apr 2021, 57:36)
Jon Klassen — The Rock from the Sky (Apr 2021, 1:07:14)
Annelouise Mahoney — Julius and Macy: A Very Brave Night (Mar 2021, 49:31)
2020
Alex Willan — Unicorns Are the Worst (Dec 2020, 39:48)
Jane Smith — Hello, New House (Nov 2020, 57:01)
Don Tate — William Still and His Freedom Stories (Nov 2020, 59:54)
Nicola Killen — The Little Kitten (Oct 2020, 37:30)
Aaron Becker — My Favorite Color (Oct 2020, 47:02)
Jaime Zollars — The Truth About Dragons (Sep 2020, 55:31)
Sophie Blackall — If You Come To Earth (Sep 2020, 1:01:16)
Gaia Cornwall — Jabari Tries (Sep 2020, 28:52)
Christian Robinson — you matter (Jun 2020, 23:42)
Christopher Eliopoulos — The Yawns are Coming! (May 2020, 1:08:40)
Vanessa Roeder — The Box Turtle (Feb 2020, 37:18)
Deborah Marcero — In A Jar (Jan 2020, 44:29)
Jessica Hische — Tomorrow I’ll Be Kind (Jan 2020, 54:06)
2019
Rob Polivka — A Dream of Flight (Dec 2019, 37:05)
Grant Snider — What Color Is Night? (Nov 2019, 43:23)
Adam Rex — Why? (Oct 2019, 34:25)
Ashley Bryan — Infinite Hope (Oct 2019, 20:16)
Oliver Jeffers — The Fate of Fausto (Sep 2019, 28:06)
Eliza Wheeler — When You Are Brave / Home in the Woods (Apr 2019, 1:10:08)
LK James — The Full House and The Empty House (Mar 2019, 47:08)
Chris Robertson — Where Do Pants Go? (Mar 2019, 56:34)
J.R. Krause — Dragon Night (Feb 2019, 53:53)
2018
Michael Rex — Eat Pete! (Oct 2018, 54:32)
Sophie Blackall — Hello Lighthouse / Ivy + Bean (Sep 2018, 58:43)
Grace Lin — A Big Mooncake for Little Star (Sep 2018, 1:02:29)
Liz Reed — Sweet Success (Jul 2018, 53:04)
Cale Atkinson — Off & Away (Jun 2018, 56:10)
Ovi Nedelcu — One Gray Mouse (Apr 2018, 50:12)
Amy June Bates / Juniper Bates — The Big Umbrella (Apr 2018, 1:03:51)
2017
Katherine Roy — How to Be an Elephant (Oct 2017, 52:48)
Steven Weinberg — Fred & the Lumberjack (Sep 2017, 51:32)
Mike Sundy / Jonathan Sundy — Pancho Bandito Series (Jul 2017, 1:11:01)
Dan Santat — Rodzilla / After the Fall (Jun 2017, 1:11:32)
Jon Burgerman — Splat (Jun 2017, 37:37)
Rowboat Watkins — Pete With No Pants (May 2017, 58:41)
David Ezra Stein — Ice Boy (Mar 2017, 31:39)
Gilbert Ford — The Marvelous Thing That Came from a Spring (Mar 2017, 38:48)
Zachariah OHora — The Not So Quiet Library (Jan 2017, 45:09)
Corey R. Tabor — A Dark, Dark Cave / Fox and the Jumping Contest (Jan 2017, 41:16)
2016
Chris Haughton — Goodnight Everyone (Dec 2016, 51:49)
Jake Parker — Little Bot & Sparrow (Nov 2016, 38:09)
Evan Turk — The Storyteller (Nov 2016, 36:29)
Melissa Sweet — Some Writer: The Story of E.B. White (Nov 2016, 37:51)
Mike Lowery — The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate (Sep 2016, 46:34)
Alexis Braud — Parade (Sep 2016, 47:23)
Mike Boldt — A Tiger Tale (Aug 2016, 51:32)
Claire Lordon — Lorenzo the Pizza-Loving Lobster (Jul 2016, 23:25)
Jon Chad — Leo Geo Series (Jun 2016, 47:56)
Greg Pizzoli — Good Night Owl (May 2016, 59:25)
Elise Parsley — If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don’t! (May 2016, 1:01:14)
Joseph Kuefler — Beyond the Pond (Apr 2016, 1:00:07)
Antoinette Portis — Wait / Not A Box / Best Frints (Jan 2016, 1:12:58)
Toni Yuly — Cat Nap (Jan 2016, 51:12)
2015
Ryan T. Higgins — Mother Bruce (Dec 2015, 1:20:13)
Victoria Jamieson — Roller Girl (Oct 2015, 45:37)
Don Tate — Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton (Sep 2015, 45:18)
Ben Clanton — Something Extraordinary (Sep 2015, 53:16)
Ashley Spires — The Most Magnificent Thing (Jul 2015, 51:57)
Molly Idle — Sea Rex / Rex series (May 2015, 56:14)
Sanae Ishida — Little Kunoichi (May 2015, 53:16)
Ovi Nedelcu — Just Like Daddy (Apr 2015, 51:13)
Matt Tavares (Mar 2015, 1:01:55)
Jason Chin — Gravity (Feb 2015, 51:25)
Dan Santat — Beekle (Feb 2015, 1:13:11)
Katherine Roy (Jan 2015, 1:01:41)
Samuel Valentino — The Silver Rings (Jan 2015, 33:40)
2014
Fred Koehler (Dec 2014, 35:10)
Peter Brown — Mr. Tiger Goes Wild / My Teacher is a Monster (Nov 2014, 35:35)
Henry Cole — Big Bug (Aug 2014, 34:01)
Dani Jones — Monsters Vs. Kittens (Jul 2014, 30:51)
Airlie Anderson — Momo and Snap are NOT Friends (Jul 2014, 28:10)
Author Interviews
Writers on how their stories came to be.
2023
NoNieqa Ramos — Best Believe (Oct 2023, 41:03)
Minh Lê — Real to Me (Sep 2023, 1:01:20)
Kari Lavelle — Butt or Face? (Sep 2023, 43:47)
Becky Scharnhorst — How to Get Your Octopus to School (May 2023, 51:31)
Meera Sriram — Garden In My Hands (May 2023, 59:06)
Carole Boston Weatherford — You Are My Pride (Apr 2023, 31:22)
Jan Lower — The Brilliant Calculator (Apr 2023, 50:01)
Norene Paulson — Nila’s Perfect Coat (Mar 2023, 1:09:40)
Baptiste Paul — Climb On! (Mar 2023, 42:21)
Chris Barton — Moving Forward (Mar 2023, 50:02)
Angela Dalton — To Boldly Go (Feb 2023, 25:15)
Jeanne Willis — Hom (Jan 2023, 42:49)
Ratha Tep — Wally the World’s Greatest Piano-Playing Wombat (Jan 2023, 46:38)
2022
Kailei Pew — I See Color (Dec 2022, 45:55)
Shauntay Grant — My Fade Is Fresh (Nov 2022, 5:37)
Kelly Starling Lyons — My Hands Tell A Story (Oct 2022, 58:15)
Malcolm Mitchell (Sep 2022, 55:08)
Janet Sumner Johnson — Braver Than Brave (Aug 2022, 39:50)
Rebecca Gardyn Levington — Brainstorm! (Jul 2022, 52:42)
Troy Wilson — Hat Cat (Jun 2022, 1:02:23)
Jyoti Rajan Gopal — American Desi (Jun 2022, 1:05:19)
Julio Torres — I Want To Be A Vase (Jun 2022, 29:47)
Mac Barnett — The Great Zapfino (May 2022, 1:05:34)
Van G. Garrett — Kicks (Apr 2022, 1:04:24)
Chelsea Lin Wallace — A Home Named Walter (Apr 2022, 53:25)
Julie Hedlund — Over, Bear! Under, Where? (Mar 2022, 1:06:28)
Anne Wynter — Everybody in the Red Brick Building (Mar 2022, 44:31)
Nadia Salomon — Goodnight Ganesha (Jan 2022, 56:08)
2021
Paul Hoffman — Sam and the Seven-Pound Perch (Dec 2021, 34:19)
David Bowles — My Two Border Towns (Aug 2021, 55:26)
Anitra Rowe Schulte — Dancing with Daddy (Jul 2021, 41:19)
Bianca Schulze — Don’t Wake the Dragon (Jul 2021, 42:17)
Arielle Hobbs — Sully the Raccoon (Jun 2021, 26:21)
Dave Eggers — Faraway Things (Jun 2021, 52:32)
Shelli R. Johannes — Theo Thesaurus (May 2021, 51:03)
Leda Schubert — Nathan’s Song (Mar 2021, 39:48)
Kathleen Krull — Walking toward Peace (Feb 2021, 27:01)
Kate Hoefler — Nothing in Common (Jan 2021, 43:03)
2020
Jon-Erik Lappano — Maggie’s Treasure (Dec 2020, 37:55)
Mac Barnett — Jack and Santa / A Polar Bear in Snow (Dec 2020, 1:07:16)
Kate Messner — The Next President (Sep 2020, 57:45)
Simran Jeet Singh — Fauja Singh Keeps Going (Sep 2020, 1:15:01)
Josh Funk — Short & Sweet (Aug 2020, 54:31)
Valerie Bolling — Let’s Dance! (Jul 2020, 1:12:38)
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow — Your Name is a Song (Jul 2020, 45:34)
Claire Annette Noland — Evie’s Field Day (Jul 2020, 39:30)
Ian Lendler — The Fabled Life of Aesop (Jun 2020, 44:57)
Danielle Dufayet — You Are Your Strong (May 2020, 33:13)
Helena Ku Rhee — The Paper Kingdom (Apr 2020, 39:49)
Annie Barrows — What John Marco Saw / The Best of Iggy (Mar 2020, 54:02)
Barb Rosenstock — Leave It to Abigail! (Feb 2020, 57:37)
2019
Parker Curry / Jessica Curry — Parker Looks Up (Nov 2019, 26:46)
Anika Aldamuy Denise — Planting Stories (Jun 2019, 1:10:26)
Chelsea Clinton — Don’t Let Them Disappear (Apr 2019, 21:12)
2018
Zanni Louise — Archie and the Bear (Dec 2018, 48:53)
Tim McCanna — Bitty Bot / Jack B. Ninja / Boing! (Nov 2018, 1:01:31)
Ruth Spiro — Baby Loves Science / Made by Maxine (Nov 2018, 47:09)
2017
Elissa Brent Weissman — Our Story Begins (Nov 2017, 34:45)
Patrick Wensink — Go Go Gorillas (Sep 2017, 28:36)
Aaron Reynolds — Creepy Pair of Underwear (Aug 2017, 46:38)
Julia Donaldson — The Giant Jumperee (May 2017, 23:43)
L.J.R. Kelly — Sometimes It’s Storks (May 2017, 32:03)
Jonah Winter — The Secret Project (Mar 2017, 26:31)
Ruth Spiro — Baby Loves Quarks! / Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering (Feb 2017, 37:01)
2016
Josh Funk — Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast (Aug 2016, 57:16)
Alison McGhee — Tell Me a Tattoo Story (Apr 2016, 49:19)
Alice Kuipers — Violet and Victor Write the Most Fabulous Fairy Tale (Mar 2016, 43:57)
2015
Chris Barton (Nov 2015, 1:12:05)
Tara Lazar (Aug 2015, 1:01:45)
Miranda Paul — One Plastic Bag / Water Is Water (Jul 2015, 51:54)
Gary Karton (Jul 2015, 42:21)
Rebecca Kai Dotlich (Jun 2015, 59:43)
Charby Ibrahim (Mar 2015, 59:41)
2014
Carter Higgins — Everything You Need for a Treehouse (Oct 2014, 34:46)
Jesse Klausmeier — Open This Little Book (Sep 2014, 48:14)
Illustrator Interviews
Illustrators on process, craft, and career.
Lauren Castillo — This is a Story (Apr 2023, 47:01)
Nadia Fisher — Illustrating Daddy (Apr 2023, 54:31)
Maya Fidawi — Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar (Feb 2023, 41:31)
Brian Biggs — I Can’t Draw (Nov 2022, 43:47)
Rafael López — The Year We Learned to Fly (Feb 2022, 1:02:54)
Rafael López — Maybe Something Beautiful (Sep 2021, 36:00)
Kaylani Juanita — A House For Every Bird (Feb 2021, 1:08:53)
Cátia Chien — The Bear and the Moon (Jan 2021, 40:18)
Jess X. Snow — The Ocean Calls (Aug 2020, 43:19)
Ebony Glenn — Brave Ballerina / Not Quite Snow White (Jun 2019, 44:16)
John Rocco — Camp Tiger (May 2019, 47:46)
Ella Okstad — Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert (May 2019, 46:08)
Holly Hatam — Dear Boy (Apr 2019, 38:18)
Joe Bluhm — Dear Sister / The Magician’s Secret (Oct 2018, 1:18:11)
Stevie Lewis — Lost in the Library (Aug 2018, 50:49)
Joe Sutphin — Word of Mouse / Raffie On The Run (Jun 2018, 1:06:51)
Catia Chien — Things to Do (Apr 2017, 59:13)
Vanessa Brantley-Newton — The Youngest Marcher / Mary Had a Little Glam (Feb 2017, 1:02:57)
Nate Wragg — Monster Trucks (Oct 2016, 46:12)
Tom Booth — Who Wins?: 100 Historical Figures (Oct 2016, 50:38)
Rafael López — Maybe Something Beautiful (Sep 2016, 35:51)
Grant Snider — Quiet Power (Jul 2016, 34:22)
Maria Carluccio — D Is for Dress-Up (Jun 2016, 40:14)
Charles Santoso (Feb 2016, 1:12:18)
Noah Klocek — Cloud Country (Dec 2015, 49:16)
Christopher Denise (Nov 2015, 56:13)
Chris Ayers — Daily Zoo (Jun 2015, 55:39)
Kelly Murphy (Dec 2014, 50:58)
Will Terry (Oct 2014, 59:13)
Author + Illustrator Conversations
Author and illustrator, in the same episode.
Elizabeth Partridge / Lauren Tamaki — Seen and Unseen (May 2023, 50:58)
Stacy McAnulty / Shawna J.C. Tenney — Blood! Not Just a Vampire Drink (Sep 2022, 46:37)
Zibby Owens / Holly Hatam — Princess Charming (May 2022, 31:37)
Laura Gehl / Christopher Weyant — My Pillow Keeps Moving (Feb 2018, 57:18)
Specials, Roundups & Panels
Best-of lists, panels, festival visits, and Nick solo.
The end — Season 2 finale wrap-up with creative advice and book recommendations (Nov 2023, 37:54)
Picture•book•ing - A new start — Season 2 introduction and sneak peek at fall episodes (Sep 2023, 15:12)
Inside – I’ll Love You Till The Cows Come Home — Inside the pages — how page turns and motion work in illustration (Feb 2022, 14:46)
Inside – Have You Ever Seen A Flower — Inside the 2022 Caldecott Honor book by Shawn Harris (Jan 2022, 18:24)
Why Are Picture Books Important — 32 authors and illustrators answer: Why are picture books important? (May 2018, 43:40)
Mentors and Moms — Five authors and illustrators share stories of mentors who helped them (May 2018, 26:14)
Books Roundup — Collection of favorite new books including Sam and the Seven-Pound Perch (Apr 2018, 28:33)
Pace, Zenz & Hendra — Three authors with friendship-themed picture books (Jan 2018, 1:04:43)
Christmas Books — Three holiday picture books (Dec 2017, 54:53)
Bruce Handy — Author discusses Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children’s Literature as an Adult (Aug 2017, 1:06:29)
Picturebooking Pain — 13 authors and illustrators share the most painful things about the picture book industry (Jul 2017, 33:50)
Top 5 of 2016 — Countdown of top 5 most-listened episodes of 2016 (Dec 2016, 49:01)
Superhero Graphic Picture Books — Two authors, two superhero graphic picture books (Jun 2016, 54:12)
Tips to Break In — Advice for amateur storytellers looking to become professional (Mar 2016, 50:32)
Why Read? — Picture book people answer: why is reading important? (Feb 2016, 25:42)
Best of 2015 — Countdown of top 5 most-listened episodes of 2015 (Dec 2015, 43:46)
Sheboygan Children Book Festival — Wisconsin’s only free children’s book festival (Oct 2015, 41:35)
Julie Danielson — Children’s literature blogger talks about illustration and picture books (Aug 2015, 54:51)
Picturebooking Panel — Panel talks about success, pain, and advice (Apr 2015, 31:52)
Best of 2014 — Favorite moments from the first year of Picturebooking (Dec 2014, 1:04:37)
Matthew Winner — Teacher-librarian celebrates 100th episode of Let’s Get Busy Podcast (Nov 2014, 49:14)
Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival — Wisconsin children’s book festival featuring Kevin Henkes and others (Sep 2014, 31:21)
Carter Higgins Pt 1 — Author talks about her picture book design blog (Aug 2014, 32:42)
Announcing the Picturebooking Theme Park — Host answers: if time and money were no object, what would I create? (Jul 2014, 8:46)
Do What You Love — Host talks about what the phrase ‘Do what you love’ is NOT saying (Jun 2014, 13:36)
What is Picturebooking? — Host explains what picturebooking means and why he made up the term (Jun 2014, 17:01)
I want to live a life worthy of this opportunity — Host introduces himself and explains the purpose of picturebooking.com (May 2014, 16:42)
How to Listen — Subscribe info and archive access (May 2014)
Guest List — Alphabetical guest list (May 2014)
Links go to that month’s page on Libsyn, where the episode is listed with a player.