Podcast
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Picture books aren’t just for children. Picture books are for grown-ups too! In this podcast, Patrice speaks with picture book authors, illustrators, and enthusiasts about how these stories contribute to human thriving. Discover how picture books can affirm our experiences, introduce us to new perspectives, serve as conversation starters, foster meaningful reflection, and give us words to make sense of the world!
Ultimately, Patrice believes you’re never too old for a great picture book AND these tiny tales can lead to big connection!
Join us for the journey and discover something that might contribute to YOUR thriving.
(Please visit the podcast’s bookshop.org page for a complete list of books discussed!)
Season 1 Reflection | Nyasha Gopo Interviews Patrice Gopo :)
In this end of season bonus episode, Patrice shares reflections about the first season of Picture Books Are for Grown-Ups Too!
S1E20 | Judy Allen Dodson and The Ashe Brothers: How Arthur and Johnnie Changed Tennis Forever
“We can give and share our gifts no matter where we are. No matter where we are in life, no matter what we are going through, we all have gifts to share.” –Judy Allen Dodson
S1E19 | Patty Lyons and 'Something about Grandma' (written and illustrated by Tania de Regil)
“We have to be very conscious about how we’re going to tell our stories to our children and our grandchildren.” –Patty Lyons
S1E18 | Amanda Davis and Moonlight Memories
“Art can be a place of comfort and healing after loss.” and “Healing isn’t linear. It’s a journey that continues on.” –Amanda Davis
S1E17 | Alliah L. Agostini and Big Tune: Rise of the Dancehall Prince
“It’s important for people to understand that there is more than one immigrant experience, there is more than one Jamaican-American experience. There are so many.” –Alliah L. Agostini
S1E16 | Kamalani Hurley and Unspeakable (written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Cooper)
“We don’t ignore the past. We live with the past every day. And so this idea of ignoring difficult past subjects really doesn’t make too much sense for me. How will you learn if you don’t talk about it?” –Kamalani Hurley
S1E15 | Jenin Mohammed and Song in the City
“It does feel like when you’re reading a picture book for the first time, there is a stop in time.” –Jenin Mohammed
S1E14 | Shirin Shamsi and Zahra’s Blessing: A Ramadan Story
“Picture books are a way of connecting our human family and making the world kinder and more empathetic. I really hope we can make the world better by sharing stories with everyone.” –Shirin Shamsi
S1E13 | Abbigail Glen of Shelves Bookstore & Ruby Finds a Worry (by Tom Percival)
“Picture books show us is that there was a point in all of our lives where you were allowed to just figure things out. Is there room in your life now to give yourself that same grace?” —Abbigail Glen
S1E12 | Gloria Amescua and Child of the Flower-Song People
“I hope [this story] helps people appreciate where they came from and who they are and being proud of that . . . Adults also feel, ‘I can be proud of my origins. I can be proud of who I am and what I have to give to the world.’” –Gloria Amescua
S1E11 | Holly Hatam and A Good Deed Can Grow
“You don’t have to have this huge good deed that you have to do. Something that is not obtainable. A good deed is just opening a door or saying “hello” or helping someone with their bags . . . I wanted to show that a good deed can be so small and make someone’s day so much better.” –Holly Hatam
S1E10 | Terry Catasús Jennings and The Little House of Hope
“Hope is the beginning of progress. Hope is the beginning of moving forward.” –Terry Catasús Jennings
S1E9 | Maria Marianayagam and Watercress (written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin)
“We do need to share our stories and our histories and realize that regardless of how specific they are, I think the connection is there. These universal themes will connect with more people than we think.” –Maria Marianayagam
S1E8 | Michelle Nott and Teddy, Let’s Go
“Just by pure design, a picture is for all ages, for all generations.” –Michelle Nott
S1E7 | Alicia D. Williams and The Talk
“To see the beauty, though, to see the beauty of a Black family in a picture book and how they all care for him in such a gentle way.” –Alicia D. Williams
S1E6 | Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Mae Makes a Way
“Activism is not just one thing. There’s no one way to be an activist. There’s no one way to serve your community. Your gifts can be used as they are.” –Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
S1E5 | Des Cooper and Nothing Special
“When we left, that word home became very complicated.” –Des Cooper
S1E4 | Adrea Theodore and A History of Me
“You can see forward. You can see who are. But at the same time if you think about it, it helps you look back. If you look in the mirror, you can see behind you.” –Adrea Theodore
S1E3 | Carter Higgins and Big and Small and In-Between
“Don’t be afraid to collect picture books as a grown-up who has no connection to children. That doesn’t make you strange or weird. That makes you a curator of really beautiful art and a collector of stories.” –Carter Higgins
S1E2 | Jyoti Rajan Gopal and American Desi
“Connection is created through curiosity and conversation.” –Jyoti Rajan Gopal
S1E1 | Tameka Fryer Brown and Twelve Dinging Doorbells
“I think picture books minister to us. In all kinds of ways. Not only do they bring joy, but they also can encourage healing. They can make us feel seen.” –Tameka Fryer Brown