Bianca with Andy Griffiths on The 13-Story Treehouse

04/04/23 • 38 min

The Children's Book Review: Growing Readers Podcast

In this episode, we have global sensation and fan-favorite author Andy Griffiths. He's here to talk about the Treehouse series and the special full-color collector's edition of The 13-Story Treehouse.

Andy Griffiths is the New York Times bestselling author of The Day My Butt Went Psycho!, Zombie Butts from Uranus!, and Butt Wars! The Final Conflict, as well as the Treehouse Series and Killer Koalas from Outer Space. In 2007, he became the first Australian author to win six children’s choice awards in one year for Just Shocking! He is passionate about inspiring a love of books in his young readers and works as an ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Project, which provides books and literacy resources to remote indigenous communities around Australia. Andy is a big fan of Dr. Seuss and cauliflower. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is Australia’s most popular children’s writer.

Transcription:

You can read the transcription on ⁠⁠The Children's Book Review.

Order copies:

The 13-Story Treehouse (Special Collector's Edition): Monkey Mayhem! on ⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Amazon.

Resources:

Learn more about Andy Griffiths here: https://www.andygriffiths.com.au/.

Discussion Topics:

Getting to know Andy Griffiths and the things he likes to collect.
How being a high school teacher, lead singer in a rock band, and a stand-up comedian have helped Andy with his writing.
Pushing the boundaries of good taste when writing for kids.
How to write about farts without saying the word fart.
Working with the Indigenous Literacy Project.
The 13-Story Treehouse, what it's all about, and the inspiration behind it.
Themes that get kids excited about reading the Treehouse series.
When kids love to read the same book again and again.
Tips for raising readers and regulating screen time.

Transcription:

You can read the transcription on ⁠⁠The Children's Book Review.

Order copies:

The 13-Story Treehouse (Special Collector's Edition): Monkey Mayhem! on ⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Amazon.

Resources:

Learn more about Andy Griffiths here: https://www.andygriffiths.com.au/.

Discussion Topics:

Getting to know Andy Griffiths and the things he likes to collect.
How being a high school teacher, lead singer in a rock band, and a stand-up comedian have helped Andy with his writing.
Pushing the boundaries of good taste when writing for kids.
How to write about farts without saying the word fart.
Working with the Indigenous Literacy Project.
The 13-Story Treehouse, what it's all about, and the inspiration behind it.
Themes that get kids excited about reading the Treehouse series.
When kids love to read the same book again and again.
Tips for raising readers and regulating screen time.

Previous Episode

Bianca with Aaron Becker on The Tree and the River

In this episode, we have the master of wordless picture books, Caldecott Honor–winning Aaron Becker. He talks about his stunner of a book, The Tree and the River.

Aaron Becker is the best-selling author of the award-winning Journey trilogy, along with several other books for children young and old. His love of travel led him to the city of Granada, Spain, where a rich history of layered civilizations inspired him to write The Tree and the River. To prepare for the story's illustrations, he first constructed a scale model of the book's rolling landscape, which he then slowly transformed with clay and wood over many months. When he’s not home with his wife and two daughters, Aaron Becker can be found creating something new in his studio in western Massachusetts.

Transcription:

You can read the transcription on ⁠The Children's Book Review.

Order copies:

The Tree and the River on ⁠Bookshop.org⁠ and ⁠Amazon.

Resources:

Learn more about Aaron Becker here: https://www.storybreathing.com.

Discussion Topics:

What guides and drives Aaron Becker in creating books for children.
Thoughts on staying true to his vision.
Aaron's seed of inspiration for The Tree and the River.
Finding a thread of storyline in this wordless picture book.
Creating the picture book illustrations.
Something surprising that readers may notice.
The underlying theme of climate change angst.
Hope

Next Episode

Bianca with Grace Lin and Kate Messner on Once Upon a Book

In this episode, we have two guests: Newbery, Geisel, and Caldecott honoree Grace Lin and NYT bestselling author Kate Messner, who partnered on the picture book Once Upon a Book. This incredibly stunning book celebrates the joys of reading, the importance of imagination, and the transportive power of books.

Grace Lin is the recipient of the Children's Literature Legacy Award and is the bestselling author and illustrator of over thirty books, including A Big Mooncake for Little Star (a Caldecott Honor), A Big Bed for Little Snow, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (a Newbery Honor), The Year of the Dog, and the Ling & Ting series. Grace is a Rhode Island School of Design graduate and lives in Massachusetts.

Kate Messner is a New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty books for young readers. Kate's award-winning titles include picture books like Over and Under the Snow and The Brilliant Deep; novels like Breakout and Chirp; engaging nonfiction like The Next President and the History Smashers series; the Ranger in Time Adventures; and the Fergus and Zeke easy readers. Kate lives on Lake Champlain.

Transcription:

You can read the transcription on ⁠⁠The Children's Book Review.

Order copies:

Once Upon a Book on ⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠.

Resources:

Grace Lin invites you to visit her at www.gracelin.com.

Kate Messner invites you to visit her at ⁠www.katemessner.com⁠.

Discussion Topics:

The things that motivate Grace Lin and Kate Messner to write books for children.
School visits and fitting in time to write.
Thoughts on growing up readers and the importance of story in our lives.
Beverly Cleary and the Ramona books.
How a poster led to the creation of Once Upon a Book.
When to ask for help and the artistic process of collaboration.
Creating and dissecting the stunning artwork of Once Upon a Book.
Highlights from Once Upon a Book and the impact they hope it has on readers.