The Children's Book Review: Growing Readers Podcast - Bianca with Jessica Speer on The Phone Book: Stay Safe, Be Smart, and Make the World Better with the Powerful Device in Your Hand

Bianca with Jessica Speer on The Phone Book: Stay Safe, Be Smart, and Make the World Better with the Powerful Device in Your Hand

08/07/23 • 32 min

The Children's Book Review: Growing Readers Podcast

Jessica Speer wrote The Phone Book to provide knowledge and empowerment for kids and families regarding smartphone use. The book includes quizzes, real stories, techie tidbits, and secret codes to engage readers. In this informative chat, she suggests modeling healthy tech habits, creating a tech agreement, having regular conversations about the dark side of tech, and teaching digital literacy and citizenship to help kids form healthy digital habits.

Speer is the award-winning author of BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? A Girls Guide to Happy Friendships and Middle School – Safety Goggles Advised. Her interactive books for preteens and teens entertain readers while exploring important topics. Blending humor, a dash of science, stories, and insights, her writing unpacks challenges that surface during adolescence. She has a master’s degree in social sciences and explores topics in ways that connect with kids. Jessica is regularly featured in and contributes to media outlets on topics related to kids, teens, parenting, and social-emotional development.

Transcription:

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

Order a Copy:

The Phone Book: Stay Safe, Be Smart, and Make the World Better with the Powerful Device in Your Hand: ⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠.

Resources:

For more information, visit www.JessicaSpeer.com.

Discussion Topics:

The Phone Book balances knowledge and empowerment for kids and families regarding smartphone use
Working with kids to gather information and stories
How watching "The Social Dilemma" highlighted the need for guardrails around technology use for kids and inspired The Phone Book
Helping kids understand technology and its impact
The design elements and interactive features of The Phone Book
Modeling healthy tech habits, creating a tech agreement, having regular conversations about the dark side of tech, and teaching digital literacy and citizenship for parents to help their kids form healthy digital habits
Creating more informed young users of tech through her book
Encouraging families to have guidebooks on hand for when kids hit a bump in the road

Transcription:

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

Order a Copy:

The Phone Book: Stay Safe, Be Smart, and Make the World Better with the Powerful Device in Your Hand: ⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠.

Resources:

For more information, visit www.JessicaSpeer.com.

Discussion Topics:

The Phone Book balances knowledge and empowerment for kids and families regarding smartphone use
Working with kids to gather information and stories
How watching "The Social Dilemma" highlighted the need for guardrails around technology use for kids and inspired The Phone Book
Helping kids understand technology and its impact
The design elements and interactive features of The Phone Book
Modeling healthy tech habits, creating a tech agreement, having regular conversations about the dark side of tech, and teaching digital literacy and citizenship for parents to help their kids form healthy digital habits
Creating more informed young users of tech through her book
Encouraging families to have guidebooks on hand for when kids hit a bump in the road

Previous Episode

Bianca with Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant on Stuff Kids Should Know

Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark are the duo behind the award-winning tri-weekly podcast Stuff You Should Know. They talk about how they adapted their content for their kids' book Stuff Kids Should Know, using kid-friendly topics. They have a background in researching and writing and find a story in whatever they're talking about.

The pair have been working together on the show since it began in 2008, and it has gone on to become one of the most downloaded podcasts in history. They are currently based in Atlanta.

Transcription:

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

Order a Copy:

Stuff Kids Should Know: ⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠.

Resources:

You can listen to the Stuff You Should Know podcast on iHeart Radio.

Discussion Topics:

Chuck and Josh discuss:

How they adapted their podcast content for their kids' book
Their love of nonfiction and how they became interested in learning
Choosing topics for their podcast and how they selected topics for their book
Researching and writing and relying on a body of research to have a conversation
Tricks for fact-checking over the years, such as investigating red flags and finding multiple sources to back up claims
Infusing humor into the show and finding humor in most things
That everything is interconnected in some way
Finding a story in whatever they're talking about
Their approach to researching and writing nonfiction emphasizes the importance of following questions and not taking things for granted
A glimpse at each of the chapters of the book

Next Episode

Bianca with Remy Lai on Ghost Book

Get ready to be inspired as you learn about Remy Lai's creative process and the inspiration behind her latest graphic novel, Ghost Book, which beautifully deals with the difficult themes of death and grief in a moving and hopeful way.

Remy Lai studied fine arts with a major in painting and drawing. She was born in Indonesia, grew up in Singapore, and currently lives in Brisbane, Australia, where she writes and draws stories for kids with her two dogs by her side. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed Pie in the Sky, Fly on the Wall, and Pawcasso.

Transcription:

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

Order a Copy:

Ghost Book on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org.

Resources:

For more information, visit https://remylai.com.

Discussion Topics:

What drives Remy Lai to create books for children
From the images in her head to finishing revisions on a manuscript
Ghost Book, and how the idea came to her
Origin of the characters in Ghost Book
The concept of hungry ghosts and their significance in Chinese culture and how they fit into the story
Themes of death and grief and the importance of exploring these themes in a hopeful way
The importance of quality friendships over quantity
Finding the right ending to the story

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Sponsor:

This episode was made possible in part by author Virginia Shaw Genthner, the author of Jellybean Finds a Family. Listen to the book spotlight about this true story that follows Jellybean the horse as he leaves Europe to come to the United States looking for a family.

Order a Copy:

Jellybean Finds a Family on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠.