Riot Headline The Best Books of 2024

Kidlit These Days

Kidlit These Days is your kidlit connoisseurs pairing the best of children’s literature with what’s going on in the world today.

Episode 42 Kidlit Holiday Gift Guide

Nicole and Matthew share a selection of the books they've recommended most this year.

Episode 41 Talking to Kids about the Election

Nicole and Matthew talk about the election, political leadership, and using your voice to bring about democratic change.

Episode 40 Calling on the Strength of Our Ancestors

Nicole and Matthew talk about ancestral strength, and interview special guest Tami Charles, author of All Because You Matter, illustrated by Bryan Collier.

Episode 39 Self-Publishing and Getting It Right

Nicole and Matthew talk about self-publishing demands and opportunities, and welcome special guest Suhani Parikh, author of Shreya's Very Own Style.

Episode 38 School in the Cloud

Nicole and Matthew talk about cloud-based schooling, self-organized learning environments, and school reimagined in fantasy fiction.

Episode 37 Graphic Novels from Lived Experiences

Nicole and Matthew talk about #ownvoices representation in comics, pocket culture, and welcome special guest Paul Meyer.

Episode 36 Celebrating ADA 30

Nicole and Matthew celebrate the 30th anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Joining is special guest Keah Brown.

Episode 35 A Different Kind of Back-To-School

Nicole and Matthew discuss how the coronavirus is affecting decisions to reopen schools and what school will look like in the fall.

Episode 34 OwnVoices, Heard and Valued

Nicole and Matthew discuss the creation and use of the #OwnVoices hashtag, representation of diversity in kidlit, and the value of storytelling through lived experience.

Episode 33 What To Do With All of Those Statues

Nicole and Matthew discuss historically problematic statues, how legal does not always mean moral, and we reflect on the kidlit authors whose works have helped to secure space for underrepresented voices.