This week on the podcast, I am joined by author Chelsea Lin Wallace.

Chelsea Lin Wallace is a poet, a school theater director, and an award-winning children’s author with an impressive lineup of books including Ode to a Bad Day, The Boo-Boos of Bluebell Elementary, and Dare to be Daring. When she's not penning stories, she's passionately involved in guiding kids through theater productions, coaching volleyball, and being a source of support through all their ups and downs. Shelives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and dog. You can also visit her at www.chelsealinwallace.com.

Relevant Links:

Follow Chelsea on Instagram

About the show:

You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.

Follow ⁠Ally⁠ on ⁠Instagram⁠Thank you to ⁠Juqboxmusic⁠ and ⁠zXennial_Music⁠ for the show music

This week on the podcast, Hollie Michaels joins me to discuss her favorite childhood book, Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary.

Hollie Michaels is an author, illustrator, playwright, theater teacher, and director. She is the author of a new chapter book series Golda and Ezra, published by Capstone. Recently she was a finalist for the Cornerstone Writer-in-Residence Program at Wilton Library, a RUCCL mentee two years in a row, and her illustration portfolio won the Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in 2023.

Hollie has a background in theater and film. She holds two masters, one in Creative Writing Scripts from City University of London, and the other in Educational Theater from City College of New York. Before the pandemic Hollie was a k-12 theater educator. Currently Hollie is focused on writing for children full time. She is also a published youth playwright. Her middle grade play Children of Hooverville is published by YOUTHplays and is performed around the country by middleschool students. She is an active member of 12X12, SCBWI, and Kids Comics Unite. She lives in New England with her two kids, one corgi and one former ally cat.

Relevant Links:

Follow Hollie on Instagram and BlueSky

About the show:

You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.

Follow ⁠Ally⁠ on ⁠Instagram

Thank you to ⁠Juqboxmusic⁠ and ⁠zXennial_Music⁠ for the show music

Today, author Tami Lehman-Wilzig joins me to discuss the classic childhood book Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans.

⁠Tami Lehman-Wilzig⁠ is an award-winning author of 13 published Jewish content picture books, and threemore on the way this year. Her titles include the award winning books: SOOSIE, The Horse That Saved Shabbat; Keeping The Promise; NathanBlows Out the Hanukkah Candles; Passover Around the World and Green Bible Stories for Children. She is also the creator of a unique, digital story/lesson plan series entitled Shabbat Around the World. PJ Library has selected five of her books for its English speaking market, and hastranslated three of her books into Spanish and one of her books into Russian for those language markets.

Living in Israel for over forty-five years, Tami served as one of the country’s leading English language advertising copywriters for thirty-five years, creating the marketingimage of numerous Israeli exporters. Tami lives in Kfar Saba with her husband. A busy Savta (grandmother), she spends her time writing stories, creating glass and ceramic art, and going on photography shoots.

Relevant links:

Follow Tami on her ⁠website⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, on ⁠Instagram⁠, and on ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

⁠On the Wings of Eagles⁠ out now!

⁠Video about Bemelmans' art⁠

About the show:

You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson ⁠Bookshop.org⁠.

Follow ⁠⁠Ally⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

Thank you to ⁠⁠Juqboxmusic⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠zXennial_Music⁠⁠ for the show music

This week, I'm telling the story of the visionary storyteller Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny and many, many others. She's also the inspiration to this very podcast! Listen to find out why.

Relevant Links: Weekend Edition⁠In the Great Green Room by Amy Gary

Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon by Leonard S. Marcus

About the show:

You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson ⁠Bookshop.org⁠.

Follow ⁠⁠Ally⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

Thank you to ⁠⁠Juqboxmusic⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠zXennial_Music⁠⁠ for the show music.

Today, author Jenn Bailey is on the podcast with me to discuss her favorite childhood book, The Hobbit. Lucky timing since I was in the middle of reading it when we were first emailing it! We talk about her first time reading the book, her favorite character and chapter, the movie adaptations, growing up in a family that reads, and so much more. Jenn was an absolute delight of a reader to have on the show, and I know you'll love this episode just from her sheer enthusiasm about The Hobbit.

About Jenn:Jenn Bailey is an award-winning author who has her MFAin Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her work has received the ALA Schneider Family Honor award, Bank Street Book ofthe Year award, been star-reviewed by Kirkus, The Horn Book, and Publishers Weekly, and been included in numerous state reading lists, among other accolades.

Jenn is a frequent guest lecturer and workshop leader for SCBWI, Heartland Writers for Kids and Teens, and the One Year Adventure Novel workshops. Jenn is published by Chronicle Books; Arcadia Press; Magic Cat Publishing; Little, Brown and Company; and Levine Querido and is represented by Erica Silverman with The Stimola Literary Agency.

Relevant Links:

Follow Jenn on Instagram

Henry's Picture Perfect Day OUT MARCH 21

About the show:

You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pageson Bookshop.org.

Follow ⁠Ally⁠ on ⁠Instagram⁠

Thank you to ⁠Juqboxmusic⁠ and ⁠zXennial_Music⁠ for the show music.

This week on the podcast, I am joined by Caroline Starr Rose. I was thrilled to have Caroline on the podcast after having read and loving her debut novel May B.

Caroline Starr Rose is a middle grade and picture book author whose books have been ALA-ALSC Notable, JuniorLibrary Guild, ABA New Voices, Kids’ Indie Next, Amazon’s Best Books of the Month for Kids, and Bank Street College of Education Best Books selections. In addition, her books have been nominated for almost two dozen state award lists. Caroline was named a Publisher’s Weekly Flying Start Author for her debut novel, May B.

She spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico and taught social studies and English in four different states. Caroline now lives with her family in New Mexico.

*Note about the audio*

This interview was the first interview recorded using a new computer, and the audio recording proved to be a little trickier than I anticipated. That is why the first ten minutes is just me talking (though Caroline was part of the conversation, her side of the audio was very faint). Caroline's audio jumps in around minute 10. Stick around, I think it's worth the listen!

Relevant links

Caroline's website

The Burning Season

About the Show

Turning Back the Pages is on Bookshop.org⁠!

Follow ⁠Ally⁠ on ⁠Instagram⁠

Thank you to ⁠JuqboxMusic⁠ and ⁠zXennial_Music⁠ for the show music

This week, I'm talking to author Rachel Werner about the beloved book series The Babysitter's Club.

Rachel Werner has written numerous picture books, including Floods and Moving & Grooving to Fillmore's Beat, as well as the nonfiction middle grade title Glow & Grow: A Brown Girl's Positive Body Guide and the forthcoming nonfiction YA title Beauty Emancipation. She is on faculty for Hugo House in Seattle, Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver, and the Loft Literacy Center in Minneapolis, where she leads curricula to educate writers and content producers in marketing their work.

Relevant Links:

Rachel's Instagram and Twitter

Buy The Glam World Tour

About the Show:

Turning Back the Pages is on Bookshop.org!

Follow Ally on Instagram

Thank you to JuqboxMusic and zXennial_Music for the show music

It's the final episode of our mini series and the final episode of the season! Today's guest is Marion Lindsay, who I can say is a very loved illustrator in my house.

Marion Lindsay is a children's book illustrator who lives and works in the UK. She is best known for creating the artwork for the chapter book series "Zoey and Sassafras" written by Asia Citro. These wonderful stories allow Marion to draw some of her favourite things; a strong female main character and her brilliantly fluffy cat, magical creatures and science experiments, all set in a lush, natural environment.
Marion has always been arty and after studying illustration for her first degree she moved to Sweden for the better part of her twenties, absorbing influences from Scandinavian culture and developing a lifelong love for all things Moomin. On returning to the UK Marion completed an MA in children's book illustration at Cambridge School of Art, winning the prize for Best New Talent in her graduating year. Since then she has illustrated a great many chapter books as well as picture books, school books and all sorts of things in between!Marion lives with her family in the Cotswolds where, whenever she gets a moment, she likes to paint a picture or decorate something; anything that needs a picture or a pattern. She has a great love for black ink on paper which alternates with a great desire to use every colour in the pallette!

Relevant links:

You can follow Marion on Instagram or find her on her website.

Books mentioned: Alligator Pie, Maisie Hitchens, Zoey and Sassafras

About the show:

You can find all of the books from Turning Back the Pages on Bookshop.org.

Follow ⁠Ally⁠ on ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠Twitter/X⁠

Thank you to ⁠Juqboxmusic and ⁠zXennial_Music⁠ for the show music