KidLit TV is a winner of the Parents’ Choice Gold Award and has been selected as an American Association of School Librarians Best Digital Tool for Teaching and Learning. KLTV is available in over 700,000 schools worldwide via our website and video distribution partners. We’re a diverse group of parents, educators, librarians, kid lit creators, and award-winning filmmakers working together to create fun new ways to reinforce an appreciation of reading that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
KidLit TV Shows
- STORYMAKERS, our flagship series, is an entertaining talk show highlighting bestselling kid lit authors and illustrators. The series is hosted by Rocco Staino, Contributing Editor at School Library Journal, a contributing writer at The Huffington Post, and Director of Empire State Center for the Book, affiliate of the U.S. Library of Congress.
- READ OUT LOUD – Enjoy storytime with authors at KLTV HQ!
- READY SET DRAW! – Get inspired to draw with talented illustrators from children’s literature.
- YOUNG AT ART with James Ransome – In this series, kids learn basic and intermediate art skills used in children’s book illustrations!
- The BIG Picture LIVE! with Andrea Davis Pinkney – LIVE drawing and fun tutorials.
- IN STUDIO – Join the KLTV film crew as we visit artists’ studios around the world!
- PAST PRESENT: GIVING PAST STORIES NEW LIFE with Lesa Cline-Ransome – Explore non-fiction story writing, share how we can learn about ourselves and find common bonds with people from the past.
- WHAT BECOMES A CLASSIC? with Leonard Marcus, digs into the historical and cultural context around the creation of a children’s classic.
- Plus exclusive LIVE coverage of special literary events here and on Facebook LIVE!
KidLit RADIO
The Children’s Literature Podcast for Kids! Listen here or on iTunes and SoundCloud.
We’re a trusted resource for parents, teachers, and librarians!
Go on an adventure in a world of stories with us! KidLit TV is the place to discover great children’s books and connect with the people who create them.
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The diverse KidLit TV team supports the We Need Diverse Books and Multicultural Children’s Book Day initiatives by encouraging the children’s literature community to create more books that reflect the diversity of our society.
Meet the KidLit TV Team!
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Julie Gribble – Founder & AuthorJulie Gribble produces works for children and the children’s literature community in both the United States and Great Britain. While a Children’s Literature Fellow at Stony Brook Southampton, she founded KidLit TV to help inspire children to learn and read. Julie is also founder of the upcoming TeenLit TV which will feature video programs for YA fans. Julie has been nominated for two Emmy Awards and is a multi-award-winning writer, screenwriter, filmmaker, and producer. Her charming picture book, Bubblegum Princess, is based on a true story about Kate Middleton and was released on the day the first royal baby, who we now know as Prince George, arrived. Copies of the book have been donated to underprivileged children in the US and to children’s hospices in the UK. She received The Norton Juster Award for Devotion to Literacy from Reader to Reader. |
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Rocco Staino – Host, StoryMakersRocco is the charismatic host in a bow tie! A captivating and important figure in the book community, he is a prominent librarian, a contributing editor at School Library Journal, a contributing writer at The Huffington Post, and the Director of the Empire State Center for the Book, which is in charge of the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. Rocco has chatted with kid lit rock stars like Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Mo Willems, and Katherine Paterson! |
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Stephanie Cummings – Social Media & Cool Stuff ManagerStephanie Cummings is a former BBC Journalist sharing her lifetime love of children’s literature and illustration with her two young daughters — and now with you, too, through her blog Three Cubs Book Reviews. Stephanie has an academic background at the undergraduate level in literature and has master’s degrees in both anthropology and design. She started her professional life in an art gallery and ended up producing radio programmes for BBC Radio 4, before deciding to become a stay at home mum. She lives with her two girls and handsome husband (who is sometimes invited into the tepee) in leafy, north London.
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James E. Ransome – Host, Young At ArtJames is both a painter and award-winning illustrator, with work exhibited in both private and public art collections. He has illustrated over 50 books, and his awards include the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Picture Book Honor and the ALA Notable Book Award for Sky Boys; the Coretta Scott King Honor for Uncle Jed’s Barbershop; the Coretta Scott King and IBBY awards for Creation; the NAACP Image Award for Let My People Go and Our Children Can Soar; and the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance Award, Rip Van Winkle Award, SEBA Best Book of the Year Award and Dutchess County Executive Art Award for Individual Artist.
James lives in Rhinebeck New York with his wife Lesa Cline-Ransome, a writer of children’s books. They have collaborated on a number of books including My Story, My Dance, Satchel Paige, Quilt Alphabet, Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass and Just A Lucky So and So. They live in the Hudson Valley with their four children.
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Lesa Cline-Ransome – Host, Past PresentLesa Cline-Ransome spent her childhood days in Malden, Massachusetts at her local library, where she stacked up on books and often missed dinner when she could not put down her book. It was reading that led her to writing. As an adult, in between reading a book a week, and visiting the library, she has written twenty three picture books, including Satchel Paige, Germs and Before She Was Harriet along with two middle grade novels, Finding Langston and Leaving Lymon. A mother to four, and a wife to one fabulous illustrator James Ransome, Lesa loves to cook, solve anagrams and take long walks. |
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Leonard Marcus — Host, What Becomes a Classic?Leonard Marcus is one of the world’s leading writers about children’s books and the people who create them. He is a founding trustee of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and has curated numerous exhibitions including the New York Public Library’s landmark The ABC Of It: Why Children’s Books Matter. He teaches at New York University and the School of Visual Arts and lectures around the world. Leonard lives in Brooklyn, New York, USA. |
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Andrea Davis Pinkney — Host, The BIG Picture LIVE!When Andrea was a kid, reading was a struggle. But she loved telling stories and sharing them with friends. One day, Andrea got a notebook, and starting writing her stories down. She soon discovered that this is what authors do — they put their stories on paper for others to enjoy. The books Andrea writes today begin with stories she puts down in a notebook. She’s now written more than thirty books, and has a closet full of notebooks that were the beginnings of these published works. |
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Terry Shay — Teacher, Creativity CornerTerry Shay is a retired K-12 vocal music teacher. He is the owner of School Visit Dot Connector, an agency that helps author/illustrators and schools connect for visits. He is the founder of International Dot Day, a creativity event celebrated around the world by millions of adults and kids. He is also the curator of Celebridots, an online gallery of dots created by famous people to inspire kids to be creative. In his spare time, he reads and rides his bicycle. He lives in Waterloo, IA with his wife, the International Baccalaureate Coordinator for East and West Waterloo High Schools.
I like to read because it helps me to manage emotions; like a sad book helps me feel understood or a funny book helps me feel happy. Website | Twitter | Facebook |
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Roxie Munro – Host KidLit TV special LIVE STREAMSRoxie was born in West Texas, raised on the Chesapeake Bay in southern Maryland, and now lives on an island in New York named Manhattan (also called New York City). She works in an art studio on an island too – in Long Island City, across the East River from her home. Roxie has always been an artist – when she was six, she won the county-wide 1st prize for a painting of a bowl of fruit, and was on page 1 of the local newspaper! One of her most fun art jobs was being a TV courtroom artist in Washington DC. |
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Pat Cummings – Author/IllustratorMost of my stories include family members and friends. Things that happen in real life might not fit exactly into a story but they definitely can get one started. That’s why my brother Arty shows up in so many of my picture books. I had to keep changing his name so he wouldn’t know I was talking about him but he’s been Harvey Moon and Petey Moroni and Angel Baby and just about every boy in every picture book I’ve done. That’s the price of being the only boy in a family of girls I guess. |
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Bethany Edwards – Biracial Bookworms on KidLit KibblesWhen Bethany Edwards was growing up, she dreamed of seeing the whole world. She grew up to be a teacher in international schools and got married to a US Diplomat. So far they have traveled to 58 countries together, and in each of those countries, she carried one of her daughters, a lot of books, or both on her back. Bethany loves the beach, learning how to cook new cuisines, and protesting for human rights. |
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Tracey M. Cox – Author, Facebook CoachTracey M. Cox loves to read, write, draw, and crochet. She believes it’s the closest thing we can get to true magic. Her superpowers are creating worlds with her words and illustrations. Shh, she also has a wand that SOME people think is a crochet hook. But let’s face it, it’s a funny looking stick. She waves it around, doing certain movements. Then, BAM! a scarf or blanket or toy appears. Yep, magic! |
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Kristen Balouch – IllustratorKristen grew up among the redwoods of California making things: drawing, crocheting, and sewing. When she got a little older she made more things: ceramics, welding, woodworking, and printing. Kristen went to art school and became a professional maker. She makes things every day and some days she makes children’s books—she thinks about them, writes them, and illustrates them. Somedays when she is not making things she likes to read. |
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Susannah Greenberg — PublicityI am a publicist. I work with publishers, authors and illustrators. I help bring authors and illustrators of children’s books, and news about them, to you. I love working with the people who create and love children’s books! They love their work and they are best. When I was a child, some of my favorite children’s authors were Dr. Seuss, Beatrix Potter, Maurice Sendak, E. Nesbit, and Lewis Carroll. |
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Laurel Nakai – Author, SongwriterLaurel Nakai loves to sing (and you can sing this bio… to the tune of Yankee-doodle, seriously try it!) She writes songs and sometimes books, she loves cake and dancing. Her guitar is made of wood, her socks are never matching. |
KidLit TV Contributors:
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Kim Vij – Educator and Pinterest ConsultantKim is a Pinterest expert and shares KidLit TV’s content with her 1.6 million followers. You might know Kim from her popular blog, The Educator’s Spin On It, but she’s also an early childhood educator, speaker, and author of “100 Fun and Easy Learning Games for Kids”. Her parenting and educational activity ideas are featured on Melissa and Doug, Sylvan Learning, and more. She is a founder of the Virtual Book Club for Kids, which offers activities to connect families with popular authors and books. A busy mom of 3, Kim loves exploring the world through books, as well as through travel. |
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Danielle Davis – This Writer’s LifeDanielle Davis grew up in Singapore and Hong Kong and now reads, writes, and roller skates in Los Angeles. She has an M.A. in literature and creative writing and a background teaching English to middle school and community college students. She’s author of the middle grade novel, Zinnia and the Bees, blogger at This Picture Book Life, and creator of This Writer’s Life, a video series for kids and their classrooms. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube |
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Megan Cahill-Assenza – Best of the Web KidLit Crafts & ActivitesMegan is from Northport, NY, and a recent Children’s Literature Fellow from Stony Brook University. A writer, filmmaker, and animal lover, Megan is pursuing a career in children’s literature. She currently works in the Academic Tutoring Center at Suffolk County Community College. |
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