Shows
My Words, My Book10 - Nikki Saunders, author, creator and executive producer of the Bafta nominated Ready Eddie GO! on Sky Kids.Nikki shares her deep love of reading, which has been with her since childhood. Becoming an author was a natural progression for Nikki: her son is autistic and Nikki was keen to write a book where he and other autistic children could see themselves. Ready Eddie GO! the book series was adapted for television and is now on Sky Kids. The book Ready Eddie Go! Painting celebrates how using paint can be fun and there is no right or wrong way to be creative. Nikki is an author, creator and executive producer of the Bafta nominated Ready...2025-03-3116 minMy Words, My Book9 - Lydia Bright, star of The Only Way Is Essex Lydia talks passionately about the magic of sharing stories that every child can fall in love with, irrespective of their background. She explains that her mum (Mummy Debbie) was a foster carer when she was a child and how Lydia’s family home was full of children and love. Mummy and Me is a story that celebrates the close bond between an elephant and their child, closely mirroring that of Lydia and her daughter. Lydia is keen for children to have conversations and celebrate their family story. Lydia, star of The Only Way Is Essex, has...2025-03-2719 minMy Words, My Book8 - Lanisha who published her first book last year. Lanisha shares her story of how signing up to an incentive led her to becoming a children’s author. She also talks about how entering competitions, such as the BBC’s 500 Words, can open the door to children becoming authors themselves. Lanisha describes how her book Flower Block has always been in her heart and is a modern-day Jack and the Beanstalk. Flower Block looks positively at social housing and the wonderful working-class community that fill its many homes. Lanisha also shares how magical things can happen when we plant seeds of love. Lanisha is a chi...2025-03-2317 minMy Words, My Book7 - Louie Stowell writes books about magic, gods and monsters (mostly).In this episode, Louie talks about the career she had before she became an author, which included being an editor for a publishing company – she was Laura’s editor for My Skin, Your Skin! Louie reveals what inspires her to write, her favourite books as an adult and how these have influenced the Loki series. She also reflects on A Bad God’s Guide to Making Enemies and may even share a few spoiler alerts for Loki book five! Louie Stowell writes books about magic, gods and monsters (mostly). She has written books about space, politics and scienc...2025-03-2028 minMy Words, My Book6 - Richard O’Neill - acclaimed storyteller, author, playwright and educator from northern England In this podcast episode, Richard reminisces about his Romani heritage and how this is central to his storytelling; he fondly shares how he was one of the last in his family to live in a caravan and travel around the UK. Richard also talks about how his storytelling includes the past, present and future and indeed how storytelling is an art. We hear from Richard about how he was inspired to write The Can Caravan, which highlights the importance of community and teamwork. Richard O’Neill MBE is an acclaimed storyteller, author, playwright and educator from northern Eng...2025-03-1725 minMy Words, My Book5 - Patrice Lawrence Patrice passionately shares the importance of diversity in families and communities and how this has influenced her work. She talks about the power of reading a wide range of books and how children learn and appreciate reading books that show characters that are outside their own experience, especially on the issue of creating empathy. Specifically, Patrice talks about how in People Like Stars the grandmother’s character is not a stereotypical representation. Patrice has written books for children of all ages, from picture books to titles for young adults. She has won multiple awards including the Waterstones Chi...2025-03-1333 minMy Words, My Book4 - Dan Freedman and Daniel Geey Dan Freedman and Daniel Geey Dan and Daniel discuss how important it is for children to know and understand there are other careers outside of playing football. Dan also shares the background to the popular Jamie Johnson series. They discuss how their passion for football led them into their current careers - Daniel talks about how he became a football lawyer. We also discuss the importance of libraries as well as the rise in women’s football and how there is an equal balance of stories in 50 Ways into Football. Dan is a Sun...2025-03-1037 minMy Words, My Book3 - Kelechi Okafor, Nigerian-born Londoner, writer, presenter and social commentator Kelechi Okafor is a Nigerian-born Londoner – a writer, presenter, social commentator and tour de force in challenging how we think about race, oppression and femininity. Although Kelechi wears many hats, the head those hats are stylishly perched upon is one filled with incisive observations about society, culture and specifically Black womanhood. In this podcast, Kelechi discusses her Nigerian roots and the importance of children owning their identity. She also talks about how our identity is at the core of who we are and why we should empower children to be proud of their identity. She explains why Wel...2025-03-0827 minMy Words, My Book2 - Camilla Reid, author of the Pip and Posy stories and the Peekaboo series. In this episode, Camilla shares the importance of early reading and how board books are a great example for older children as an inspiration for them to create their own books. Camilla also talks about how she engages with illustrators in the process of creating her books and discusses how her book Is Dot in the House? provokes awe and wonder in children. Camilla has written more than 200 books, including the Pip and Posy stories and the Peekaboo series. As a passionate campaigner for shared reading, she believes that the daily habit of cuddling up...2025-03-0513 minMy Words, My Book1 - Joseph Coelho OBE, multi-award-winning children’s author, poet and playwright. Joseph Coelho OBE is a multi-award-winning children’s author, poet and playwright. He is two-time winner of the Indie Book Awards. His poetry collection Werewolf Club Rules! won the 2015 Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award. He won the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Writing with The Boy Lost in The Maze, illustrated by Kate Milner, and was Waterstones Children's Laureate 2022 - 2024. In this podcast, Joseph shares his inspiration for poems and how poetry is central to storytelling. He talks about his experience of being the Children’s Laureate for two years and how libraries were his focus during this...2025-03-0328 min
Podcasts from the Foundation Stage Forum LimitedA deep dive into Maya and Marley and the Great Big Tidy UpBen and Jules chat with Laura Henry-Allain MBE about her latest children’s book Maya and Marley and the Great Big Tidy Up. They discuss the important themes in the book, how the story can be used in settings, and Laura shares where she finds inspiration for her stories.2025-02-0742 minMy Words, My Book0 - An introduction to My Words, My BookMy Words, My Book, is an original children's podcast aimed at supporting children's love of books and reading. This comes at a time of national decline in children's reading enjoyment, according to the National Literacy Trust. My Words, My Book features authors' interviews offering children unique insights into the creative process behind some of their most beloved stories and explaining what is it like to be an author. The shows will feature fiction and non-fiction and combines interviews with emerging authors as well as those who are well known. It will reach children...2025-01-3002 min
Saturday LiveTracy-Ann Oberman, Ben Branson, Laura Henry-Allain, Katarina Johnson-ThompsonThe actress Tracy Ann Oberman is back playing Shylock in 'The Merchant of Venice: 1936' - a version inspired by the life of her great-grandmother who stood on the frontline against the fascists at the Battle of Cable Street. Laura Henry-Allain also tells us how she was inspired by her Gran Gran and the stories she shared that helped Laura create the UK’s first animated series about a Black British family…'JoJo and Gran Gran'. Ben Branson joins, the maverick behind the non-alcoholic spirits company Seedlip, hosts the podcast 'The Hidden 20%' where he shar...2024-11-3058 min
FaktahommissaJakso 3, kausi 3. Lasten tietokirjat apuna kasvamisessaMiten lasten tietokirjat voivat auttaa vaikeiden asioiden käsittelyssä? Millaisia herkkiä teemoja lasten tietokirjat voivat nostaa esille? Kuinka vanhemmat tai kasvatusalan ammattilaiset voivat hyödyntää lasten tietokirjoja? Miten lasten tietokirjailijaksi tullaan? Vieraina ovat psykologi ja lasten tietokirjailija Julia Pöyhönen ja Otavan lastenkirjallisuuden kustannuspäällikkö Marjo Lemponen.Jaksossa mainittuja kirjoja:Julia Pöyhönen ja Heidi Livingston: Fanni- ja Miu-tunnetaitosarjat (Kumma-Kustannus).Prinsessa Madeleine, Karini Gustafson-Teixeira ja Marie Oskarsson: Stella ja salaisuus (Otava 2020). Alkuteos: Stella och hemligheten. Suomennos: Katriina KauppilaGunilla Bergström: Mikko Mallikas -kirjat (Tammi), ruots. Alfons ÅbergLaur...2024-11-2635 min
The Forest School Podcast196: Why YOUR School Needs More Stories Like Jojo & Gran Gran with Laura Henry-AllainSummary:In this episode of The Forest School Podcast, host Lewis Ames sits down with Laura Henry-Allain MBE, author, consultant, and creator of the beloved children’s show Jojo & Gran Gran. They explore the importance of representation in early years education, how to create inclusive learning environments, and why conversations about diversity should start early. Laura shares practical advice for parents and educators, emphasizing the power of storytelling in fostering empathy and understanding. Tune in to learn how YOU can make a difference in your classroom, Forest School, or home learning environment.
Key Takeaways:
The ro...2024-10-2547 min
Book Hoes Podcast24-Hour Readathon with Victoria and ErinThis week’s episode was recorded during a 24-Hour Readathon on May 26th-27th 2024. Book Hoes Victoria and Erin join Zoë and Ryan as we discuss the books we are reading and the chaos that ensues over 24 hours of reading. Follow Erin at @ehunzi on TikTok!
Become a paid member of our Substack at bookhoes.substack.com for bonus content, including access to the Drunken Literate episodes.
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2024-08-281h 21
Femme OnActive Activism: Ria CarroganThis episode Tonya speaks with Femme On creator Ria Carrogan about the importance of all acts of activism, food insecurity and poverty, parenting and podcasting! It is basically one long Ria rant!Organisations that Ria mentions:The Black Nursery Manager: https://www.theblacknurserymanager.com/Bloody Good Period - https://www.bloodygoodperiod.com/Trussell Trust - https://www.trusselltrust.org/Beauty Banks - https://www.beautybanks.org.uk/Ria also mentions some amazing children's book authors and books:Bethan Woollvin - https://www.bethanwoollvin.com/Harry Woodgate...2024-05-1444 min
TTS Talking Early YearsEpisode 20: Supporting and empowering every family with Laura Henry-Allain MBEShaddai Tembo and Laura Henry-Allain MBE return for the final episode of this series of the TTS Talking Early Years podcast, to discuss the importance of recognising the uniqueness and diversity of every family.
Laura emphasises that it's crucial to understand the family dynamics of every child in an early years setting to ensure that you can represent and support a child's self-identity. Communication plays a key part in this; listening, learning, and ensuring that every family is acknowledged irrespective of how diverse they may be.
📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, clic...2023-11-1624 min
TTS Talking Early YearsEpisode 19: Representation in books and resources with Laura Henry-Allain MBEShaddai Tembo is once again joined by Laura Henry-Allain MBE, an award-winning international storyteller, educationalist, producer, and consultant. In this episode, Laura and Shaddai explore why representation in resources is important throughout your continuous provision.
This episode highlights that settings should accurately reflect our culturally diverse society so that all children learn about the society in which they live; to foster respect for other cultures and to ensure that children from minority ethnic groups can relate to their environment.
Laura goes on to explain that education is a key tool for ensuring that racist attitudes do...2023-11-0919 min
TTS Talking Early YearsEpisode 18: How can early years educators promote anti-racism with Laura Henry-Allain MBEShaddai Tembo is joined once again by Laura Henry-Allain MBE, an award-winning international storyteller, educationalist, producer, and consultant. In this episode, Laura and Shaddai explore how educators can promote anti-racism in their settings.
Laura explains the importance of including the whole team, parents, and wider community to embed anti-racism across all areas of your early years setting and practice. Anti-racism should be considered throughout all areas of your setting, environment, and interactions.
Laura also shares that resources and books could contain imagery and terminology that is discriminatory; therefore, reviewing these and their appropriateness is vital in...2023-11-0221 min
TTS Talking Early YearsEpisode 17: Understanding our differences with Laura Henry-Allain MBEShaddai Tembo is joined by Laura Henry-Allain MBE, an award-winning international storyteller, educationalist, producer, and consultant. Laura will cover the topic of understanding and celebrating our differences.
In this episode, Laura discusses inclusive practices, emphasising the importance of continued training on matters of diversity for every setting. She sheds light on the negative impact of phrases such as 'I don't see colour' and how this unintentionally dismisses the experiences of others.
Laura also offers her advice for speaking out on matters of inclusivity and diversity in settings.
📌 To shop for resources relevant to this po...2023-10-2619 min
The Island of Brilliant!Jon KlassenLast time, in a terrifying cliff-hanger, our Nadine flew off on Katherine Rundell's bi-plane - there's only one thing that could prompt such foolhardy behaviour in one os fearful - and that's the chance to fetch Jon Klassen (THE Jon Klassen) back to island. And not a minute too soon, the poor man was drifting out in the ocean with minutes left before the game was up. Fortified by Frank's crisps, he proceeds to give one of the best interviews you'll hear this year from any writer. Jon, truly one of the great talents at work today in any...2023-10-011h 02
Black Ballad Presents: The Survival GuideMum Guilt, The Importance Of Community & SO MUCH MORE! (with Laura Henry-Allain MBE, creator of JoJo & Gran Gran)In this wide-ranging conversation with Laura Henry-Allain MBE, Black Ballad's CEO and co-founder Tobi Oredein discusses Laura's groundbreaking work, JoJo & Gran Gran and they get real about working motherhood and mum guilt.Follow Laura on Twitter and Instagram.Laura's book 'My Skin, Your Skin: Let's Talk About Race, Racism and Empowerment' is available now and you can watch the latest episodes of JoJo & Gran Gran on BBC iPlayer.Follow Black Ballad on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Let us know what you think about this episode on Twitter by using the...2022-05-221h 08
Black Ballad Presents: The Survival GuideWhen To Tell Your Kids They're Black (with Dr Beverly Daniel Tatum)No black parent looks forward to having that conversation – the one where you explain to your sweet child what it means to be racialised as 'black'.But how do we prepare our children for the realities of racism, while still encouraging a strong, positive sense of identity? How do we go about raising black kids in mostly white environments? And can we come back to the question of multiethnic households once again?Renowned psychologist and best-selling author Dr Beverly Daniel Tatum explains how we raise black children who are confident, savvy and ready fo...2022-04-1050 min
Black Ballad Presents: The Survival GuideWe're back!Black Ballad Presents: The Survival Guide is back for another season, talking about all the things we don't speak about enough.We have guests including Jamelia, Black Mums Upfront and Laura Henry-Allain MBE (the creator of JoJo & GranGran), and talking about fun topics such as sex after childbirth, when to tell your kids they're black and how to deal with teenagers.Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode when we launch! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.2022-03-1601 min
Oxford Education Podcast25: Talking about race, racism and empowerment with Laura Henry-Allain MBELaura Henry-Allain
In this episode of Diversifying Reading with Shareen Wilkinson, Shareen talks to Laura Henry-Allain MBE about the Lit in Colour research and diversifying children’s publishing, why we need to talk to children about race in school and at home, and how to be anti-racist.
Laura Henry-Allain MBE is an award-winning international writer, speaker and consultant. She is the creator of the well-loved CBeebies characters JoJo and Gran Gran as well as the series' associate producer. She is also executive producer on a few shows that are currently in development. She is the vice-president of the British Association fo...2021-11-1841 min
Everything Under The Sun87. What is racism & why is it bad? Ft special guest expert Laura Henry-Allain MBE, how does a Mummy chicken save her chicks if a fox tries to eat them?On this award winning show we answer three questions from Tabitha, Emma and Christopher with help from special guest expert Laura Henry-Allain MBE Laura is a writer, parenting expert, Early years advisor, inspirational speaker, creator of the CBeebies show JoJo and Gran Gran and has written a new book called Your Skin, My Skin. You can win a copy of her book on this week’s episode by entering our competition! Check out the pod for more info. Laura explains what racism is, how it is basically bullying, why it is ba...2021-10-2120 min
Beyond The ChameleonInterview with Laura Henry-AllainToday, in Beyond The Chameleon, Ella speaks to award-winning expert in Early Years education and children’s media, and creator of the CBeebies hit series,JoJo and Gran Gran, characters. This interview took place as part of the promotion for the Secret Story Draw Check out Laura's Podcast here If you would like to work with Ella as a composer, or be featured on the podcast, visit www.ellajarman-pinto.co.uk If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please support Ella here 2020-12-0140 min
Early Years ConversationsBlowing Your Own TrumpetJoin Kate & Kerry in this series of special edition podcast for early years wellbeing week. In this episode, we catch up and check in with Laura Henry-Allain and talk about the emotional wellbeing of the workforce, blowing our own trumpet, celebrating each other, raising each other up, black lives matter and discuss our Laura's My Family Week, 12-18 October. https://www.laurahenryconsultancy.com/my-family-week/2020-10-0534 min
From the Front Porch279 || What Would Susie Read? This week on From the Front Porch, Annie is joined by her mom, Susie Butterworth who shares her suggested PG books for sensitive readers.
All of the books discussed in this episode can be purchased at The Bookshelf:
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Anne of Green Gables by by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy
Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Henry
Educated by Tara Westover
The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey
Mr. Malcolm’s List by Su...2020-07-0936 min
Play, Learn & Create with Edx EducationLaura Henry- Allain, award winning author, international presenter In Conversation with Edx Education (UK)Episode - 3 - Edx Education in Conversation, Laura Henry- Allain, award winning author, international presenterEdx Education In Conversation with award winning author, international presenter and creator of BBC childrens series, 'Jo Jo and Gran Gran', Laura Henry- Allain. Today she will share her tips for all the parents that are now homeschooling their children. Laura has been working in the early years for over 3 decades worldwide. 2020-04-0825 min