Growing Readers Through Bugs, Birds, and Beautiful Words

In this heartfelt episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed Doherty welcomes Heidi E. Y. Stemple, author of Lydia Loves Bugs, and later Jezebel Rivera, author of Mommy, Where's My Dad?

Most of the conversation centers on Heidi, her work, and her remarkable family legacy. Heidi shares how Lydia Loves Bugs began on her screened-in porch during the early, anxious days of the pandemic, when she wanted to write something purely fun and comforting. Lydia is a bug-loving kid whose mom studies bugs, while her dad and brother are decidedly not bug fans—an intentional celebration of family differences and a playful twist on gender stereotypes.

Heidi talks about growing up in a family deeply rooted in the natural world—especially birds—and how that love of nature shows up again and again in her books. She reflects movingly on the recent passing of her mother, Jane Yolen, noting that Jane has 10 more books under contract and over 100 manuscripts still to be shepherded into the world. Heidi describes how she read to her mother in her final months, including their co-written work and Heidi's new projects, and how Jane always encouraged her children to walk beside her, not in her shadow.

Later, Jed is joined by Jezebel Rivera, who shares the inspiration behind Mommy, Where's My Dad?—a tender, honest picture book drawn from conversations with her son about their family. Jezebel emphasizes the power of redefining family through love, support, and the "village" that surrounds a child.