Your Dog Is The Best Children's Book Critic

Reading With Your Kids" welcomes two wonderful guests who celebrate the magic of stories, family, and imagination.

First, New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff joins Jed to talk about her new middle grade fantasy, The After Myth. Tracy shares how the excitement of a new book release never fades, especially when a story is as personal as this one. She reveals that her heroine Penelope and sidekick Fifi are secretly based on her real-life college best friend and herself. Tracy describes The After Myth as a Greek‑mythology‑inspired adventure set at Naximanders Academy, where Penelope expects to be sorted into the Athena hall like generations of her family—but ends up somewhere completely different. Along the way, the book reexamines the myth of Pandora's Box and asks whether we've been blaming the wrong person all these years. Tracy also gives a fun peek into her creative process, from story "bibles" and giant bulletin boards to rewriting her opening chapters over and over until the story finally clicks.

Next, Jed chats with author and publisher Eric G. Reid about his heartwarming picture book Dad, Someone Took the Moon. Inspired by a sarcastic comment from his teenage son at the bus stop, the book became a tender keepsake filled with "easter eggs" from his son's childhood. Eric and Jed talk about the joy of reading aloud, how picture books can still move teens and adults, and what it's really like to publish children's books today—including illustrations, AI, and supporting indie bookstores.