In PART 2 of this two part episode, Jonathan Pope, full time english teacher and part-time bookseller at Prologue Books in Columbus, OH, discusses how book banning affects his students. Leann asks if the students care about their books and how seeing themselves reflected in stories they read impacts them. Jonathan also describes the importance of your local indie bookstore in your community. ----more---- Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston, recommendation   TIMESTAMPS: 1:00 - introduction 1:30 - commenting on censorship 3:46 - students’ reactions to book banning 6:00 - kids and their books; how are they engaging? 7:30 - “progress” in diverse books and actually implementing diverse books 9:51 - why to support indie bookstores & your favorite authors 11:58 - What is Jonathan currently reading? 12:55 - outro   Find Jonathan: IG: beblackbeloved Twitter: beblackbeloved Website: https://www.youtube.com/tobeblackandloved   Find Prologue Bookshop: https://store.prologuebookshop.com/ https://www.instagram.com/prologuebookshop/   Sambasivan & Parikh IG: @sambasivan&parikh www.sambasivanandparikh.com If you have any questions, comments, ideas for future episodes, or just want to say hi, email leann@modernmarigoldbooks.com

In part one of this two part episode, Jonathan Pope, english teacher and bookseller at Prologue Books in Columbus, OH, talks to Leann about what he looks for when choosing books to stock in the store. He answers questions about how to get your book into an indie bookstore, if he puts value in reviews, and how he discovers the books he recommends. Leann and Jonathan also discuss what the landscape of diverse books looks like in children's books and what he hopes to see out of the publishing industry in the future. ----more---- Julian is a Mermaid, By Jessica Love, (Illustrator) recommendation Langston Dances, By Kaija Langley, Keith Mallett (Illustrator) recommendation   Find Jonathan: IG: beblackbeloved Twitter: beblackbeloved Website: https://www.youtube.com/tobeblackandloved   Find Prologue Bookshop: https://store.prologuebookshop.com/ https://www.instagram.com/prologuebookshop/   Sambasivan & Parikh IG: @sambasivan&parikh www.sambasivanandparikh.com   If you have any questions, comments, ideas for future episodes, or just want to say hi, email leann@modernmarigoldbooks.com     Time stamps 1:15: intro 2:20: jonathan says hello 3:10: how are books chosen for the store? how do you find books? How do you get your book in an indie bookstore? 5:04: curating the shelves in a small indie bookstore and balancing sales 6:53: how much do you rely on reviews like Kirkus? 8:06: what limits what books you’re able to buy? 9:25: do you think Indies are more willing to take a risk on books like self-published? 10:39: diversity in children’s books, do you think there’s been progress? what’s missing? 12:55: trends in the type of diverse books that are available and what we want to see in the future 15:02: future of diversity in children’s books 17:27: what type of books do you want to see more of? 19:20: a lot of books recently have been very trauma heavy 20:00 outro

Srividhya Venkat and Priya Parikh get together and discuss their picture books featuring Bharatanatyam, one of the forms of Indian classical dance. Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps and Dancing Devi, Srividhya and Priya’s books respectively, showcase Bharatanatyam, Indian culture and community, and highlight the importance of familial support.   Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps is available from Yali Books at https://yalibooks.com/books/dancing-in-thathas-footsteps/ or from your local indie bookstore. Dancing Devi is available from Modern Marigold Books at https://www.modernmarigoldbooks.com/product-page/dancing-devi or from your local indie bookstore.   Find Srividhya Venkat: IG: @SrividhyaVenkat Twitter: @VenkatSrividhya FB: Srividhya Venkat - Children’s Author http://www.srividhyavenkat.com/   Find Priya Parikh: www.priyapauthor.com IG: @priya.parikh.author    Yali Books yalibooks.com @yalibooks   Modern Marigold Books modernmarigoldbooks.com @modernmarigoldbooks on Instagram   Sambasivan & Parikh www.sambasivanandparikh.com   If you have any questions, comments, ideas for future episodes, or just want to say hi, email leann@modernmarigoldbooks.com

Kyunghee Kim, an educator and the author of the picture book, “See Us Bloom: Poems on Compassion, Acceptance, and Bravery,” (April, 2023) shares why she chose poetry for a children's book on big social and emotional themes. She also talks about the importance of representing multi-ethnic families, like that of her Korean-American Jewish nephew, who inspired the main character in See Us Bloom. Finally, hear from Kyunghee as she reflects on what she hopes adults—as well as kids—will enjoy about the book.   “See Us Bloom: Poems on Compassion, Acceptance, and Bravery” is available to order now from www.modernmarigoldbooks.com/shop. It releases April 3, 2023.   Kyunghee’s Instagram @kyungheewrites https://kimkyunghee.com/ For more of her writing visit: https://kimkyunghee.com/home/writing   Modern Marigold Books modernmarigoldbooks.com @modernmarigoldbooks on Instagram   Sambasivan & Parikh www.sambasivanandparikh.com   If you have any questions, comments, ideas for future episodes, or just want to say hi, email leann@modernmarigoldbooks.com   About the host: Leann Schneider Webb is a freelance publicist for authors and publishers. Connect with her at www.leannschneiderwebb.com or on Instagram @leann_sw

Meet the co-founders of the children’s book publishing company, Sambasivan & Parikh. Ambika Sambasivan and Suhani Parikh talk about merging their two existing companies—Yali Books and Modern Marigold Books—under one banner, how meeting each other feels like kismet, and aligning their visions to bring authentic voices to kids lit and create meaningful change in communities through their books. Visit Us: www.sambasivanandparikh.com www.modernmarigoldbooks.com www.yalibooks.com Follow on IG … @ sambasivanandparikh @ modernmarigoldbooks @ yalibooks Email Us: leann@modernmarigoldbooks.com For additional content, check out this interview with Ambika from 2019 on Modern Marigold Book’s website: https://www.modernmarigoldbooks.com/post/publisher-spotlight-yali-books   About the host: Leann Schneider Webb is a freelance publicist for authors and publishers. Connect with her at www.leannschneiderwebb.com or on Instagram @leann_sw

Listen to this preview for a taste of what's to come in the Book by Book podcast from independent children's book publishing company, Sambasivan and Parikh. Book by Book will feature authors, illustrators and other industry professionals in quick, bite-sized episodes. Subscribe now to be altered when new episodes are released. Happy listening!