Kidliterate is hosted by Sarah Powers (of the popular weekly parenting show The Mom Hour) and her 11-year-old daughter. In each episode we discuss the, books, shows, podcasts, and music that our family enjoys – PLUS how we discover great media for kids and how we consume it. We also cover other fun stuff like board games, tablet games and movies. Join us!
Family Meetings + Summer Planning
May 24, 2021
Show notes
In our house, a weekly family meeting on Sunday afternoons helps set expectations, troubleshoot issues, and – best of all – make plans for FUN! In today’s episode Sarah does a deep dive into how family meetings work in the Powers house, from what, when, why, and how they happen to sample agenda items and ideas for making them fun for kids of different ages. As always, we share book recommendations from what we’re reading and what YOU’re reading. Join us!
Sponsor Spotlight: Sudio
Sudio makes our family’s favorite bluetooth wireless earphones. The Ett style is available now for $129, and for a limited time you can save an additional 15% with promo code PODCAST. Purchases of the Ett style also unlock 50% off a wireless charger! Shop now at Sudio.com.
Links we discussed:
This is our last episode before a summer hiatus! Catch up with us on Instagram at @kidliterate, and be sure you’re also following @powersofmine and @themomhour
All our past episodes can be found in our archives
We are part of the Bookshop.org Affiliate Program, which means if you click through one of our Bookshop.org links and make a purchase, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you – AND you’ll be helping local bookstores at the same time. Thanks!
Travel Dreams Inspired By What We Read & Watch
May 10, 2021
Show notes
As more families start to travel again this spring and summer, we’re chatting about our own wanderlust, and how it relates to the media we consume. We talk about where we’ve been, where we’d like to go, and how the books we read and the shows we watch have inspired our travel goals. Plus we’ve got updates to what we’re reading (and listening to), and what YOU’re reading too. Join us!
Sponsor Spotlight: Ana Luisa
Ana Luisa designs ethically-made jewelry with a conscience, with new styles released every Friday. Allegra loves these Sia earrings and Sarah’s a huge fan of the Mara ring. Visit www.analuisa.com/kidlit to shop for timeless, beautiful jewelry pieces.
Technology That Helps Us Read, Listen & Play
Apr 26, 2021
Show notes
Behind the books we read, the podcasts we love, the movies we watch, and the music we listen to are the methods by which we consume the media. From smart speakers to apps, headphones to charging solutions, today’s episode is all about the tech in our lives that helps us consume the media we love. As always, we finish the episode with what we’re reading and what you’re reading. Join us!
Sponsor Spotlight: Ana Luisa
Ana Luisa designs ethically-made jewelry with a conscience, with new styles released every Friday. Check out the Ana Luisa Mother’s Day sale and get 15% all products (order by May 5 in the US to gift in time for Mother’s Day!). Allegra loves these Sia earrings and Sarah’s a huge fan of the Chloe ring. Visit www.analuisa.com/kidlitmd to shop for timeless, beautiful Mother’s Day gifts.
Favorite Less-Talked-About Books From Our Home Library
Apr 12, 2021
Show notes
It’s easy to get excited about new books at the library or in stores, but sometimes we forget just how many great books we already have at home. In today’s episode Sarah and Allegra each choose four books – across multiple age levels and genres from picture books through YA fiction – to spotlight from our home shelves. We share why we chose them, why we love them, and who else might love them too. As always, we close the show with what we’re reading lately, and welcome two special guest voices to share what THEY’re reading right now too. Enjoy!
Violet is into Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (a read-aloud with dad), and loves puppy books at school, like Abandoned! by Jenny Dale. Her teacher is reading aloud Friendship According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
Email us at hello@kidliteratepodcast.com – we’d love to hear from you!
Educational (And Fun!) Nonfiction Books
Mar 29, 2021
Show notes
From encyclopedias to biographies, nonfiction additions to your home library make for great learning–and fun–at all ages. In Episode 29 we share some of the reasons we love a well-curated nonfiction collection, recommendations for capturing kids’ natural interest through nonfiction books, tips for reluctant readers, and more. Plus, as always, we share what we’re reading and what YOU’re reading. Join us!
Don’t overlook picture books that tell a true story as an entry into nonfiction. We love:
Email us at hello@kidliteratepodcast.com – we’d love to hear from you!
TV Series For Tweens, Teens & Families
Mar 15, 2021
Show notes
From animated comedies to edgy documentaries, 1990s mega-hits to new releases, our family is big into streaming television lately. Today’s episode is fully of recommendations for TV shows to watch as a family as well as shows specifically for elementary-aged viewers, tweens, and teens. As always, we round out the episode with book recommendations inspired by what we’re reading AND what you’re reading with your kids these days. Join us!
Sarah and Allegra love listening to Office Ladies to supplement our watching of the American version of The Office
The World’s A Little Blurry, the Apple TV+ documentary about Billie Eilish, has mature content but was such a great watching experience for parents/teen together
Cookbooks, Cooking Shows & Apps, And More Food Media
Mar 01, 2021
Show notes
Let’s talk about food and cooking–and the media that helps us make and eat yummy stuff! In Episode 27 we share our favorite ways to get kids inspired in the kitchen, from magazines to cookbooks, TV shows to apps. Allegra talks about a multi-course, internationally-inspired meal she recently made from scratch for a school project, and, as always, we round out the episode with what we’re reading and what YOU’re reading. Join us!
Getting Started With Audiobooks (Plus Audiobook Recommendations For Preschoolers Through Teens)
Feb 15, 2021
Show notes
Listening to audiobooks is a great way to pass the time on car rides or during long days at home, and we have some specific suggestions for HOW to get your kids hooked on listening to great books. In today’s episode we share ideas for getting started with audiobooks (even with very young children), plus some specific titles that we love for little kids and several more our bigger kids have been loving lately. As always, we wrap up the episode with what we’ve been reading and what YOU’ve been reading. Enjoy!
Want to help us out? Take our short listener survey before February 28, 2021 by clicking here.
Your public library most likely uses the Libby app to borrow digital titles (including audiobooks) for FREE, and read/listen to them on your preferred device
When Violet was a preschooler we got a LOT of mileage out of Disney stories, which you can find free on Spotify (essentially the audio versions of familiar animated films)
Allegra and Sarah love listening to the Little House audiobooks, long after we’ve read them in print. We enjoyed The Long Winter and Little Town on the Prairie most recently
Reading Habits (When, Where & How We Read)
Feb 01, 2021
Show notes
If you’re listening, you probably identify as a reader. But do you give much thought to WHERE, WHEN, and HOW you read? Today’s episode is all about our family’s reading habits; with two grownups and three kids, we run the gamut between late-night marathon readers to early birds who read in the morning, and everything in between. In this episode we also chat about electronic vs. paper books, reading in bed vs. outside, and more. Plus we’ll share what we’re reading and what YOU’re reading. Join us!
Want to help us out? Take our short listener survey by clicking here.
Allegra (12) and her 10-year-old brother both have Kindle Paperwhite e-readers, which Sarah has set up so that they only show certain books and aren’t browser-enabled
Sarah also has Untamed by Glennon Doyle on her nightstand
What you’re reading:
Jaida wrote to share that she’s been listening to audiobooks lately, especially as a way to hear unfamiliar cultures and language pronounced by native speakers. She especially enjoyed Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Email us at hello@kidliteratepodcast.com – we’d love to hear from you!
Time Travel Through Books, TV & Movies
Jan 18, 2021
Show notes
Whether it’s through an old attic, a mysterious tree house, or a speeding Delorian, the idea of traveling through time to another era makes for great storytelling. Inspired by a new television series that hooked us recently, we look at time travel as a genre: from why we love it to how different authors handle it. We offer some book, TV and movie suggestions for other fans of time travel and, of course, we also share what we’re reading and what YOU’ve been reading lately. Join us!
Want to help us out? Take our short listener survey by clicking here.
Secrets Of Sulphur Springs
Photo Credit: Disney
Thanks to Momtourage and the team at @DisneyChannelPR for inviting the Powers family to join the cast of Secrets of Sulphur Springs for a premiere of the brand new time travel mystery series on Disney Channel!
The series follows 12-year-old Griffin Campbell, whose world is upended when his family moves from Chicago to Louisiana to take ownership of an abandoned hotel property. Investigating rumors that the hotel is haunted, Griffin and his new friend Harper discover a secret portal that allows them to travel back in time and uncover clues about the town mystery.
Check out Secrets of Sulphur Springs on Disney Channel, in Disney Now, and on Disney Channel YouTube!
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