Sunday Morning Magazine with Rodney Lear

Renée Watson, Recommended Summer Reading List_Seg #1_7-21-24

·21 min·2 clips

Rodney Lear unveils his 11th annual summer reading list with interviews from number one New York Times bestselling authors.

The episode begins with host Rodney Lear introducing the 11th annual Sunday Morning Magazine recommended summer reading list show, featuring interviews with number one New York Times bestselling authors across three categories: picture books, middle school reads, and young adult novels. The first guest is author Renée Watson, whose book 'Summer Is Here' is selected for the picture book category. Watson talks about growing up in Portland, Oregon, and moving to New York, where she visited Harlem and was disappointed to find Langston Hughes' brownstone vacant. She contacted the owner and collaborated with artists to renovate it into an art space offering programs for young writers. Watson explains her writing process involves creating playlists with music by artists like Beyoncé and Aretha Franklin to stay inspired. She emphasizes the importance of representing dark-skinned Black girls with natural hair and diverse body types in her books, such as in the Ryan Hart series, to provide reflection and connection for readers. Watson discusses her award-winning novel 'Piecing Me Together', which won the Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award, noting it was a creative risk with unconventional formatting. She recounts receiving the award calls early one morning during a difficult period after her father's death and mother's illness. The conversation shifts to her new picture book 'Summer Is Here', which celebrates summertime joy through a character enjoying fruits, water balloon fights, and family barbecues. Watson reflects on her childhood summers in Portland and how they influenced the book. She describes the impact of meeting young readers who connect with her characters and her gratitude for being trusted with their stories. Watson advises parents to model reading and discuss books with children to promote summer reading, suggesting openness to graphic novels and poetry. Finally, she previews her next middle-grade novel in verse, 'All the Blues in the Sky', set for February 2025, which explores grief and joy inspired by personal losses during COVID.

As heard by us

Summer reading picks framed by an author story with real weight.

Sunday Morning Magazine uses its 11th annual summer reading list to do more than stack titles. Rodney Lear opens with Renee Watson and shapes the segment around picture books, middle school reads, and young adult novels, keeping the focus on why the books matter as much as what…

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A summer reading list that starts with a crack-of-dawn phone call.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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