For this episode, we reread Madeleine L’Engle’s 1968 novel The Young Unicorns, the third book in the Austin family series. We discussed 1960s New York, racial representation, family musical evenings, and how absolutely bonkers this book is.

Mentioned on this episode:

Other books by L’Engle:

A Wrinkle in Time (1962)

Meet the Austins (1960)

The Moon by Night (1963)

A Ring of Endless Light (1980)

Troubling a Star (1994)

A Severed Wasp (1983)

New York Times review of The Young Unicorns by Maia Wojciechowka

Blog posts on The Young Unicorns on Pickle Me This (this is the one where the writer thinks L’Engle wrote Dave as a Black character) and Lady Fancifull

Article on The Young Unicorns by Mari Ness on Reactor

2004 New Yorker article about Madeleine L’Engle

New York Times article on race in the Wuthering Heights move (gift link)

Other episodes:

Rereading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

You can find Deborah at deborahkalb.com and Mary Grace at My Life 100 Years Ago.

This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.

Podcast website at rereadingourchildhood.com

On this episode, Deborah introduces Mary Grace to A Bear Called Paddington, the first book in the beloved series about a bear from Peru who ends up living with a London family. We discuss Paddington’s timeless appeal to children, his status as a British icon, and how the book can be read as a refugee’s story.

Mentioned on this episode:

Paddington, the 2014 movie (trailer here)

“Paddington Bear, Refugee,” by Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, June 28, 2017

Olga da Polga series by Michael Bond

Monsieur Pamplemousse series by Michael Bond

“Ma’amalade Sandwich, Your Majesty?” (video of Queen Elizabeth with Paddington on the British royal family’s website)

Article about the Paddington movie in the New York Times, January 9, 2015

Recommended for Paddington fans:

Mary Grace: Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Deborah: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, Stuart Little by A.A. Milne

Other episodes mentioned:

Rereading Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Rereading Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

Rereading Stuart Little by E.B. White

You can find Deborah at deborahkalb.com, Mary Grace at My Life 100 Years Ago, and Jean at jeanfreedman.com.

This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.

Podcast website at rereadingourchildhood.com

We celebrated our 50th episode by talking about our favorite picture books and discussing our favorite memories from the two and a half years we've been doing the podcast.

Mentioned on this episode:

Deborah's favorites:

Curious George Takes a Job by H.A. Rey

The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber

Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik

Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban

What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry

Mary Grace's favorites:

Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Also mentioned:

Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats

The U.S. Postal Service's The Snowy Day stamps

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

New York Times articles about The Giving Tree (here and here)

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Danny Dunn: Into the Volcano (forthcoming)

Other episodes mentioned:

Rereading Stuart Little by E.B. White

Rereading Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin

Rereading Little Town on the Prairie, with Judith Kalb

You can find Deborah at deborahkalb.com and Mary Grace at My Life 100 Years Ago.

This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.

Podcast website at rereadingourchildhood.com