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Reading With Your Kids is all about encouraging parents to read with their kids, and cook with their kids, and do activities with their kids, and experience tv, movies and music together. In other words, our podcast is all about helping parents build stronger relationships with their kids.

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Family, Language & Growing Up

Sep 25, 2025

In this heartwarming episode of Reading with Your Kids, host Jed Doherty explores the power of multicultural children's literature through conversations with two remarkable authors who celebrate family, language, and personal growth.
First, Mari Bellas shares her delightful picture book "Tio Ricky Doesn't Speak English," a touching story that highlights the important role children play as family translators. The book beautifully captures the experience of bilingual families, showing how language can be a bridge of understanding and love. Mari's passion stems from her own multicultural background, raising bilingual children and creating representation in children's literature.
The episode then shifts to Meredith Rusu's inspiring book "When Auggie Learned to Play Chess," a touching narrative about a young boy finding confidence through learning chess with his father. Rusu's story is deeply personal, inspired by her father-in-law's immigration journey and the intergenerational connections formed over a chessboard.
Both authors emphasize the importance of diverse storytelling, showing how children's books can:

    Build cultural understanding

    Celebrate family connections

    Encourage language learning

    Boost children's confidence

    Create windows into different experiences

Listeners will be inspired by the authors' personal stories of cultural identity, family bonds, and the transformative power of storytelling. Whether you're a parent interested in bilingualism, a lover of children's literature, or someone who appreciates heartwarming family narratives, this episode offers something special.
The conversation goes beyond simple storytelling, exploring themes of resilience, communication, and the magic that happens when families share experiences across languages and generations.
Parents, educators, and book lovers will find this episode both educational and deeply touching, reminding us that every story has the potential to connect, teach, and inspire.

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