This was a fun and insightful episode of the podcast! We got to chat with the creative duo behind the beloved "Princess in Black" book series, Shannon and Dean Hale. They shared the backstory on how they came up with the idea - it all started when their young daughter made a comment about princesses not wearing black. Shannon and Dean saw an opportunity to create a superhero princess who protects her kingdom, and the rest is history!  The Hales have such a great collaborative process, bouncing ideas off each other and letting their creativity flow. They emphasized the importance of making reading fun and engaging for kids, especially in that tricky transition from early readers to chapter books. Shannon and Dean wanted to fill that gap with a series that would captivate both younger and older readers through vibrant illustrations and compelling stories. We also heard from author Leah Cypess, who is putting her own spin on classic fairy tales in her "Sisters Ever After" series. Her latest book, "Braided," is a retelling of the Rapunzel story, but from the perspective of Rapunzel's little sister. Leah shared how she loves taking these timeless tales and infusing them with new characters and magical elements, like the sisters' ability to cast spells through their hair braiding.

We end the show with a chat with musician turned children's author Carol Selic. Her new book, Play For Me Peter, reminds kids, and adults, that learning to play music is so much fun, but it takes time and practice to learn how to play an instrument.

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