{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Feathered And Famous","description":"On this episode, Jed welcomes author and neuroscientist Gail Martino, whose new picture book \u201cFeathered and Famous: Meet America\u2019s All Star Birds\u201d celebrates the national and state birds of the United States and the stories behind them. Gail explains how her book helps kids (and parents) discover the unique traits that made each bird worthy of representing a state\u2014from the clever chickadee of Massachusetts, which actually grows part of its brain in the fall to help remember where it hid seeds, to the hopeful, homey robin of Connecticut, often seen as a harbinger of spring. She also describes the engineering genius of birds\u2019 nests, like robins using mud as \u201cmortar\u201d and the Baltimore oriole\u2019s swinging, sock\u2011like nest that can withstand strong winds. Gail shares how her father\u2019s backyard bird feeder sparked her curiosity as a child, eventually leading her into a career in neuroscience, product development, and innovation consulting\u2014and now to writing books that connect kids to nature, geography, history, and STEM skills. She talks about the importance of teaching kids to observe the world, balancing screen time with real\u2011world curiosity, and using tools like eBird and Merlin to make birding fun and interactive for families. She also highlights how many state birds, like the brown pelican of Louisiana, have become powerful symbols of conservation success. ","author_name":"Connecticut Book Festivals Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/558800","html":"