{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Bad Thingamajigs & Big Feelings: Growing Empathy Through Story","description":"On this episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes two fantastic creators who help families see the world\u2014and their walks around the block\u2014a little differently. First, Jed chats with Matt Van Rensburg, author of the Reading With Your Kids Certified Great Read \u201cHow to Sell the World: The Stonehearted Story of Greyson Grimm.\u201d Matt explains the unforgettable premise: Greyson is the caretaker of the world, tasked with eating invisible \u201cbad thingamajigs\u201d that appear whenever people are unkind. His work keeps the world in balance, but each bite slowly turns his heart to stone. Matt and Jed dive into the deeper themes of empathy, emotional \u201cvibes,\u201d and how adults often forget the joy and pure-hearted perspective of children. Matt shares how David Bowie, Nirvana\u2019s \u201cThe Man Who Sold the World,\u201d stand\u2011up comedy, and over 20 years of teaching young kids all helped shape this whimsical, meaningful middle grade series. Then Jed welcomes back Lucy Knisley, author-illustrator of the charming new picture book \u201cSearching for Wocks.\u201d Lucy shares how the story grew from pandemic days in Chicago, when playgrounds and lakefronts were closed and her three-year-old began collecting little treasures\u2014rocks, pen caps, leaves\u2014on slow, careful walks. They called these treasures \u201cwalks,\u201d and Lucy turned that real-life ritual into a tender, funny story about a child\u2019s serious, almost scientific engagement with the world. She talks about thinking in comics, balancing words and images, how parenting reshaped her creative life, and why letting kids lead their own explorations (without leaning on generative AI) is so important. This episode is full of heart, creativity, and great ideas for sparking family conversations after you read together. ","author_name":"Reading With Your Kids Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/readingwithyourkids.libsyn.com\/site","html":"