{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Big Feelings, Pets, and Puerto Rican Flavor","description":"In this warm and wide\u2013ranging episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes back two guest authors whose books celebrate culture, compassion, and kids with big feelings. First, Jy de la Vega returns to share her new early reader graphic novel, \u201cAnnalise: The Special Dish.\u201d Inspired by her own daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, J\u2019s story follows Annalise as she tries to create a \u201cspecial\u201d recipe for a school party. Along the way\u2014through tostones, mofongo, and finally pasteles\u2014Annalise discovers that what truly makes something special isn\u2019t how fancy it is or how different it looks, but the people you make it with. J talks about the power of Puerto Rican food, family, and community, and why it\u2019s critical for children of color, especially Hispanic kids, to see themselves reflected positively in books. She also shares how her work has evolved from simply giving her kids mirrors to speaking honestly, gently, and hopefully to her whole community. Then, Jed is joined by Victoria Smith, author of \u201cLiliana\u2019s Match: Finding Bella \u2013 How Animals Help with ADHD and Anxiety in Kids.\u201d Inspired by her daughter\u2019s beloved beagle, Bella, and grounded in research on animals and mental health, Victoria\u2019s picture book shows how a shelter dog helps a child with ADHD feel calmer, more understood, and more connected. Victoria, a longtime educator, explains how pets can bring structure, responsibility, and emotional regulation into kids\u2019 lives, and why empathy, adoption, and giving back to others lie at the heart of her stories. ","author_name":"Reading With Your Kids Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/readingwithyourkids.libsyn.com\/site","html":"