A children's literature podcast all about the stories that shape us - and how the stories that formed us go on to shape the stories we create.
We talk to children's authors, illustrators, bloggers, and book lovers of all sorts about the stories they loved as children (or perhaps, the stories they hated, feared, or were fascinated by!) and how those stories helped to shape their lives. Join us for weekly discussions about books, stories, and their power to change the world.
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/StoryshapedPod
and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyshapedpod/
Contact us on storyshapedpod@gmail.com
Our Irish bookshop partner is Halfway Up the Stairs bookshop in Wicklow: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie
In the UK, check out our storefront on https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.
Theme music composed and performed by Tony Betts
Logo designed by Paul Coomey
Your hosts: children's authors Susan Cahill and Sinéad O'Hart
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A children's literature podcast all about the stories that shape us - and how the stories that formed us go on to shape the stories we create.
We talk to children's authors, illustrators, bloggers, and book lovers of all sorts about the stories they loved as children (or perhaps, the stories they hated, feared, or were fascinated by!) and how those stories helped to shape their lives. Join us for weekly discussions about books, stories, and their power to change the world.
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/StoryshapedPod
and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyshapedpod/
Contact us on storyshapedpod@gmail.com
Our Irish bookshop partner is Halfway Up the Stairs bookshop in Wicklow: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie
In the UK, check out our storefront on https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.
Theme music composed and performed by Tony Betts
Logo designed by Paul Coomey
Your hosts: children's authors Susan Cahill and Sinéad O'Hart
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were privileged today to speak to the authors of the brilliant essay anthology, Beyond the Secret Garden, which is a vital critique of the current state of children's literature and its inclusivity problem. Dr Chetty and Prof Sands-O'Connor have written for many years over at Books for Keeps around these vital issues, and today they bring us through the importance of decolonising the children's literature canon - while also giving us an insight into their own Storyshaped lives, and what stories led them to the work they do today.
You can purchase your copy of Beyond the Secret Garden here
Stories mentioned in this week's episode include:
The Good Immigrant, ed. Nikesh Shukla
Sesame Street
Roy of the Rovers football comic
The work of JD Salinger and Jack Kerouac
Dr Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting
The Wizard of Oz (movie version)
Mythologies, by Roland Barthes
Elmer, by David McKee
Tusk Tusk, by David McKee
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
The work of Charles Dickens
Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
Sight and Sound magazine
The Buddha of Suburbia, by Hanif Kureishi
The Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis
Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens
Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe
Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward
Freud in Oz, by Kenneth Kidd
James, by Percival Everett
Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!
In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.