Words to Live By features exclusive interviews with authors, artists, and community members.
Robert Broder is a children’s book author and founding publisher of award-winning Ripple Grove Press. He is the writer of Patagonia’s first picture book titled Better Than New: A Recycle Tale. Other books include Crow & Snow (Simon and Schuster) and Our Shed (Little Bigfoot) which received a Kirkus Starred Review. His next picture book titled “Reading Together” (Blue Star Press) will be released in April of 2024. He lives with his family in a small town, near a big lake, surrounded by green mountains. See more at RobertBroder.com
August 1, 2023
Is there a book or genre that stands out in your memory from your youth?
What stands out for me as a child is MAD Magazine. My dad owned
newsstands in NYC, and he’d come home every month with the new issue of MAD. I’d read the entire magazine to the very end with the fold-in picture on the inside back cover.
What kind of reader were you as a child?
I was not the best reader as a child. I would daydream constantly when reading a book and would need to read a chapter over and over in order for me to understand and remember the story. Which is why I loved MAD Magazine. It felt so easy.
What are three children’s books you think should be on every child’s bookshelf?
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy “A Sick Day for Amos McGee” by Philip and Erin Stead A Blank Journal and a pen, so you can write and sketch your ideas.
Book Harvest is proud to practice Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s theory of “Mirrors,
Windows, Sliding Glass Doors,” which states that in order to become avid readers and reap the full benefits of lifelong literacy, children have to see both themselves and worlds beyond their own in the stories they read. Is there a book that you saw yourself reflected in as a child? Or one that opened new worlds for you?
“The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats
What kind of books are on your bookshelf?
Picture books. Lots and lots of picture books.
What are you reading currently?
I am currently reading: “Essentials” by David Whythe “Devotions” by Mary Oliver “The Chieko Poems” by Takamura Kotaro “The Essential Poems” by Jim Harrison These poetry books are on my nightstand and I read one each night.
What is your favorite place to read?
Usually in bed before I fall asleep.
Who is your favorite all-time character from a book?
Edward Tulane from “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by Kate DiCamillo
If you could have dinner with three authors from any period in time, who would you pick?
I’m a morning person, can we switch the dinner to breakfast? Perhaps we’d have Challah French Toast, with fresh berries, and good coffee. I’d reach out to Ruth Krauss, Mac Barnett, and Amanda Gorman. If one was busy, I’d see if Arnold Lobel was free.
What are the children in your life currently reading?
My daughter just finished “The Real Deal” by Lindsey Stoddard.
And is now reading “Eleanor & Park” by Rainbow Rowell
Do you have a favorite quote from literature? If so, what is it?
“and it was still hot.” by Maurice Sendak from “Where the Wild Things Are”.
We are grateful to Robert for answering our questions! You can learn more about him here.