Story Archives of 'Children's Books'

Joyce Maynard is the author of several novels, including To Die For, which was loosely based on the murder case involving New Hampshire teacher Pamela Smart. She's a successful children's author, and she has a memoir under her belt too -- it recalls a period in her young life when she lived with the writer J.D. Salinger. Her latest book is a non-fiction account of a murder that took place in Detroit. It's called Internal Combustion: The Story of a Marriage and a Murder in the Motor City. We'll talk with her about her work and her brief life with Salinger.

***This interview originally aired October 25, 2006***

Tonight on the Front Porch, it's the Mystery of the Girl Detective! Nancy Drew helped introduce a whole generation to the exciting, action-packed world of children's literature. We'll learn all about the women behind the 16-year-old sleuth and about Nancy's lasting impact on kid fiction for girls and boys. Our guest is Melanie Rehak, author of Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her.

***This interview originally aired on October 3, 2006***

We talk with children's book author David Elliot about the latest in his Evangeline Mudd series. We'll also find out what the most common pitfalls are for the aspiring writers of kid lit from author Andrea Davis Pinkey, a vice-president and publisher at the publishing giant Scholastic.

This episode of the Front Porch is not available on CD or Cassette

The World Cup event for canines takes place this weekend at the prestigious Crufts Dog Show in Birmingham, England and the US Team will be led by Celeste Meade of American K9 Country and her top dog Zoom, of Bedford. We'll talk with Celeste about the essentials required for competing in a British dog show.

We'll also visit the Cat Fanciers' Association's Exotic Cat Show in Baltimore County, Maryland. Producer Aaron Henkin brings us this story of truly dedicated cat owners via the Public Radio Exchange. To listen to this piece (and to share your comments on it), Click Here.

Every kid’s favorite monkey, Curious George, is causing mischief in movie theaters these days. But long before digital animation and surround sound, George’s creators, Margaret and Hans Rey, brewed up their ideas in book form. The rascally monkey has been delighting young readers now for over 60 years. We'll talk with a man who knew them well. Nat Scrimshaw is director of the Curious George Cottage in Waterville Valley, NH, and he joins us to talk about the people behind the monkey.

Thousands of people left New Hampshire this month on a train for the North Pole.

They came from as far as the West Coast and as near as North Conway for an annual journey that brings life to the classic Christmas story, The Polar Express.

Dressed in their pajamas, travelers get to experience the entire journey, right down to the sweetest details.

New Hampshire Public Radio Correspondent Shannon Mullen joined hundreds of children of all ages on one of this year's final trips to visit Santa.

She sent us this audio postcard.