Good Conversation! A Talk with Paul Fleischman

Gr 4–8—This installment of Tim Podell's video series features respected children's book author Paul Fleischman. Opening with a delightful choral reading of "Moth's Serenade" by Paul and his wife, Patty, from his Newbery Award-winning book, Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (HarperCollins, 1988), Fleischman amiably shares insights into his writing process, memories from his childhood, and stories about his career as an author. Podell interviews Fleischman, asking standard questions about where he finds his inspiration, his favorite part of writing, and whether the process has grown easier for him over time. Despite having the production value of a public access television show, this program really shines when Fleischman talks extemporaneously as he flips through old notebooks that include manuscripts from Seedfolks (HarperCollins, 1997) and Joyful Noise. Fleischman briefly discusses his books Whirligig (Macmillan, 1998), Eyes Wide Open (2014), The Matchbox Diary (2013, both Candlewick), and Joyful Noise, sharing with viewers his opinions about the environmental crisis, the reason he wrote Matchbox, and more.