Colby: At my daughter’s 7:30 AM doctor’s appointment a few weeks ago I read Melissa Stewart’s beautiful Nerdy Book Club post about expository writing. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about starting a series on this blog linking books for kids to podcasts. I think one of Melissa’s books is the perfect book to kick off this series.

A few years ago, I was mesmerized by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young’s No Monkeys, No Chocolate. I was fascinated to learn how cocoa trees depend on the animals around them. If you haven’t read the book, you should totally check it out.

If you have read No Monkeys, No Chocolate (or if it sounds like a great book), you should try Science Vs from Gimlet Media. Each episode of Science Vs. tackles a science topic that we find in the news. Host Wendy Zuckerman digs in gives listeners an in-depth look at the topic at hand.