Kidlit Love: Conversations with Picture Book and Middle Grade Authors
Oct 29, 2026 · 35 min · 11 segments
Happy Thursday! I’m back to share my joyful conversation with John Schu about his newest picture book: LILY-MAY’S JOYFUL DAY. I dare you to listen and not smile along with us! It was such a…
John SchuGuest
Stephanie AffinitoHostAnd listening to you, I love how the origin story of the book, you know, Lily Mae came to you, even Ruthie Rose came to you as characters of a book when you needed them and they helped, right? That's what we both believe.
That's what this podcast is built on, that books make us feel better in a whole bunch of different ways.
And not only did it then come to you in that way, now they're doing it for all of the readers.
I mean, how many times have we already laughed, right? We both have some joy going

Actually, I have a segment in my school visits right now where I talk about, like, I love to laugh and laughing is good for your heart.

circulation and I have like this video from I think Mayo Clinic that is just rotating and I'm not playing the sound from it but I'm essentially saying what this doctor at Mayo Clinic says about laughter and then I talk about Dan Santat and how Dan Santat always makes me laugh and then I play the book trailer for Shishimi and it's like just the perfect way to talk about like how laughing is so good for us and we need to do it more.
But I just love how like you, you, you live your books clearly whether it's talking about your own experience or embodying it this way.

I don't know, so many meaning probably like 70 that I've seen online and that I've been to schools where they've gone on joy walks.

And I was at a school in Prince George County, which is like an hour south of Richmond, Virginia, three weeks ago.
And listening to you, I love how the origin story of the book, you know, Lily Mae came to you, even Ruthie Rose came to you as characters of a book when you needed them and they helped, right? That's what we both believe.
That's what this podcast is built on, that books make us feel better in a whole bunch of different ways.
And not only did it then come to you in that way, now they're doing it for all of the readers.
I mean, how many times have we already laughed, right? We both have some joy going

Actually, I have a segment in my school visits right now where I talk about, like, I love to laugh and laughing is good for your heart.

circulation and I have like this video from I think Mayo Clinic that is just rotating and I'm not playing the sound from it but I'm essentially saying what this doctor at Mayo Clinic says about laughter and then I talk about Dan Santat and how Dan Santat always makes me laugh and then I play the book trailer for Shishimi and it's like just the perfect way to talk about like how laughing is so good for us and we need to do it more.
But I just love how like you, you, you live your books clearly whether it's talking about your own experience or embodying it this way.

I don't know, so many meaning probably like 70 that I've seen online and that I've been to schools where they've gone on joy walks.

And I was at a school in Prince George County, which is like an hour south of Richmond, Virginia, three weeks ago.
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