The KidLit Pod – Details, episodes & analysis

Host Shara Curlett welcomes children’s author, Jacqueline Harvey, to The KidLit Pod.

Jacqueline describes growing up in a family of strong storytellers, valuing intergenerational stories, and her love of talking with strangers to hear about their lives.

The pair discuss lost community connection, technology, Australia’s under-16 social media ban, and COVID’s impact on children. Jacqueline recounts her teaching career and how she was inspired by an influential primary teacher, and shares creative classroom projects like an Egyptian archaeology dig to bring fun to the classroom.

She shares the experiences that helped shape Alice-Miranda, and how she later balanced senior school leadership with writing, until leaving education to write full time. Jacqueline share why Alice-Miranda resonates with so many children (kindness), how she manages long-running series, her Australia–New Zealand work rhythm, touring strategies, and upcoming projects and workshops.

To learn more about Jacqueline, you can visit:

www.jacquelineharvey.com.au

Instagram: jacquelineharve

Facebook: jacquelineharveyauthor

Follow The KidLit Pod  on Instagram (@thekidlitpod)

Find out more about The KidLit Pod host, Shara Curlett, here:

Shara Curlett on Instagram (@sharacurlett)

Shara Curlett Website (www.sharacurlett.com)

Host Shara Curlett introduces a monthly “KidLit Hang” format with Bethany Loveridge (Betty Love) and Adrian Beck, where a few authors hang out and chat.

In their first hangout, they banter about deadlines, school visits, teaching, and do a rapid “Would You Rather” game, before discussing recent reads / listens / watches.

They talk about author-work balance, procrastination, and scheduling around family and publishing tasks. Shara spotlights Brenton Cullen’s The Prime Minister Problem, and they give shout-outs to to a few people within the industry, before sharing upcoming releases and events, including Bethany's Josie Mack and the Mega Division, Adrian's Nowhere House and Fox Kid titles, and Shara's Protector of Beyond series.

Follow The KidLit Pod  on Instagram (@thekidlitpod)

Find out more about The KidLit Pod host, Shara Curlett, here:

Shara Curlett on Instagram (@sharacurlett)

Shara Curlett Website (www.sharacurlett.com)

Host Shara Curlett interviews Helen Farch, a Melbourne secondary school librarian and advocate for school libraries, reading for pleasure, and Australian authors.

 Helen explains how she started the @fhclibrary Instagram account to make her library visible, and how the platform led to global librarian connections, publisher relationships, donated review books, and speaking opportunities, as well as building a thriving school library community.

She discusses removing barriers to borrowing, successful engagement ideas like loyalty cards and weekly “Would You Rather” votes, and the need for dedicated library staff amid underfunding and space pressures.

Helen describes revamping and genrefying nonfiction to boost borrowing and support research, notes popularity trends like manga, fantasy, romantasy, and horror, and highlights grants and community networks to support library programs and author visits.

LINKS:

Instagram: @fhclibrary

Forest Hill College Library

123Read2Me - empowering disadvantaged kids to succeed with free books.

Article in The Sapling - The Reckoning: Every Student Deserves a School Librarian in their Lives

Kirsty Everett on Instagram: @kirstyeverettauthor

Kirsty Everett on Mamamia

Kirsty Everett - Channel Nine Interview

Students Need School Libraries

Follow The KidLit Pod  on Instagram (@thekidlitpod)

Find out more about The KidLit Pod host, Shara Curlett, here:

Shara Curlett on Instagram (@sharacurlett)

Shara Curlett Website (www.sharacurlett.com)

Host Shara Curlett introduces episode one of The KidLit Pod and interviews New Zealand author-illustrator H.P. Fryer (Hannah Powell Fryer), whose debut picture book OGG was published by Scholastic Australia in 2025.

Hannah explains entering the publishing scene via an illustrator portfolio call, developing OGG from a university character exercise, and describes how she created the book’s detailed gouache-and-pencil illustrations.

The conversation covers her history and illustration studies, artistic influences, how parenting increases exposure to children’s books, and shared views on limiting devices, valuing boredom, and “feeding” children’s minds with stories.

Hannah's illustration Influences, mentioned throughout the podcast:

• Quentin Blake
• Sarah Ogilvie
• Júlia Sardà
• Alex Scheffler
• Beatrice Alemagna
• Lynley Dodd
• Bob Graham
• Alison Lester
• Briony Stewart
• Briony May Smith
• Alex T. Smith

You can find out more about our guest, H.P. Fryer (Hannah Powell Fryer), here:

HP Fryer on Instagram (@hpfryer)

HP Fryer Website (www.hpfryer.com)

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BOOK SHOUTOUT LINK:

Josie Mack and the MEGA Division

Follow The KidLit Pod  on Instagram (@thekidlitpod)

Find out more about The KidLit Pod host, Shara Curlett, here:

Shara Curlett on Instagram (@sharacurlett)

Shara Curlett Website (www.sharacurlett.com)

Introducing The KidLit Pod: A New Industry-Wide Conversation on Children’s Books

The Kid Lit Pod is a new podcast launching in June 2026, hosted by Shara Curlett, author of the middle grade fantasy novel Welcome to Miracle (Scholastic Australia, 2025) and the upcoming series Protector of Beyond (Penguin Australia, releasing September 2026).

The KidLit Pod will be focused on inspiring creativity in kids and exploring connection, play, children’s neurological development, and the impact of devices. KLP will facilitate collective, industry-wide discussions about the importance of children’s books. Featuring Australian and New Zealand creators and industry professionals, the show will share opinions, ideas, research, and science through conversations with marketing teams, booksellers, librarians, teachers, specialists, publishers, as well as authors and illustrators, to uncover the stories behind the stories. We'll also be having a monthly hang with some kidlit friends (KLP Hang).

 The KidLit Pod will premiere on 2 June, with an episode featuring H.P. Fryer.

Follow The KidLit Pod  on Instagram (@thekidlitpod)

Find out more about The KidLit Pod host, Shara Curlett, here:

Shara Curlett on Instagram (@sharacurlett)

Shara Curlett Website (www.sharacurlett.com)