Children’s book Podcast, Just One More Book, celebrates 100 episodes

Ottawa, ON (Canada) — When Andrea Ross and Mark Blevis launched Just One More Book (http://www.justonemorebook.com), an independent and community-minded children’s book Podcast, in July 2006, they never considered that this hobby project would end up on the syllabus for a course on literacy at American University. Milestones such as this and their appearance in the School Library Journal have caught them by surprise.

In just under seven months, their site is attracting over 16,000 unique visits each month, and an average of 2,300 weekly Podcast downloads. Just One More Book has become one of the many popular resources in the growing community known as the “Kidlitosphere”.

“Our goal is to link children with great books and to help create happy memories for children and the adults that read to them, and to have fun,” says Ross. "It's exciting that the books we suggest are becoming family favourites, and that kids all over the world are enjoying our favourite books”.

Three mornings a week, Ross and Blevis, parents of two young girls, pick one of their family's favourite children's books and record an informal book review. These warm and conversational reviews are recorded amidst the sounds of milk steaming and espresso brewing at their favourite coffee shop.

Just One More Book also features interviews with librarians, publishers, authors and illustrators including Sheree Fitch, Ian Whybrow, Jim and Kate McMullan, and Uma Krishnaswami. Upcoming interviews include Barbara Reid, John Himmelman and Daniel Pinkwater.

As part of their commitment to community, the couple encourages listeners to send in their own reviews and often hosts book giveaways for listeners that participate. They have also hosted a charity drive for the Raise-A-Reader literacy foundation.

Just One More Book will celebrate its one-hundredth episode on Friday, February 16, 2007 with guest Vivian Vasquez, Associate Professor of “Critical Literacy Trends and Issues” at American University.