Healing a Wasteland with Diane Muldrow and Amy Jindra Hodgson

For this episode Page Count welcomes a special guest host, Annisha Jeffries. Annisha is the Youth & Community Outreach Manager at Cleveland Public Library, the home of the Ohio Center for the Book. She has extensive expertise in children’s literature, including having served as chair of the Caldecott Committee and the Norman A. Sugarman Children’s Biography Award. She’s also the host of her own podcast, Reading in the Middle, dedicated to exploring middle-grade books. Annisha was in conversation with the author and illustrator of our 2026 Great Reads from Great Places Young Readers selection. Great Reads from Great Places are titles chosen by each of the 56 affiliate Centers for the Book around the country to represent their state or territory at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC. This year’s festival takes place Saturday, August 22. We’ll link to information about the Festival in our Show Notes. This year’s pick for young readers is Once a Wasteland: From Toxic Dump to National Park written by Diane Muldrow and illustrated by Amy Jindra Hodgson. Diane Muldrow is the author of the New York Times-bestselling Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Little Golden Book series and a prolific author of children’s books. Her picture book We Planted a Tree was a 2010 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best selection. She is a retired children’s book editor and a proud Ohio University graduate. She learned early that natural surroundings aren’t to be taken for granted, and that people can make a difference in their communities. Diane has visited national parks all over the country and the world. IN THIS EPISODE Reading in the Middle podcast (blog) Diane Muldrow (official webpage) Amy Jindra Hodgson (official webpage) Once a Wasteland: From Toxic Dump to National Park (publisher's webpage) Announcement of the 2026 Great Reads from Great Places (Ohio Center for the Book) Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Nature & Science (webpage) Provides links to databases of the plants and animals that call the National Park home. US Environmental Protection Agency: Superfund (webpage) Learn more about the Superfund program and search for Superfund sites "where you live" LibraryThing List of the Great Reads from Great Places (2002-2025)