Unforgetable Stories Of Love & Survival

In this heartfelt and adventurous episode, Jed welcomes Jessica Collins and Lisa Malamed to celebrate their upcoming picture book Where's Big Dog: A Story of Loss and Love. Inspired by Jessica's beloved golden doodle Lucy, the book gently helps children and adults navigate the loss of a pet. Jessica and Lisa share sweet, funny memories of Lucy—like how she'd jingle her collar instead of barking to wake Lisa up—and talk about how deeply pets become part of the family. They explain that the dogs in the book aren't named or gendered so any reader can see their own pet in the story. Though it began as a way to help Jessica's young daughter process her first big loss, the book has resonated just as strongly with adults and is designed to work almost like a sympathy card for pet grief. Above all, it lands not on sadness, but on love. Later, Jed is joined by Ellen Cochran, author of the riveting middle grade narrative nonfiction Follow the Water: The Unbelievable True Story of a Teenager's Survival in the Amazon. Ellen tells the astonishing real-life story of Juliane Koepcke, who survived a plane crash, fell two miles strapped to her seat, and then trekked alone for 11 days through the Amazon using the survival knowledge taught by her scientist parents. Ellen weaves Juliane's story with rich details about Amazon wildlife and science, aiming to fire up kids' curiosity about STEM, nature, and what real scientific thinking looks like in action.