Even the Trunchbull

Nina and Matt
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A kidlit review podcast focusing on one picture book and one chapter book each week. Hosted by Nina and Matt.

  1. 5 MAR

    Special minisode #2: Three Picture Books that Made Me (The Elephant and the Bad Baby, The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate and Ten in the Bed)

    A picture book special to close out series 9! Matt's having a break this week, so Nina's taking the wheel and talking through three classic picture books that made their mark on her. First, The Elephant and the Bad Baby, by Elfrida Vipont and Raymond Briggs. What on earth is a Bad Baby? Why is the concept so funny. A classic, cumulative tale from 1969. Rumpeta rumpeta rumpeta. Next, The Man Whose Mother Was A Pirate by Margaret Mahy and Margaret Chamberlain. I get a bit misty eyed about Margaret Mahy. I just love her so much you guys. I love the fat representation in the Pirate-Mother, even as it's also terrible in Mr Fat the boss (yes, that's what he's called. Not joking.) The taste is never as good as the smell! And other nihilistic sentiments from a pound shop philosopher. Finally, Ten in the Bed, by Penny Dale. Inexplicably terrifying. Why did this gentle nursery rhyme retelling frighten Young Nina so much? I tried to unpick it, but I can't. Anyway, it's an absolute classic.  Matt is on tour as we speak. Go here to find out if Fixing is coming to a theatre near you. If you'd like to support us and get access to bonus content, you can join our patreon here. Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

    19 min

  2. 26 FEB

    Episode 56 - T-Rex Trilogy Terminus

    For the first time in our long and storied history, we are finishing off a series! And what a series to complete. We read the first book back in 2020, and it's bittersweet to say goodbye to dinosaur-ridden civil war-era America in Dactyl Hill Squad #3: Thunder Run, by DJ Older. Magdalys and Mapper have finally rescued Magdalys' brother Montez. She's gone toe to toe with Earl Shamus Dawson Drek, the most powerful dinowrangler on the Confederate side of the war, and a member of the evil Knights of the Golden Circle organisation. Our friends land in beautiful New Orleans, where it's time to build themselves up for the biggest challenge to Magdalys' powers yet. No spoilers, but it involves T-Rexes. We love this historical fantasy series with all our hearts, and we're seriously considering starting a campaign (or at least a hashtag) to bring them over to the UK. And maybe get a TV show. And some spin-offs. You can find our first two episodes about Dactyl Hill Squad here and here (and we do seriously recommend that you start there - this might be a lot to try and grasp if you're coming in cold). Matt is on tour as we speak. Go here to find out if Fixing is coming to a theatre near you. If you'd like to support us and get access to bonus content, you can join our patreon here. Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

    47 min

  3. 19 FEB

    Episode 55 - Rub a Dub Dub (How To Give Your Cat A Bath : In Five Easy Steps and Time Tub Travellers and the Silk Thief)

    This week, we're reading stories which feature bathtubs!  And starring little girls who wear their hair in space buns. Our picture book is How To Give Your Cat A Bath : In Five Easy Steps, written by Nicola Winstanley and illustrated by John Martz. This should get instant classic status, in our opinion. The joy comes from the interplay between the stiff, formal, instruction manual-style narration and the child protagonist's well meaning but chaotic attempts to give her cat a bath. The illustrations are gorgeously simple. The writing is incredibly spare (great for new readers). A book that cries out to be performed on stage! Our chapter book is Time Tub Travellers and the Silk Thief by Claire Linney. Our very first self-published book! The bathtub in this book is actually a time machine. Zula and her best friend Milo are on the hunt for evidence of Black Tudors in order to prove Zula's teacher wrong about there being "no Black people in London in Tudor times". Zula's aunt Abina immediately pulls out a book on Reasonable Blackman, a weaver and the first documented Black businessman working for himself during this period. But that's not enough. Abina also heavily hints that more might be found in they happen to mess around with the mysterious golden bath in the store-room. Zula and Milo climb inside and before they know it, they're stranded in Tudor London, smells and all. Will they manage to save the Blackman family fortune? And will Ms Farris admit that she was mistaken about history?  You can find Claire Linney, her books and her reviews here. Matt is on tour as we speak. Go here to find out if Fixing is coming to a theatre near you. If you'd like to support us and get access to bonus content, you can join our patreon here. Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

    51 min

  4. 12 FEB

    Episode 54 - I Am A Cat And I Like To Scratch (Into the Wild and Cat Nap) with special guest Liam

    The headline news here is that we've got a special guest! Liam is our first young guest and he's brought us his second favourite book: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter. Into the Wild is the introduction to the Warrior Cats series which is massive and hugely popular, but that we'd never heard of because we're a tiny bit too old. We talk worldbuilding, cat gods and tragic character deaths. How many cat deaths are too many cat deaths? Liam thinks it's more than four per book. Into the Wild is fast paced, exciting and very very readable. It's about a kittypet who runs away from home and becomes a wild warrior cat. Can he earn his place among those who were born free? Will he graduate to become a full member of Thunderclan? It's all up in the air in this rip-roaring middle grade action fantasy (with great maps - get the physical book for the maps alone.) Then we go all gooey over Cat Nap, by Brian Lies. This is just a treasure of a picture book. Super simple story with stunning, high effort art. Our protagonist is Kitten, who steps through a poster advertising the Metropolitan Museum of Art in hot pursuit of a mouse. The mouse leads Kitten through a series of artworks, and as they move from bas relief to painting to sculpture, cat and mouse change shape and style to fit with their surroundings. It's very lovely. You'll want to look at it for ages. Matt is on tour as we speak. Go here to find out if Fixing is coming to a theatre near you. If you'd like to support us and get access to bonus content, you can join our patreon here. Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

    53 min

  5. 5 FEB

    Episode 53 - Martial Arts Mastery (The Impossible Gladiator and Let's Go to Taekwondo)

    We’re kicking off season nine with the third book in the Time Keys series: The Impossible Gladiator by MG Leonard. It’s a holiday book! Our pals Sim, Jeopardy and Nelson are in Rome to take in some culture and maybe pop through a time door to 121 CE. There’s a celebrity magician trapped inside a poem by Martial, handstands on horseback, rhinos and giraffes and the Emperor Hadrian.  It’s a fantastically fun read, with Leonard’s signature blend of humour, heart and cold hard historical facts. We sing the praises of this clever, limited take on time travel and renew our calls for a book focused on Nelson! Our picture book is Let’s Go To Taekwondo, written and illustrated by Aram Kim. This is a warm, gentle and encouraging book about facing your fears and overcoming mental blocks. The illustration style is cute and slightly cluttered, think Richard Scarry vibes, and the dojang that Kim conjures up is a real community space. It reminded Nina of being a child wrestler in the best of ways. You can listen to our episode about The Legend of Viking Thunder here. Matt is on tour as we speak. Go here to find out if Fixing is coming to a theatre near you. If you'd like to support us and get access to bonus content, you can join our patreon here. Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

    57 min

  6. 22/12/2025

    Episode 52 - Is Santa romanceable? (The Truth about Mrs Claus and Stepfather Christmas)

    It's almost Christmas and we're in a silly, silly mood. Father Christmas is a wonderful mythological figure with loads of room still to stretch and change and imagine him. Today, we're looking at the women who fall in love with him. First up, it's a story about finding a place for yourself and your passions within a strong family legacy. The Truth about Mrs Claus, by Meena Harris and illustrated by Keisha Morris is about a little teddy-making elf named Amalia. She comes from a long line of teddy-makers, and there's huge pride in this, but she just... doesn't love making teddies. Could Santa help her? Well, he's not in, but a certain Sarah B. Claus has some nuggets of wisdom to share. With women of colour front and center, this is a sweet story with a strong message about the value of seeing others break the mould when you're trying to find your own way. Next up, Stepfather Christmas by LD Lapinski. How would you feel if your mum, single for years, suddenly announced she was bringing her boyfriend home to stay over Christmas for two whole weeks? And then, what if he happened to have a white beard, a bit of a belly, wear all red and say "ho ho ho"? Harper is convinced her new stepdad is Father Christmas. How else can you explain all the post? And the amazing hot chocolates? And the reindeer tattoos? This advent story in 25 chapters answers the question : What if you really did see Mummy kissing Santa Claus? We'll be back with a new season in 2026! If you'd like some bonus content, including both of Nina's advent stories for children, you can join our patreon here. Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

    56 min

  7. 20/11/2025

    Episode 51 - Rootin, Tootin, Flutin and Lootin (Three Little Vikings and The Legend of Viking Thunder)

    To wrap up season eight, we've got another episode with a silly name. These books are about Vikings, although, as Matt points out, nobody really called themselves Vikings; it would be like calling yourself the Burglars. Three Little Vikings by Bethan Woollvin is a cute and funny story structured like a fairytale. Three times is the village practically knocked over. Three times do the little vikings warn their chieftain. Three times does he not listen, and finally, the kids take it into their own hands and use the chieftain as bait to catch a troll. The art style is fantastically modern and classic feeling at the same time, with a Moominish touch to it. The foreshadowing (using a literal shadow) is great. We love a gruesome ending too. The second book in MG Leonard's Time Keys series, the Legend of Viking Thunder, is packed full of history facts, and music, and research, and Doctor Who-ish timey-wimeyness. It's got complicated family relationships. It's got a fantastic storm at sea aboard a Viking longboat.  It's got a nefarious governing body and kids on the run. What more could you possibly want? Dripping with Leonard's trademark charm, this is custom made to slide into your school library. Stories are, after all, the light by which we forge paths into the future. They are what has been, what is, and what will be. They are the world. You've got to have stories to wile away a cold November night in a smoke-filled longhouse. There's only so many chicken legs you can eat in the dark. The organisation that helped Bethan Woollvin with Three Little Vikings is Inclusive Minds, here The interview of MG Leonard by Polly Ho-Yen can be heard here You can learn more about the educational framework that Matt mentioned, the Mantle of the Expert, here We're going on a bit of a break now, but we'll be back before too long with a Christmas special. And if you can't wait that long, now's a great time to join our patreon here. Matt's just finished narrating our first audiobook and that's where you can get Nina's advent stories too. Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

    58 min

  8. 13/11/2025

    Episode 50 - Angry Boys (The Boy Who Kicked Pigs and Angry Arthur) with guest Doug Deans

    This episode is about little boys who live in cosy middle England at some point in the second half of the twentieth century and want to see the world burn. Both books were picked by our lovely guest Doug Deans, a playwright, actor and parent. The Boy Who Kicked Pigs, by Colin Baker and illustrated by David Roberts is a baffling, disgusting bit of snuff. It's naughty, it's irreverent, it vehemently resists moralising and it made us feel a little bit ill. You won't want to give this one to the young person in your life, but you do want them to find it on their own and enjoy the illicit thrill of it. Angry Arthur, by Hiawyn Oram and Satoshi Kitamura, is an ode to the pointless destructiveness of anger. Is it about nuclear war? Is it about toxic masculinity? Is it simply about a toddler's tantrum? Who can say. The art is completely gorgeous. This one is a classic for a reason. Here is a clip of Kill The Beast's adaptation of The Boy Who Kicked Pigs. You can see Doug's new play at the Omnibus here in January. Fixing is on tour as we speak, and you can find out if Matt's coming to your town here https://mattmillertheatre.com/ To support us on Patreon and access bonus content, go here Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

    58 min
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About

A kidlit review podcast focusing on one picture book and one chapter book each week. Hosted by Nina and Matt.

Information

  • Creator
    Nina and Matt
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    70
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Even the Trunchbull

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