Mindful, Happy Kids

Elisabeth
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Education for Kids
  • Updated Bimonthly

Petitations (pet-centered meditations), interviews and stories for kids. Interviews with artists, authors, musicians, editors, illustrators teachers, and mindfullnes/meditation and yoga practitioners. It's not just for kids any more. Find the website at www.mindfulhappykids.com for links to the podcast and YouTube videos, pdf's of Dr. Paige's children's books on gratitude, compassion, mindfulness and yoga and examples of Petitations set to music.

  1. 5d ago

    Breaking Barriers: Sonido Reyes on Queer, Latinx, and Mental Health Representation in YA in Conversation with Dr. Elisabeth Paige

    In this powerful episode, Sonido Reyes joins Elisabeth Paige to discuss his journey as an acclaimed author bringing vital representation to young adult literature. Sonido shares his late-blooming love for writing, sparked through fan fiction and a journey from shame to joy in self-expression. The episode delves deep into Sonido’s award-winning novels, including The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School and The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar. Sonido unpacks how these works weave in complex issues—queerness, mental health struggles, immigration, and nuanced family dynamics—reflecting real challenges in the Mexican and larger Latinx community. He stresses the importance of showing characters struggling—and still deserving happy endings—so readers can see themselves fully and find hope. A highlight is the candid conversation about destigmatizing mental illness and suicidality, particularly in the Mexican community where such topics are often taboo. Sonido and Elisabeth discuss the challenges of therapy, medication, and the healing power of support groups, emphasizing the necessity of empathy for those living with bipolar disorder. Sonido also touches on his next project, a “Mexican Hunger Games”—style dystopian novel, and offers encouragement to young and aspiring writers: embrace your truth and write what feels authentic, even when it’s hard. This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about diverse storytelling, mental health advocacy, and authentic voices in YA literature. You can find information about Dr. Elisabeth Paige at www.mindfulhappykids.com.

    48 min

  2. May 26

    Dr. Rajani LaRocca: Indian American Author Across the Children's Lifespan in Conversation with Dr. Elisabeth Paige

    Physician and children's author Rajani LaRocca has published over 20 books for kids of all ages. In this second interview (you can also see the first interview by scrolling), we talk about her forthcoming young adult novel about grief, truth, authenticity, and friendship and her published fantasy middle grade adventure based in Indian culture on colonialism. We also spoke about two very relevant picture books, one on vaccines and one on birthright citizenship.  Finally we covered her chapter book about flexibility and being true to yourself. We hope you enjoy! You can find information about Dr. Elisabeth Paige at www.mindfulhappykids.com.

    1h 14m

  3. Apr 11

    Chris Baron on Passover Anthology "On All Other Nights" and Wildfire Verse Novel "Spark"

    Dr. Elisabeth Paige interviews middle grade author and English professor Chris Baron about two recent books: the Passover anthology "On All Other Nights," which he co-edited with Joshua Levy and Naomi Milliner, and his verse novel "Spark" about California wildfires. Baron discusses his preference for poetry, his writing journey into middle grade, and why certain stories choose verse versus prose and vice versa. He explains Passover’s meaning, family traditions, and how the anthology maps short stories to Seder steps with discussion questions, aiming to strengthen unity and Jewish identity in a difficult climate. "Spark" follows best friends Finn and Rabbit in a Northern California town facing wildfires, evacuation, grief, and rebuilding; Baron reads several poems, describes extensive research, and highlights themes of hope, agency, conservation, PTSD support from a teacher-counselor, Jewish heritage symbolism, and the role of pets.  You can find information about Dr. Elisabeth Paige at www.mindfulhappykids.com.

    55 min

  4. Mar 26

    Dan Gemeinhart on "The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise," "Coyote Lost and Found," and "Busted" with Dr. Elisabeth Paige

    Dr. Elisabeth Paige interviews middle grade author Dan Gemeinhart about his writing journey and three of his ten novels: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Coyote Lost and Found, and Busted. Dan discusses why his stories include grief and death as backstory, how he balances heavy themes with humor, and why animals and friendship are central. They outline Coyote’s road-trip plot to save a buried memory box while Coyote secretly tricks her grieving father, Rodeo, into going home, and describe Coyote Lost and Found as a standalone sequel set in April 2020 during COVID, involving the search for a lost Mary Oliver poetry book that contains the mother’s wishes for scattering her ashes, including masking and an anti-Asian racism incident. They also cover Busted, a comedic intergenerational caper about Oscar, Natasha, and retired mobster Jimmy, and Gemeinhart’s plans to write Midnight Children into a screenplay. He gives advice for kids and aspiring authors. You can find information about Dr. Elisabeth Paige at www.mindfulhappykids.com.

    55 min

  5. Mar 8

    Author Johnny Marciano in Conversation with Dr. Elisabeth Paige and Mike Rosenstein

    Dr. Elisabeth Paige and Mike Rosenstein interview children’s author and illustrator Johnny Marciano about his career writing from board books to chapter books to middle grade books and young adult books. He’s even written  adult nonfiction. His first book was about his grandfather Ludwig Bemelmans, author of the Madeline series. Johnny discusses learning to paint in Bemelmans’ style for Madeline books but eventually choosing to work primarily with outside illustrators. He explains the dark humor of The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield, and  The No-Good Nine and the satire and humor of the Claude series co-created with Emily Chenoweth. He also describes the Frankie Caridi cult-and-telekinesis series,  and an in-progress Madeline graphic novel set in occupied Paris. He talks about his forthcoming book, a middle grade historical novel about his Italian grandfather surviving the 1908 Messina earthquake and tsunami. Finally, he provides recommendations for aspiring authors. You can find information about Dr. Elisabeth Paige at www.mindfulhappykids.com.

    1h 41m

  6. Feb 5

    Nora Lester Morad: Writing as a Tool for Change for the Palestinians

    This is a heart-wrenching and fascinating interview with Nora Lester Murad: Activist, Educator, and Writer About Palestine. Nora is Jewish and married a Palestinian, Muslim man. Together they raised three daughters in the West Bank during the Israeli occupation.  Her middle grade novel, "Ida in the Middle" was inspired by her daughter and her own experiences living in the West Bank and coming back to the US to share her experiences. “Ida in the Middle” was a way for Nora to talk about the life she and her family were forced to endure under the Israeli occupation of Palestine. She talks about her book and the horrific living situation in Palestine and how she believes the only true peace can come if "equality is the only way they'll be a settlement that respects all the people. So, the whole land needs to be decolonized. Whoever wants to live there, should live there, but equally not with rights that are more than other people, which is what they have right now. Jewish people have more rights than non-Jews. That's not stable, it's not defendable, and it will lead to continued conflict until that's, that's fixed."  Please visit my website for more information: www.mindfulhappykids.com. You can find information about Dr. Elisabeth Paige at www.mindfulhappykids.com.

    47 min

  7. Jan 23

    "The Petitation Companion: Introduction"

    The Petitation Companion: Enhance the Lives of You and Your Pets with Mindfulness Meditation are the adventures of Pago and Pippi, Schipperke pups trying to teach Norman, the negative cat to Petitate. I will be reading you the book, written by myself, Dr. Elisabeth Paige and Joanne Leslie chapter by chapter. I will also be adding the Petitations 1 by 1 set to music composed and recorded by Steve Gruskin.  You can buy the book on Amazon and visit my website www.mindfulhappy kids.com and my Substack, "Mindful, Happy News" for the written versions. The book is dedicated to Pippi and Pago, I loved tghem with all my heart.] Elisabeth You can find information about Dr. Elisabeth Paige at www.mindfulhappykids.com.

    13 min

  8. 12/11/2025

    Julio Anta and Jacoby Salcedo: Creators of Latinx Graphic Novels

    Julio and Jacoby created Latinx awesome graphic novels focusing on immigration, border crossing, bullying, and radicalization of white supremacies. They are both interviewed in this engaging conversation with Elisabeth Paige and Mike Rosenstein. They talk about their processes, books and futures.  You can find information about Dr. Elisabeth Paige at www.mindfulhappykids.com.

    1h 25m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Petitations (pet-centered meditations), interviews and stories for kids. Interviews with artists, authors, musicians, editors, illustrators teachers, and mindfullnes/meditation and yoga practitioners. It's not just for kids any more. Find the website at www.mindfulhappykids.com for links to the podcast and YouTube videos, pdf's of Dr. Paige's children's books on gratitude, compassion, mindfulness and yoga and examples of Petitations set to music.

Information

  • Creator
    Elisabeth
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mindful, Happy Kids
  • Show Website
    Mindful, Happy Kids