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Reach Out and Read is On the Air

Engaging conversations with experts in childhood health and literacy.

An award-winning podcast centered on the belief that children’s books build better brains, better family relationships, and happier, healthier children and societies. Join us as host Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, a pediatrician with a children’s librarianship degree dives into a wealth of varied early childhood health and literacy topics with expert guests examining the many facets of supporting the parent-child relationship as key to early success.

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Latest Episode

“Stories as Guides Through Darkness and Wonder” | Sept. 3, 2026

Can fear and enchantment be two sides of the same coin? How can stories help children navigate through darkness and wonder? Maria Tatar, John L. Loeb research professor of Germanic languages and literatures and of folklore and mythology at Harvard University, emerita, joins us to discuss the role of children’s literature in offering curiosity and courage in young readers. Warning: You may never think about some classic books the same way again. 

View the transcript here.

  • Maria Tatar

    Maria Tatar is the John L. Loeb research professor of Germanic languages and literatures and of folklore and mythology, emerita, and serves on degree committees in folklore and mythology as well as in history and literature at Harvard University. She is the editor and author of several books including “Classic Fairy Tales,” “The Annotated Brothers Grimm,” “The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen,” and “Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhood.” Maria is a senior fellow at Harvard’s Society of Fellows. 
     

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Research shows reading physical books together brings the strongest benefits to children. That’s why we’re happy to have Boise Paper – a responsible paper manufacturer – sponsor this podcast. Through their Paper with Purpose promise, Boise Paper looks for ways to make a difference in local communities. Thank you to Boise Paper for investing in our Reach Out and Read community.

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Award Winning
Two-time winner of an Anthem Award in the Health category.
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Meet the Host

To the best of our knowledge, there is only one pediatrician anywhere who got a master’s in library science in the middle of his medical training, all to learn more about children’s literature. That is our host, Dr. Dipesh Navsaria. A practicing pediatrician in Wisconsin, Dr. Navsaria is the Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin, Chair of the Early Literacy Subcommittee of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Early Childhood, and many other initiatives involving the psychosocial world of children, their families, and society, from policy to parenting support. A professor of pediatrics and of human development and family studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, he lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife, two children, two cats, a dog, and backyard chickens. He has a deep-seated dependence on wearing bowties, of which he owns far too many…but all of which he can tie without a mirror, in under a minute!

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Meet the host of the ROR Podcast