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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

“Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters” | Oct. 1, 2026

Whether manmade or naturally occurring, chances are children will be exposed to some level of trauma at some point. How we handle these situations and recognize the protective effect of positive relationships will help guide how we may talk to kids and — we hope — buffer the effects of trauma. Yevgenia Nayberg joins us to talk about “Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters,” her new book that draws upon her own upbringing in 1980s Ukraine and how she grounded herself in love and art throughout a childhood full of uncertainty. 

View the transcript here.

  • Yevgenia Nayberg

    Yevgenia Nayberg is an award-winning author–illustrator, painter, and stage designer. She’s the author–illustrator of several picture books including “I Hate Borscht!” and “Mona Lisa in New York” and the illustrator of “A Visit to Moscow,” which was nominated for an Eisner Award. Born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, she now lives in New York City. Her latest book is the graphic memoir “Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters.”

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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