{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Reading Inspires by Reading Is Fundamental","title":"Eric Litwin / Pete the Cat","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2801,"description":"About This Episode\nWhat happens when reading becomes joyful, musical, and deeply interactive? In this episode of Reading Inspires, Dr. Erin Bailey talks with Eric Litwin, the award-winning author of the original Pete the Cat books, about helping children build a lifelong relationship with reading.\nEric shares how his experience as a classroom teacher led him to create books built around call-and-response, repetition, movement, humor, and prediction. They discuss why playful language and human connection matter so much for early literacy, how families can turn everyday routines into songs and chants, and why reading instruction works best when children experience both strong foundations and genuine joy.\nWhat You’ll Learn\nHow call-and-response and repetition invite children to participate in reading\nWhy music, movement, and playful routines help develop language and phonemic awareness\nHow families and educators can make ordinary moments opportunities for joyful language\nWhy human interaction is essential when children are learning language and reading\nHow the idea of becoming a reading hero can guide intentional, engaging practice\nChapters\n0:00 — Welcome and introduction\n1:00 — Eric Litwin’s journey from classroom teacher to author\n8:00 — Call-and-response, repetition, and joyful reading\n16:00 — Building literacy through language, movement, and routines\n25:00 — Screens, human interaction, and the reading foundation\n32:00 — The Poop Song, phonemic awareness, and playful learning\n39:00 — Becoming reading heroes through human, engaging, recurring, intentional practice\n45:00 — What reading inspires for Eric\nResources\nEric Litwin — Learn more about Eric’s work, books, music, and literacy resources.\nPete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes — The interactive picture book that invites children to sing, predict, and respond.\nPete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons — A story about counting, resilience, and responding to change with joy.\nThe Poop Song — A playful example of using...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/PLM71TVYaKrIK0b-G2NoWp7Xdi0RdKxkYAKLXdYb2tA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83NjQz/ZTdmZTE2ODA3OGJh/ZmM5NDkyMmZkNjI3/OWJkMy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}