Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Reading Inspires is Reading Is Fundamental’s new podcast celebrating the power of books and the joy of reading. Each episode invites educators, librarians, families, authors, illustrators, and all who champion children’s literacy to explore one big question: What does reading inspire for you? Through engaging conversations and storytelling, Reading Inspires bridges the gap between research and real-world practice—showing what literacy looks and feels like in classrooms, libraries, and homes. Grounded in evidence yet open-ended in approach, this is a space for curiosity and connection. Whether you’re an educator seeking fresh ideas, a parent hoping to spark a love of reading, or simply a lifelong bookworm, you’ll find inspiration, practical insights, and stories that remind us all why reading matters—and how it changes lives.
Welcome to Reading Inspires by Reading Is Fundamental.
I'm your host, Dr. Erin Bailey.
This podcast celebrates the power of books and the joy of reading.
In each episode, we talk with educators, librarians, families, authors, and literacy champions to explore one big question: What does reading inspire for you?
Through stories, research, and real-world experiences from classrooms, libraries, and homes, we explore what literacy looks like and why it matters.
Whether you're nurturing young readers, shaping learning spaces, or simply love a good book, we're glad you're here.
Be sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.
Let's get inspired.
Erin Bailey: Welcome.
Today I am joined by Jay Flores, who was connected with Reading is Fundamental, uh, a while ago.
He's done a, a lot for us.
He's featured in our summer reading initiative.
Um, he has written this book, which we'll talk a lot about, Engineer Someday.
So he is a current engineer.
He has a, uh, video that's called
it's Not Magic, It's Science, um, which I might borrow that, Jay, because people always ask me how children learn to read, and I wanna say, "It's not magic, it's science." Uh, it's a little bit of magic, but it's, it's mostly science of reading.
he's also on this upcoming season of America Ninja Warrior, which is not relevant to literacy, but is awesome.
So welcome, Jay.
Jay Flores: Thank you.
I'm so excited to share some time with you.
Thanks for having me
Erin Bailey: Yeah.
Um, so I've rattled off, you know, a whole bunch of things that you're involved with.
Can you share a little bit about your background and what kinda drove you from your journey in STEM education to media and now advocacy for children?
Jay Flores: So I was a very curious kid from day one.
Uh, my mom tells me stories of just as she was cooking, I would take all the pots and pans out, and I would start doing these kind of experiments, 'cause I definitely am not musically inclined.
But I was testing, you know, what does the wooden s- spoon sound like versus the metal spoon, and always just, like, tinkering and playing around.
Uh, i- in the book, there's a picture of me at the beginning that's just me in a box, uh, playing inside that box, and that just, I think, really encapsulate… Yeah, there you go.
That picture right there is really the inspiration behind the book because I-- that cardboard box to me could be anything.
It could be a rocket ship, a castle, a spaceship, a car.
It could be whatever I wanted it to be in.
recently my, my parents retired, and we watched some old, kind of family videos, and we, we went and got a VHS tape from a player from, uh, Facebook Marketplace and
watched some old stuff, and there's a video of me creating my first airplane at, like, three years old, which makes it sound like I'm this child prodigy engineer.
But it was just me organizing the couch cushions in a way that to me was an airplane, and my parents really celebrated that.
Instead of getting in trouble for tearing apart the living room, uh, my dad grabbed the video camera.
Instead of recording me, he asked me questions about my airplane.
And so as I got older and I tried to figure out what I wanted to do in the world, I, I never really saw that connection between my curiosity and what that meant in terms of a career.
And eventually I was fortunate to find engineering and find all those connections, but that didn't happen until probably the summer of my junior year of high school.
And so my mission ever since then has been to make sure that young kids can see, future opportunities in the way that they enjoy to play and explore and learn and what they like to read about.
And so that's kind of what has now built out this, uh, brand with Engineer Someday and all the work that I do, and even American Ninja Warrior in, in an odd way.
Uh, you know, I start all of my course runs with an experiment.
Uh, this season that's coming up, uh, soon you'll, you'll see the book featured, and, uh, it's just one extra way that, that I get to show kids the cool connection between things that they like, like obstacle course races and engineering and science.
Erin Bailey: Yeah, I love it.
It's, it is really inspiring for children to see the things that they're interested in can become part of their future career and, and their lives.
And I love the way you've, y- you know, you haven't given up any of your passions and your hobbies.
You've just found a way to, bring them all together.
And so two of those are literacy, and STEM, which those of you listening who are unfamiliar, that stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and a lot of people include, uh, STEAM, like art is in there as well.
but a lot of people think of literacy and STEM as separate areas, right?
Um, but you clearly connect the two.
Why is children's literacy, literacy such an important foundation for success in the STEM fields?
Jay Flores: So I think STEM, and one of the challenges with STEM is that a lot of people think, oh, you have to be a, a science kid or a math kid in order to do well in engineering or in the STEM fields.
But I think it really comes down to curiosity and creativity.
And literacy and, and reading and exploring a book is, like, one of the best ways for kids at an early age to explore what the world can be, uh, in a safe and fun environment for them to
an age-appropriate environment for them to learn and grow.
So using the, the words and the pictures in a book to help them understand that, wow, you know, like, I can shape the world in some way someday, is a really powerful combination, especially for the younger ones.
Because there's only so many experiments I can do that appear to be magic and, um, are actually science that are safe for the younger kids to do on their own.
So sometimes, you know, being able to g- to grab a book and explore what some of those possibilities are is one of the best ways to spark that curiosity and encourage that lifelong, um, experience of building things and creating.
And then m- my kind of bigger goal is for that then to lead and connect the dots.
So maybe you read about certain type of engineering and you love the activity that the kids seem to be doing in that page, and like, "Oh, I have something like that. Let me go do that." Right?
And so in the back and forth, and I, I actually have some really cool examples with Engineer Someday of, for example, on our, our page on civil engineers, the kids are using blocks.
And so one of my friend's, uh, children was, they were reading it together, and then all of a sudden he s- sees the, the blocks, and he runs off and he shows his mom
like, "Oh, like, like me." Like, so he's seen that connection between how those kids like to play in his reading to what they're doing in science, um, and building, right?
And so he connects the dots, and then goes back to reading, and then goes back to building, and back and forth.
That connection I think is really fun and important.
Erin Bailey: I love the way you're describing that too, is that, like, reading and playing don't have to happen in separate settings.
Like, especially for really young children, they may not ha- y- you know, they may not be able to sit through an entire, uh, book.
My two younger sons are at that stage right now where they may not have, you know, the ability to sit through an entire book.
But if they are making the connections like the way you describe with the blocks, of they're reading something, and then they're running
away and doing something, and then they, you know, they felt inspired, and then they coming back, this is actually a very powerful thing.
And I appreciate the picture of you i- at the beginning of your book in an open box, because that's one of my favorite toys as well, is a box or blocks.
Um, we refer to these as open-ended toys, because there's not just one way to play with them, and it's actually what causes creativity and curiosity to be maintained and sustained over time.
I think, like, what you're describing, you were a curious kid.
What a lot of people don't realize, and I've sh- you know, shared this before with other folks, is that curiosity and creativity aren't traits, they're skills.
Um, and all children are born with the capacity to be curious and to be creative.
It's just whether their families and important people in their lives, like it sounds like what your mother did, you know, like hone it, allow children to hone in on these and kinda take it in the direction that they're going to.
Jay Flores: A- absolutely.
And like I get to see that with my nephews now.
So I've got all my nieces and nephews are between like the ages of one and two right now, so it's a really cool space where I get to see them grow and do some of the things that I did as, as a kid that I'm seeing.
But one of my nephews in particular, my sister sent me a, this great video of him.
He was reading the book, and on one of the pages there's a rocket ship, and he gets excited and he just launches, just throws the book across the room to go get his rocket ship, which, you know, a lot of times parents will be like, "Oh,
we have to read, you know, we have to finish the book." But in this case he's drawing that connection, so let's go get the rocket ship, and then let's go compare it to the one in the book, and then let's keep reading, and then we'll go
and find some other thing that you're excited about and, and keep that curiosity and creativity flowing I, I think is something as parents, we need to let just kids explore and kind of learn the world in the way that they wanna learn it
Erin Bailey: Yeah.
And I think the other theme that you touch on a lot is representation, right?
It's a, it's a theme in your work, throughout the books that you do, and
It's Not Magic, It's Science, which if you haven't checked out those videos, definitely do it.
You're like the modern-day Bill Nye the Science Guy, if I can make that connection for people who grew up in, in my generation.
Um, but why is it so important for children to see themselves reflected in STEM careers, books, the media, like the show that you do?
Jay Flores: Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I think, so actually Ninja Warrior was one of those times where I really saw the connection point, and it was, uh, one of my first runs that got aired.
I did an experiment, and they panned to the crowd and to see the reactions from the experiment, and they happened to pan and focus in on this young Hispanic boy, and that's when it clicked for me.
I was like, "Wow, that's the first time I saw someone that looked like me represented on TV or books or movies as a scientist." And I got to be that representation for that kid, and so that then launched, you know,
this kind of… I had already had that mission kind of in the background of my work, but put it more front and center because I think every child deserves the opportunity to, invent the change that they wanna see in the
world and have the opportunity to be whatever it is that they wanna be, whether they've, known that from a very young age or they learn it through reading or they, you know, do some kind of activity that inspires them.
I want them to feel like that's something that's possible for them.
So I- I build that into the design of everything I do.
With the It's Not Magic, It's Science experiments, I wanna make sure that they're household items so that they never watch a video and say, "Oh, that's super cool, but I could never do that," or, "I don't have access to that."
Or same with parents that want their k- kid, kids involved.
Like, I don't want them to have the stress of like how do I figure out how to get my kid excited about it because this thing is so complex.
Uh, and then in the same with the book.
So the, the characters and the, engineering that's being showed in the pages is kids at play.
So I wanted to make sure that it wasn't adults doing engineering, the kids were observing.
I wanted the kids to see themselves in the way that, they explore and learn and play and how that then ties to a particular type of engineering.
And the way I do my, my book readings and live events, we have some experiments as well, and I'll engage the kids in the activities and ask them quest- like ask them engineering design questions they don't real- necessarily realize.
But if we're trying to launch a little mini rocket, should we use hot water or cold water?
And most of them, to, to launch it faster, and most of them will know, okay, well let's use hot just kind of intuitively.
And at the end I'll say like, "You guys just made several different aerospace engineering decisions and you're only four years old."
And it's like so cool to be able to have that, representation both from, you know, the- their ethnic background boys and girls, but then also the age, right?
'Cause there's no age limit on innovation and there's no, there's no height requirement for, for experimenting in most cases.
So I want them all to be able to take a look and be like, "I can do that, too."
Erin Bailey: Yeah.
I, I love that.
And definitely check out the, the book Engineer Someday.
It, it's a very complex, um, book, so I'm hoping you can break down… Yeah, I mean, you shared it, the background of the book.
Like, it's rhyming, which is great for early childhood.
It's also bilingual.
and introduces all different kinds of engineering concepts through play and through real-world things that children can do.
Like, how did, like, what kind of thinking went into each of those ele- elements to bring this book to life?
Jay Flores: originally it just started as engineers are really, really good at making really, really cool things sound really, really boring because they don't
share it at the age-appropriate level, uh, for a lot of younger kids when they're going out and doing outreach events or, you know, talking about what they do.
And so originally it just started as, like, how do I help other engineers break down what they do in a way that's exciting to a five-year-old and/or their grandmother, right?
And so I tried to think of good analogies and comparisons, and I started to think about, okay, like, what does each type of engineering compare to?
And so the book takes 10 different types of engineering, compares it to some kind of character or career that younger kids are most likely already familiar with.
So I'll give you an example of, uh, the chemical engineering page.
So like a chef, they mix and brew medicine, fuel, and even shampoo.
So most kids will know what a chef is, or they've seen somebody cook before.
Uh, but then we draw the connection to how chemical engineers do that in real life to create fuels, medicines, shampoos, et cetera.
And so it does a lot of things.
One, it, it draws that connection to something that they know and makes it familiar for them, but then it expands, like, their ideas of what's possible, and then, like, how many things engineering touches.
So for example, we don't usually think of engineering when we think of the shampoo that we use, right?
And so I love to give them an opportunity to think of, like, oh, what if we could make a shampoo that would turn your color or your hair color purple for 30 seconds and then go back to regular?
And they just start coming up with all these wild and wonderful ideas.
Um, and then on the pages, then the kids are doing kind of some of that type of exploration.
So on the chemical engineering page they've got, like, a bubble experiment, right?
Which is something that they've probably played with bubbles before, um, and now they can draw that connection to other things.
So each of the different types of engineering has that character, everything from magicians to wizards to gadget makers, um, that then tie back into it.
and as you mentioned, it's rhyming, so the flow … And it rhymes in both English and Spanish, so the flow is really good for younger learners.
But it also has some decent kinda science vocabulary as well, so it can, it can range up to older kids.
And I think it's also a great resource for parents to understand how they can, um, direct their children in, in the direction of things that they might see they have that interest.
So, like, my kid really likes to play like this, so maybe that means they're an aerospace
Erin Bailey: Yeah.
I love that.
It reminds me of the first time I was baking cookies with my daughter, and she's five.
She was probably f- closer to four at the time.
but she was about to go into the, just take that scooper and go right into the flour and, and, you know.
And I said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
This is chemistry.
You need to do exact measurements." But it was, like, a fun lesson, it, to your point, in, in chemistry that, like, this is a measuring cup, and it needs to be exact or you're gonna, you know, throw off the proportions and, and things like that.
So it's like, to your point, this can give parents a lot of great ideas of things that they're probably already doing, but they can help their children see it through an engineer's perspective
Jay Flores: 100%.
And, and so many different things that we do is connected back to engineering.
I mean, everything technically is connected back to some kind of science or math, but this does it in a way that connects to the things that those younger kids are more exposed to and connected with, and again, can see themselves doing.
Like, oh, the kid with the blocks, or on our aerospace page, the kid's creating kinda like a little astronaut, uh, helmet out of a cardboard box.
Those kinds of things that, uh, they may have tried at some point, and now they can draw that connection to what that means for them in the future
Erin Bailey: also huge kudos for creating a book that's bilingual and rhyming in English and Spanish.
It's very hard to convert English rhymes into Spanish rhymes, and maybe you can share, um, a little bit about that, and also why, why was it so important to you to create a bilingual STEM children's book?
Jay Flores: Yeah, so the rhyming is, that's the hardest part.
Um, and there's a lot of back and forth that goes into that, and, a lot of just thinking of different examples.
So for, for example, on the chemical engineering page, we used shampoo for the English, but then we end up using soap for the Spanish because it was easier just to do the rhyming that way.
But I wanted it to rhyme in both languages 'cause I want, whether you read it in English, Spanish, both, or even if you can't read, my, my
illustrator is amazing and does a really good job of bringing the pages to life and the, the kind of experiments and play that the kids are doing.
So no matter, again, whether it's English, Spanish, both, or, or you just look at the pictures, I wanted kids to be inspired by it.
And I think, creating the rhymes in Spanish and not just a direct translation makes it feel much more genuine and less of an afterthought, and makes that experience of reading it better for, for everyone.
And e- even if you don't know Spanish very well, I feel like, and, and you're trying to read it in Spanish, I feel like the rhyming makes it a little more fun even if you don't understand exactly what's going on.
It will encourage more kids and more parents to, to read both sides even if you don't understand one or the other languages.
And then in terms of, uh, the importance of it being just a bilingual book in general is I think, you know, every kid deserves a chance to explore these careers, and I think with all the challenges we face in the world, we need all, all hands on deck.
I, I want as many kids out there solving problems as we can, and the earlier we can draw those connection to them, the, the better.
and then also I knew there's, in terms of the bilingual side, there's a lot of parents that now can read it with their kids that may, you know, their kids
might speak English and Spanish, but maybe the parent's English isn't as good, and I want this exploration and these experiments to be a family activity.
So now it engages more parents, more grandparents that may not have had the, the strong English background to be able to engage with it.
and it helps me more, reach more kids around the world.
I mean, especially in this hemisphere, um, you know, we can reach so many more countries and have a, an impact in places that I might not have reached otherwise on my own.
Erin Bailey: Yeah, yeah.
I, I appreciate it so much.
I'm gonna put myself in the camp of I will try to read it in Spanish, and it may not sound as beautiful… It, it will not sound as beautiful as when you read it, um, but I think that's the point is to, is to try.
Like, everyone, everyone can try to be, um, bilingual, and I think a point that I'll add in there for any families listening, like,
even if you are a family that isn't as confident reading in English or in Spanish, the benefits are all the same for your children.
Reading aloud to your children regardless of what language you read in is beneficial for your children, so just do it.
so I'm wondering if, with the bilingual, if you can share any experiences from your own childhood, because research shows the cognitive and cultural benefits of being bilingual.
maybe like what did your family do for you or teachers in your life to just, um, foster your ability to be bilingual and naturally curious about STEM?
Jay Flores: Yeah, so another reason why I think it's so important is because I, I almost lost that part of me, honestly.
So I went to an elementary school and a middle school where I was probably the only Spanish speaker, aside from maybe one other kid and then my sister.
So at, at an early age, I actually kind of started to reject Spanish because all the other kids only spoke English, cartoons were in English.
Uh, fortunately, my parents would still s- speak Spanish to me and my family, um, my, like, broader family.
So I didn't lose it completely, and then at a certain point in my life I was like, "No, this is actually an important part of who I
am. I want to continue to, have that part of who I am and my culture continue to be important, and then I'll spread it with others."
And I think it's just such a, it's so unfortunate that sometimes it's not viewed as a superpower and a benefit, and there, there's so many awesome opportunities I've received because I am bilingual, and so many places I
can travel to comfortably and not have to worry about things, and, people you get to meet, and just, I, I think it's something that we need to improve the branding around as being bilingual is such a, a powerful thing.
It's something that should be celebrated.
It's something that's impressive.
Um, people that come to the States that maybe spoke Spanish first and are speaking English, whether it's in an accent or not, I think is, it's very, um, like, you know, a good sign of someone that's brave and has grown a lot and is doing important things.
So I, I want kids to grow up and be proud of both sides of that.
in addition to all the, you know, the benefits that we know it has for your, for your growth and your learning and your development and the way you use your, your brain.
so hopefully this book inspires you to use your y- your reading brain, your science brain, your language brain um, in English and Spanish, and, uh, will continue to just h- have kids explore in, in, in the best way they want.
And then we also even on the illustrations have some cultural aspects in there that, um, kids will be like, "Oh, I, you know, that looks like my house," or like, "That looks like
something we have in our home." and it also sparks questions amongst younger kids like, "Why is the banana green?" And then we have the conversation of, "Oh, that's a, that's a plantain."
You know?
And it, it helps spark those kind of curios- curious questions amongst young kids and, and helps teach them more about different cultures, too.
Erin Bailey: Yeah.
Yeah, and I think you hit on it really well, that there is a science i- of the brain behind bilingualism, and it creates more neuroplasticity,
which basically means, like, you can learn things quicker, and you you're more comfortable with what they call, like, cognitive dissonance.
When two things don't match up or don't make sense, you're able to be a better problem-solver.
So I am a fierce advocate that, like, bilingualism is the greatest gift that you could ever give your child.
So if you are in a position that you're able to do that, I highly encourage you to, uh, raise a bilingual child.
So that's a that's just my little, um, you know, shout-out from me, f- um, for that.
But, you know, really appreciate resources and books, um, that help families to do that
so we're kind of getting towards the end, and I always end by asking this very difficult question.
I've now have two kind of versions of the question.
Um, what does reading inspire for you, or who inspired you to love reading?
Jay Flores: So the funny thing is I became an engineer so I wouldn't have to write anymore in a funny way.
I, I did well in, in, as a, you know, in English class in high school and in, in history I had to write a lot, and I really enjoyed history class.
but I didn't get to work on what I wanted to work on in those years, right?
And so, uh, I think coming back to now being an author, it's that ability to inspire and work in the spaces that you're excited about and passionate about.
And so I hope that my book will inspire kids to continue to explore the areas that they're most passionate about.
And whether that's becoming an engineer in one of these spaces or just being a little bit more science literate and doing something completely different, uh, I want them all to have the opportunity to see what the options are for them.
'Cause again, I didn't learn any of that until I was probably a junior in high school, and then even when I was choosing my major i- in college, I still didn't know exactly very much about any of the types of engineering.
So to be able to pass on that knowledge and do it at such an early age and provide opportunities for kids to continue to explore and grow, is what I'm really hoping this will do.
And, um, one of the m- more fun examples of seeing that recently was at the first book launch event we had.
We had one of our little cousins with us, and she's seven.
I've been doing It's Not Magic, It's Science!
with her since she was two.
but at that book reading she goes, afterwards she's like, "Oh, I wanna be a mechanical engineer."
And I realized in that moment that was the first time I'd ever heard her say the word engineering.
We've been doing experiments for five years.
She loves science.
She's doing well in school.
But she had never connected the dots between that excitement she had around the experiments we do and what that could mean for her and her future.
And so that day I kinda committed to making the next book Mechanical Engineer Someday, and she's front and center on the cover.
And so I, I hope that, again, kids will see themselves represented in these pages, whether it's in the way that they look or the way that they play or the things that they're curious
about, and then they'll take that and use it as a springboard to continue exploring and learning more about, um, all the different types of engineering or other things that they're
passionate about, and one day be able to say like, you know, "Because of that book I went and did this experiment or this summer camp, and then that led, led me to do what I do today."
That, that'll be, I think, the most rewarding part of it all.
Erin Bailey: That's adorable.
I can't wait to get my hands on Mechanical Engineer someday now that I know the background story of the cover.
and I'll be sure to link it below.
If you're listening and something resonated with you or this conversation made you think of somebody, um, share it with them.
We'd love for them to join our community.
Thank you, Jay.
Jay Flores: Thank you so much
Thank you for listening to Reading Inspires by Reading Is Fundamental.
I hope today's conversation sparked new ideas, meaningful connections, and a renewed love of reading.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, share it with a fellow literacy champion, and join us next time as we continue exploring what reading inspires