Discovered this podcast after reading “Chinese Menu” by Grace Lin. Fascinating insights into Children’s book publishing! I have a new-found appreciating for authors publishing diverse books — these books already have a positive impact on my child. The podcast also have tons of book recommendations and I have tried some and loved them, including “Simon sort of says”, “Mexikid” and “Last chance”.

I love that when I listen to Alvina and Grace, I feel like I am right there with them talking shop. I get to keep up with what’s going on in the industry while making art on my own books. Their approach is so down to earth and generous. I am grateful for all the knowledge they share and for the community they provide. I particularly enjoyed the recent episode on FOMO and envy.

This podcast is a great resource for learning more about publishing. The hosts are veterans in the industry, and are insightful and unafraid to tackle sensitive subjects surrounding the industry with heart and honesty. Their episodes where they invite book sellers on will help you discover new books for your little ones, or the little ones in your life.

This isn’t Alvina or Grace’s main gig, but they are naturals

Book Friends Forever is enjoyable on many levels - for the latest insights about book publishing, a window into a forever friendship, insightful analysis of trending topics, and miscellaneous advice you didn’t know you needed. Don’t miss it!

Book Friends Forever is such a delightful podcast. The chat between Grace and Alvina flows easily, and covers many topics. Really enjoy the insight into the worlds of kid lit, author and publishing.

I came to this podcast because I get insider information about the children’s book publishing scene, a better understanding of children’s book authors & illustrators, timely conversations around issues in the children’s book world, AND excellent book recommendations! But I obsessively listen to every podcast because Grace & Alvina feel like MY best friends here, help me think about my own life, and share things that bring them/me joy!

Grace and Alvina go behind the scenes of the publishing industry and share their insights about creating and editing children’s books. They also share their lifelong friendship and discuss more serious topics with poise and thoughtfulness. They are sweet and smart and charming - it’s like having brunch with your best girlfriends!

Alvina and Grace have a wealth of experience in children’s book publishing, regularly sharing their pearls, along with what’s happening in their lives to make this an engaging, enlightening and fun podcast. A staple in my listening library.

So much insider info about the kidlit industry in this podcast, all told in casual conversations between friends and colleagues Alvina and Grace. Great book recommendations throughout, too!

I love listening to Book Friends Forever! As a librarian and book blogger, I feel like I’m listening to my own friends talk about life and their side of the publishing industry.

Book Friends Forever is a must-listen podcast for me as a picture book writer and avid kidlit reader. Grace and Alvina are so generous in sharing their insights, tips, and takes on the children’s publishing world. I also appreciate that they approach their conversations with great humility and an aim towards social justice. There’s an art to expressing an opinion yet leaving room for future understanding with the acknowledgment that there may be more nuance or more to learn - and Grace and Alvina do this well. It’s refreshing! In addition, they have brought on some wonderful guests, and Alison Morris’ book reviews on what we COULD be reading have helped me discover many amazing titles. The most recent episode (#198) had a segment on what makes a book stand out in the market that sparked some ideas for how to evaluate my own picture book manuscripts as I revise, prepare to query, generate new story ideas, and decide which ideas to pursue. I highly recommend listening to BFF!

I absolutely love this podcast - I have been listening since the very first episode and look forward to listening to it every week.

Really appreciate the industry perspectives and balanced view offered by Grace and Alvina.

A must listen for me every week, I love listening to Grace and Alvina’s insights into the industry, their lives, and their friendship.

I really enjoy the inside look into the children’s book industry from the perspectives of both an author/illustrator and an editor. And I love hearing about Grace and Alvina’s friendship, past and present. The book recommendations from Alison Morris are great, too!

I enjoy listening to Alvina and Grace as if they are friends in the room with me who discuss the ups and downs around interesting topics: creating, life, or various aspects of the children’s book world (while I do laundry, am in the kitchen, or driving around town.) I especially appreciate topics related to the business of publishing and the excellent books that are frequently recommended and peppered throughout the episodes.

I love listening to Alvina and Grace chat about their lives as well as about books, the creative process, and the publishing industry. I find the discussions honest, heartfelt, informative, and insightful. I look forward to and appreciate each new podcast.

I always love hearing Grace and Alvina’s conversations about publishing. They both offer insightful thoughts on a whole range of topics and it’s especially fun to hear these conversations between friends working in two different facets of publishing.

Grace and Alvina have the warm rapport of longtime friends, which makes this podcast— largely about publishing topics but delightfully wide-ranging— a pleasure to listen to. I’ve learned so much from their thoughtful discussions and appreciate how candid and heartfelt they are, whether tackling topics that are weighty and serious or more casually fun. I always look forward to the next episode!

Big fan of Book Friends Forever and its co-hosts, Alvina Ling and Grace Lin. Besties chatting about everything from publishing to productivity, from staying grateful to staying creative. And all of it is casual, heartfelt, and always from two lenses for listeners on the same page: worthwhile book-creation as well as making the world a better place for kids, readers, writers, illustrators, industry professionals, and all of us.

Grace and Alvina share their experiences in the literary and publishing worlds with enthusiasm, honesty, and verve. Thank you for this lovely podcast!

One of my favorite kidlit podcasts!

This podcast is like your favorite sweatpants - comfy, cozy, and perfect to put on while making dinner. Like all great pants, it has pockets aka episodes that go deeper and hold a lot (in this case, publishing insights, self reflection, and thoughtful conversations about all things bookish and human).

Love this podcast. Fun, creative, informative, friendly, relatable and updated on issues that is and will be affecting the world of books.

I really enjoy this podcast as an aspiring BIPOC picture book writer and illustrator. It makes me feel like I’m enjoying a cup of tea with very well informed friends while getting the inside scoop on the Kidlit publishing industry. I love the way Alvina & Grace make each other laugh and share their personal journeys, joys, accomplishments & even their failures and insecurities as professional women of color. I encourage all my writer & illustrator friends to listen, learn and read the books they talk about. There’s so much to learn!

I recommended this podcast to my best friend, and chuckle sometimes because I feel like if we were an author/illustrator and editor friendship pair, then we would have similar discussions. I appreciate how vulnerable and honest Grace Lin and Alvina Ling are in these episodes, and how they give insight into the publishing world.

I love this podcast!! Even as a teen I find it super interesting! I learn so much about literally everything and I am always interested to hear grace and alvina’s point of views. I love hearing about the publishing industry, what is happening in grace and alvina’s lives, and I just truly enjoy hearing about everything from these very kind and intelligent hosts!

I thoroughly enjoy these conversations, whether it’s about tv shows Alvina and Steven watch or important topics like CRT. Looking forward to the 2022 episodes

Thank you, Alvina and Grace for letting us listen in on your candid conversations about publishing and life!

Whenever I listen to this podcast, I feel like I’m sitting down to tea and a chat with Grace and Alvina, and I know what I hear will be equal parts entertaining and informative. I love that they give a peek inside the business of children’s book publishing, and I cam always rely on them for a thoughtful take on hot topics in the industry. Highly recommend!

I always enjoy and feel uplifted by Grace and Alvina’s conversations and friendship on children’s literature topics that range from personal and endearing to momentous.

Been listening for ages and finally taking the time to write a review! I so appreciate Grace and Alvina sharing their lives and their publishing experiences with us. I look forward to every episode and love hearing about all of the topics they bring to their listeners, from publishing, to creativity, to life, to timely issues. Thank you for all of the thoughtful and honest conversations!

I’m so happy I stumbled onto this podcast. It’s a delightful alternative to the STEM podcasts I usually listen to. Alvina and Grace have had a calming effect on me, perhaps because of a simple honesty that comes through. Combined with my long walks along the La Jolla coastline, they’ve brought my blood pressure down. I’ve been bingeing 2020 and had planned to review when I caught up on episodes but why wait, right? P.S. Alvina: see me for answer to your question about the evolutionary basis for awe. 😎

I love listening to bookish podcasts and not sure how I didn’t know about this one. I love Grace Lin’s work and follow her on Facebook so it’s a delight to connect on another level too. Now, I’ll be spending the weekend binge listening.

I’ve been listening to Alvina and Grace’s weekly chats for about 6 months now, and I look forward to it every week! I enjoy learning new tidbits about the children’s book industry, but I have come to equally enjoy hearing about these two’s personal lives and opinions on just about everything under the sun. I feel like I’ve gained two new friends!

Listening to this podcast is like pulling up your chair to join a couple of friends who love children’s literature as much as I do. I learn something from each episode and appreciate their honesty and kindness. BFF is my new favorite podcast to listen to in the car. Thank you Alvina & Grace!

A warm and thoughtful show with a focus on reading. I really enjoy getting to hear Grace and Alvina’s insightful conversations.

Alvina and Grace have become my good friends during the pandemic...even if they don’t know it! It’s a delight to hear them talk about their lives as an editor and author/illustrator in the publishing world. The topics are always fun and eye opening!

Book Friends Forever is one of my favorite podcasts. I enjoy hearing Grace and Alvina talking just like the friends they are, about their day-to-day lives, books, publishing, illustrating, and the world-at-large. These two friends are genuine, kind, and fascinating.

I always enjoy Alvina and Grace, and I appreciate their candor, kindness, and humor as they explore challenging topics about the world in general and kidlit publishing specifically. Highly recommend!

Thanks for giving us an insiders peek at what you do and the kidlit industry. I esp enjoy hearing what you’re grateful for. After the pandemic started, I initiated nightly “gratefuls” with my husband—it helps us go to sleep on a positive note, rather than the less-positive politics we had been grousing about. So I’m grateful for your podcast!

Hearing Alvina and Grace’s voices and chatting conversationally about the children’s industry, that I love and work within, is so comforting and entertaining. I love hearing their take on topics coming from their Asian-American roots, like mine. The diaspora of Asian-American voices and opinions are a much needed one and I feel these two strong, successful ladies fill the void genuinely and smartly with lots of heart!

I don’t usually listen to podcasts, but I am hooked, thank you, Alvina and Grace! The dynamic is awesome! Very, very informative and you both have wonderfully soothing voices.

Not only is this podcast packed with helpful information, it’s jammed with fascinating insights and heartfelt observations from two of the brightest stars in children’s publishing. These episodes will make you wish you could be book friends forever with Grace and Alvina, too. Highly recommended!

I love this podcast so much! I look forward to it every week and I love the conversations between Grace and Alvina, they are so entertaining :) this is a fantastic podcast and a great insight to Children’s Literature. Thank you for making such a wonderful podcast!

Hi, I look forward to this podcast too. It helps me feel like I can still do stuff even though i have to take care of my kids most of the time. Thanks for making it!

Like having two publishing savvy girlfriends in your living room.

I had the great pleasure of watching Alvina and Grace record their podcast from Simmons University, surrounded be Grace’s amazing illustrations. They openly discussed how they felt “authentic writers”. They made important points that I still consider as I hear about books like American Dirt. I enjoy listening to their discussions on my daily runs. I find myself laughing out loud at times, which is a really good thing these days! I always recommend this podcast when people ask me about how to break into the boom business. I promise them they’ll learn a lot!

I have loved listening to Grace and Alvina’s insight into the publishing industry and hearing about their creativity process! This podcast is very informative and entertaining and would recommend to all kid kit book lovers! A must listen to for educators and children’s librarians!