In Being yourself means loving who you are and celebrating what makes you different. The Kids Crew and Katie Stone talk with author Jane Yolen and cartoonist Craig Yoe about how being true to themselves shaped their creative lives. From quiet reflection to out-loud laughter, this episode encourages everyone to be proud of who they are and to shine as their authentic self.

This episode comes with a free Learning Guide.

Click here for a preview & to download

What does it means to truly be yourself? Everyone is different, and those differences make our world beautiful. On this episode, the crew talks with two guests who have built their lives and careers around being true to who they are.

First, the kids meet author Jane Yolen, who has written more than 400 books for children and young adults. She shares her love for writing and explains how her stories come from being honest about her feelings and experiences. Her newest picture book, Quiet as Mud, celebrates quiet kids and reminds us that every kind of personality has its own kind of strength. Jane talks about how stories choose her and how her characters help her understand both herself and others.

Next, the Kids Crew meets Craig Yoe, former general manager of The Muppets, a writer, illustrator, and comic creator known for his silly sense of humor. He tells how being the class clown helped him build a joyful career at The Muppets, Nickelodeon, and Sesame Street. Craig shows that creativity and laughter come from embracing who you are, not pretending to be someone else. The kids review his book Captain LOL and Rubber Chicken Har Har, giving it a perfect ten out of ten for humor and imagination.

Being Yourself was produced by Katie Stone, with production help from Sarah Gabrielli and Thaniel Lentz. Chad Scheer is our engineer at Outpost Performance Space. Amber Schiel writes our learning guides, which you can find at childrenshour.org.

Our theme music is by C.K. Barlow. The Children’s Hour is produced by The Children’s Hour Inc., a New Mexico nonprofit organization, and distributed by Native Voice One, the Native American Radio Network.

© 2025 The Children’s Hour Inc. All Rights Reserved .

Please note: not all songs we play can be found in Spotify.