Welcome To The Neighborhood: A Mister Rogers Tribute Podcast

Hello Neighbor! with Special Guest Matthew Cordell - A World Kindness Day Special

Hello Neighbor! with Special Guest  Matthew Cordell - A World Kindness Day Special
To help celebrate World Kindness Day (Friday November 13th), we are sharing this conversation with Matthew Cordell, Author and Illustrator of "Hello Neighbor", The Authorized Picture Book Biography of Fred Rogers.
About Hello, Neighbor! The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers
Groundbreaking in a quiet, generous way, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood introduced a generation of children to the wonders of the world in the comfort of their own living rooms. Fred Rogers took young viewers to art museums, introduced them to different professions, and talked through difficult subjects like losing a loved one, or experiencing parents' divorce, with compassion and reassurance. Share that deep respect, care, and quiet joy in the day-to-day with the only authorized picture book biography of Fred Rogers—lovingly created by Caldecott Medalist Matt Cordell. Lively, colorful illustrations explore Fred Rogers' early life and the events that led him to create his enduring show. Exclusively published archival photographs, provided by Fred Rogers Productions, offer a behind-the-scenes look at this historic show and the people whose hard work made it possible. A brief biography of Mister Rogers and a history of the show is included, as well as a note from author-illustrator Matt Cordell about his inspiration and longtime admiration for Fred Rogers and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
BUY THE BOOK: https://holidayhouse.com/book/hello-neighbor/
 
About Matthew Cordell
Matthew Cordell is the Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator of Wolf in the Snow, and the illustrator of numerous highly acclaimed children's books including The Only Fish in the Sea (by Philip C. Stead) and Special Delivery which was a Washington Post Best Book of 2015. He wrote and illustrated Another Brother, Wish and Hello! Hello!, a New York Times Notable Children's Book. His most new book, Hello, Neighbor! The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers, is the official authorized picture book of Fred Rogers.  Matthew lives near Chicago with his wife, author Julie Halpern, and their two children. He’s stopped by for a visit in our podcast neighborhood today.
Matthew Cordell’s Web Site: http://www.matthewcordell.com/
 
Holiday House Books: https://holidayhouse.com/
 
World Kindness Day on Friday November 13, 2020
World Kindness Day 2020 World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. This day, celebrated on November 13 of each year, has the purpose is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together.
 
 
 
 

Welcome To The Neighborhood Election Day Special: What Do You Do With The Mad That You Feel?

Welcome To The Neighborhood Election Day Special: What Do You Do With The Mad That You Feel? 
In the United States it's election day and for many of us it's a time of strong feelings and great tension. No matter who wins, there will be many who are filled with great joy and many who are filled with great anger and disappointment.
I'm very much concerned about what we do with those strong feelings like joy and anger so I recorded this episode to (hopefully) help us find healthy ways to deal with our anger by using some valuable lyrics from Fred Rogers.
I hope you find this show helpful even when it isn't election day. Let's all work to find ways use our strong feelings to love each other well.
 
Thanks for listening,
--Rick Lee James
 
 
Some of the poems I use in this episode today came directly from this book: A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers

Welcome To The Neighborhood: Mister Rogers Speaks

Welcome To The Neighborhood: Mister Rogers Speaks
This week I'm happy to present the words of Fred Rogers, from in his own lips. Take a few quiet moments to listen and be refreshed by these timeless words of wisdom and kindness.

You Are My Friend: The Songs of Fred Rogers - Daniel Knox Talks About His Latest Album

You Are My Friend: The Songs of Fred Rogers -  Daniel Knox Talks About His Latest Album
This week is a special bonus episode with Chicago based singer and songwriter Daniel Knox
 
Daniel Knox has a commanding baritone voice that can invoke both power and tenderness interchangably. On his latest album,  You Are My Friend: The Songs of Mister Rogers, Knox captures the care and generosity of Fred Rogers music, honors the original spirit of the music of Mister Rogers, while infusing it with the complications adding his own musical idea.
 
Hearing the childlike, welcoming lyrics of Fred Rogers through the sound of a strong baritone voice makes this album unique and original among the library of Mister Rogers tribute projects that have released over the years.   
 
Knox’s blanket of simple piano melodies and distinctive vocals invite the listener into a playful atmosphere where they can grapple with that joys and fears that that confront both adults and children alike. You Are My Friend is like a Mister Rogers album for contemplative adults that helps us to laugh, cry and reflect on and navigate the joys and sorrows of adulthood. It’s like musical medicine for weary souls who long to see the world again through the eyes of a child.
 
About The Album: 
You Are My Friend is made up of 11 songs from Mister Rogers Neighborhood, recorded for piano and voice. Kit Shields sings the part of Lady Aberlin to my Daniel Tiger on the duet “Sometimes I Wonder If I’m a Mistake”. The beautiful cover art is by Lake Wilson.The music video for “Some Things I Don’t Understand”, directed by Lily Ekimian and A.T. Ragheb of Dog Door Films, is a simple and beautiful portrait of Rogers’ hometown of Pittsburgh.Watch the video here:youtu.be/9qGjrUboBOY
 
BUY NOW: https://amzn.to/31ZopgQ
 
You Can Also Stream The Album on Bandcamp or order the limited edition blue cassette.
 

Bonus Episode: Welcome To The Neighborhood of Solitude with Eileen Hunt Botting

Bonus Episode: Welcome To The Neighborhood of Solitude with Eileen Hunt Botting
 
Eileen Hunt Botting is a mild-mannered political theorist, an author, and a Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame.
 
Eileen recently published an essay called Welcome to the Neighborhood of Solitude, which looks at Mister Rogers Neighborhood through the lens of the COVID-19 Pandemic times we are living through.
 
Eileen stopped by for a visit and I’m so glad that she did.
 
Blessings,
Rick Lee James

Bonus Episode - Making Friends

Bonus Episode: Making Friends
Because we are all dealing with a lot these days and tensions have never been higher, I thought it might be a good idea to share Fred Rogers thoughts on friendship from his book, Making Friends.
Blessings,
Rick Lee James

Bonus Episode: Officer Clemmons Returns With A New Memoir

Bonus Episode: Officer Clemmons Returns With A New Memoir
This week in the neighborhood, our guest is Dr. François S. Clemmons, aka Officer Clemmons is back with an in depth conversation.
 
François Scarborough Clemmons (born April 23, 1945 in Birmingham) is an opera singer, playwright, and lecturer best known for his appearances as Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
François made his first appearance on Mister Rogers Neighborhood in 1968. His role as Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers Neighborhood was groundbreaking, presenting a positive image of an African American at a time when racial tensions were high. He writes in his new book, Officer Clemmons, that in Fred Rogers he found a friend, a mentor, and with Fred’s wife Joanne, a family. His new memoir titled, Officer Clemmons, is now available.
Buy The New Book: Officer Clemmons
Thank you for joining us here this week in the neighborhood.
Theme Music featured on this podcast is "Nouvelle Noel" by Kevin MacLeod and all other Music by Benjamin Tossot at www.Bensound.com.
Special Thanks to my guest neighbor Francois Clemmons and Catapult Books
Also a special thanks to the @MisterRogersSay Community on Twitter
Your host is Rick Lee James.
Rick's Twitter account is @RickLeeJames and his web site is RickLeeJames.com.

Facing Difficult Situations with Fred Rogers - Bonus Episode

Facing Difficult Situations with Fred Rogers: Bonus Episode
 
This episode contains passages from the book, You Are Special: Words of Wisdom from America's Most Beloved Neighbor - written by Fred Rogers
Find This Book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3cAf0hJ
 
Hosted by Rick Lee James 
Rick's Web Site: www.RickLeeJames.com
 

Life's Journeys According To Mister Rogers: Things To Remember Along The Way

Life's Journeys According To Mister Rogers: Things To Remember Along The Way
Find This Book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2RhzJ1O
This week we are pleased to bring you a bonus episode highlighting some wonderful passages from one of Fred Rogers' best loved books. We also share a special foreword to the book written by Fred's wife, Joanne. This episode is full of wisdom from Fred Rogers himself.
 
 
 
For More Wisdom From Fred Rogers, Check Out Tom Junod's Book: A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

Dealing With Loss & When A Pet Dies

Dealing With Loss & When A Pet Dies
Because we are all dealing with loss in many ways I thought it might be a good idea to share an episode like this one that deals with loss and the Fred Rogers book, When A Pet Dies.
Blessings,
Rick Lee James
Buy This Book: https://amzn.to/341XfoI
Hosted by Rick Lee James
Mister Rogers Quotes on Twitter: @MisterRogersSay
Rick Lee James on Twitter: @RickLeeJames
Rick Lee James Web Site: www.RickLeeJames.com