The Children's Book Review: Growing Readers Podcast

Join us as Meredith Seacrest Leach discusses her debut picture book "The Make Believers," co-written with her brother Ryan Seacrest.

In this heartwarming conversation, Meredith shares how her daughter's boundless imagination and her work with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation inspired this celebration of creative play. She reveals how the book's message—that dreams can flourish with open eyes, not just during sleep—connects to childhood wonder and imagination's healing power in children's hospitals. From reminiscing about her own third-grade writing adventures to collaborating with her famous brother during the pandemic, Meredith offers insights into the creative process and the joy of keeping imagination alive at any age. Parents and caregivers will particularly appreciate her practical advice on fostering creativity and the importance of putting down technology to engage in transformative play with children.

Transcription: You can read the transcription on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Children's Book Review⁠⁠⁠

Order Copies: The Make-Believers on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

About the Author: Meredith Seacrest Leach is the executive director and COO of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. She was a driving force behind the conception and development of the foundation since its inception in 2009. She manages and cultivates relationships with key partners and donors in entertainment, health care, education, and technology while strategizing financial campaigns and programs to help continuously advance the organization and the fourteen Seacrest Studios in leading pediatric hospitals nationwide. Before overseeing the foundation, Meredith was the director of creative affairs at Reveille, now known as the production company Endemol Shine North America. Some programming she was responsible for included Nashville Star, MasterChef, and The Buried Life. She also worked in hospitality public relations, managing several luxury resort accounts, and as the manager of communications at Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, where she oversaw national press for two top entertainment news programs. The Make-Believers is her first picture book.