Summary

Grace Bastidas joins Reading Inspires to talk about the stories, books, and cultural traditions that shaped her as a reader—and how she is passing those gifts on to her own children. Grace is a journalist, speaker, parenting expert, and the former editor in chief of Parents.

Drawing on her Colombian heritage and experience raising bilingual children in a multicultural home, Grace shares practical ways families can use books, language, and storytelling to build connection, curiosity, and a stronger sense of identity.

Chapters

• 0:00 — Welcome and meeting Grace Bastidas
• 0:43 — Family stories, Colombian roots, and discovering books
• 2:31 — The reading medal Grace still treasures
• 3:09 — Passing culture and language on to the next generation
• 5:05 — Encouragement for parents raising bilingual children
• 8:30 — Making language learning consistent and joyful
• 12:00 — Books as a bridge to culture, identity, and belonging
• 17:30 — Grace’s advice for helping children become readers

Show Notes

• Guest: Grace Bastidas — gbastidas.com
• Instagram: @brooklynwriter
• LinkedIn: Grace Bastidas
• Grace’s work has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, and NBC News Now, and in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine.

Reading Inspires is a podcast from Reading Is Fundamental about the people and ideas helping children discover the joy and power of reading.