#854: Tish Rabe — 200+ Children's Books, Getting Picked for Dr. Seuss, Lessons from Early Sesame Street, How to Write 300+ Songs, and More · The Tim Ferriss Show summary

Key takeaways

Rhyme is a powerful mnemonic device that aids children's learning and memory.
Starting with the ending in storytelling can be an effective way to craft engaging narratives.
Jim Henson's creative environment exemplified generous freedom and innovation, influencing Sesame Street's success.
Children's songwriting combines educational value with playful, musical elements, often using familiar melodies.
Content for children should be relatable, reflective of real-life experiences, and promote kindness and understanding.
Building supportive communities and leveraging collaboration can amplify the reach and impact of educational projects.
A dedicated passion for education, storytelling, and making a difference can lead to a lasting legacy in children's literature.

Summary

From Opera to Children's Books: Tish Rabe's Unlikely Journey

This section covers Tish Rabe's remarkable transition from her initial aspiration to become an opera singer to becoming a prolific children's book author and songwriter. It highlights her background, her education, and her early career at Sesame Street, where her love for music and storytelling started taking flight. Her experience of singing with Jim Henson's Muppets and working on Sesame Street's innovative, research-backed educational content set the foundation for her later success. Her first book was inspired by a childhood memory, and her approach of writing the last page first has become a hallmark of her creative process.

Inside Sesame Street’s Creative Genius and Curriculum Focus

This section explores the vibrant, innovative environment of Sesame Street in its early days, emphasizing the creative freedom the staff had and how the show combined humor for both children and adults. It discusses how Sesame Street's focus on education, through curriculum topics and focus groups, ensured the content was both entertaining and educational. The conversation highlights Jim Henson's creativity and kindness, and how Sesame Street's groundbreaking approach to early childhood education and entertainment influenced Tish's own work as an author.

The Art and Science of Children's Songwriting and Book Writing

Here, Tish delves into her songwriting techniques, the use of rhymes, and her unique method of writing the ending first. She shares stories about the creative challenges, including making up words to solve rhyme issues, and how her musical background helped her craft memorable educational songs. Her collaboration with influential figures, like Joe Raposo and her work on Dr. Seuss books, is discussed, illustrating her skill in combining educational content with engaging, poetic language.

The Power of Rhyme and Memory in Children's Literature

This section discusses the importance of rhyme as a mnemonic device for children, how it facilitates learning, and how Tish's expertise in rhyming has contributed to her success. She explains her approach to selecting words, using familiar melodies, and tailoring artwork, which all enhance a child's reading experience. Her reflections on the spontaneous and playful nature of her creative process, especially in overcoming writer's block, highlight her adaptability and dedication.

Creating Impactful Children's Content and Building a Legacy

This section highlights Tish's motivations for her projects, particularly her focus on educational themes, underserved children, and her desire to foster kindness and curiosity. She shares her efforts, like crowdfunding for books in underserved neighborhoods and writing stories that reflect real-life challenges faced by military families and children with loved ones in service. Her efforts to produce accessible, meaningful content demonstrate her ongoing commitment to making a positive difference in children's lives.

Show notes

Tish Rabe (@tishrabebooks) is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 children's books with more than 11 million copies sold. She has written for Sesame Street, Disney, PBS Kids, Curious George, Clifford, and many more. She now heads her own children's book publishing company, Tish Rabe Books.

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Timestamps

[00:00:00] Who is Tish Rabe?
[00:00:24] How an opera major became a bestselling children’s author and songwriter.
[00:03:12] Tish’s trashy debut on television treasure Sesame Street.
[00:03:36] Pitching a childhood memory to dead silence — and landing book number one.
[00:07:27] The value of writing a story’s ending first.
[00:09:42] Jim Henson: The kind, gentle giant with a mind of steel.
[00:10:58] Keeping kids and their parents entertained with double-level humor.
[00:11:38] How Tish put her music training to work with Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
[00:18:56] From nine-note auditions to signing on with Sesame Street‘s mission to level the kindergarten playing field.
[00:22:48] Churning out children’s books and writing bangers about animal gestation periods and lumber measurement for 3-2-1 Contact.
[00:26:56] The zero-rhyming genius of Joe Raposo’s “Bein’ Green” and why it works.
[00:29:59] Curriculum is king: Focus groups, orange Oscar, and making sure the kids aren’t lost.
[00:32:16] Random House rejected her book, but the late Dr. Seuss took a second look.
[00:37:17] Accepting the Widow Seuss’s challenge to write a book for babies in utero and ending up with a bestseller.
[00:40:39] The secret to perfect rhyme in Dr. Seuss’s paradigm.
[00:44:14] Is rhyming a part of Tish’s DNA, or did she learn it along the way?
[00:48:12] The time Tish transformed a planet from pizza into nickels to make her deadline.
[00:49:45] Has music as a mission preserved Tish’s cognition?
[00:55:10] What does Tish aim to do with the company she started in her 70s?
[01:01:18] Sometimes Apart, Always in My Heart: A military kid’s book born from a POW father’s legacy and a high-five traced on paper.
[01:05:30] Alaska the stuffed dog, financial literacy bunnies, hallucinated seagulls, and 843 acres of Central Park in 24 pages.
[01:12:54] Tish’s campaign to get free books to kids in underserved neighborhoods.
[01:14:02] Advice for aspiring children’s book authors.
[01:15:42] Tish doesn’t get derailed by writer’s block — she prepares for it.
[01:17:24] When Michelle Obama added 16 pages to a book Tish thought would be boring.
[01:19:37] Big Bird in China, 1982: One hand-painted costume, 13 days of rain, zero coffee, and a five-year-old who memorized the wrong script.
[01:23:41] Tish’s billboard.
[01:24:38] Kindness is Caring, Friendship is Sharing and other parting thoughts.

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#854: Tish Rabe — 200+ Children's Books, Getting Picked for Dr. Seuss, Lessons from Early Sesame Street, How to Write 300+ Songs, and More