Literacy with a Purpose with Dr. John Hutton, MD MS FAAP

FREE Live Interactive Online SHORT Presentations offered on Zoom

10 session series on Mondays as follows:

Feb 9th – 11-11:30am EST:  Bedtime Baby, Safe and Sound
March 2 – 11-11:30am EST:  Calm Baby Gently
March 9 – 11-11:30am EST: SHARE/STEP approach / COMPARTIR in Spanish
March 16 – 11-12pm EST:  DR Books series
March 23 – 11-12pm EST:  Billie the Brain Learns to Read
April 6 – 11-12pm EST:  Baby Unplugged
April 13 – 11-11:30am EST: Baby Bookworm
April 20 – 11-11:30am EST:  Sherm the Germ Goes to School, Sherm the Germ
April 27 – 11-12pm EST:  The Reading House
May 4 – 11-12pm EST:  The Number Farm

Free 10-Day Learning Series with Dr. John S. Hutton, MD MS FAAP

Various Mondays | either 11:00–11:30 AM ET or 11:00-12 PM ET (adjust to your time zone)| No Charge

Join us for a powerful, free 10-day learning series led by Dr. John S. Hutton, nationally recognized pediatrician, researcher, author, and literacy advocate. This concise, engaging series is designed for individuals who want practical, science-backed insights into early brain development, literacy, and the impact of digital media on young children.

Dr. Hutton is a pediatrician and researcher at UT Southwestern and Children’s Health (Dallas, TX) and former Director of the Reading and Literacy Discovery Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He is also the founder of blue manatee press and the Blue Manatee Literacy Project, and spent nearly 20 years owning the beloved Blue Manatee Children’s Bookstore.

Known globally as “Dr. John,” he is the first researcher to document links between the home reading environment, screen-based media, and brain structure and function prior to kindergarten using MRI. His work has reshaped how families, clinicians, and educators think about early literacy, language development, and human connection. His children’s health-literacy book series—including Baby Unplugged and Love Baby Healthy—has reached millions of families worldwide and outperformed standard guidance in clinical trials.

Throughout this series, Dr. Hutton shares accessible research, real-world applications, and inspiring insights focused on building strong brains, healthy habits, and meaningful family connections—across all backgrounds.

Session Time (Mondays) (either 30 or 60 minute sessions):

• 11:00 – 11:30 AM/12:00 PM Eastern (ET)
• 10:00 – 10:30/11:00 AM Central (CT)
•  9:00 – 9:30/10:00 AM Mountain (MT)
•  8:00 – 8:30/9:00 AM Pacific (PT)

Open to individuals across the U.S. and beyond.

Free to attend. Registration includes choosing the session you wish to attend.  Note that they are various Mondays, and mark your calendar appropriately. The Zoom link will show every Monday due to their formatting, however, it will be as noted above, and in the confirmation email.

This is a unique opportunity to learn directly from a global leader at the intersection of pediatric health, literacy, and early brain development—in just 30-60 minutes a week. Each session will include a question & answer period.

Dr. John Hutton, MD MS FAAP

Dr. John S. Hutton is a pediatrician and researcher at UT Southwestern and Children’s Health, Dallas, TX. He is also former Director of the Reading and Literacy Discovery Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He owned blue manatee children’s bookstore for almost 20 years, then donated via a “Golden Ticket” in 2019 to create the non-profit Blue Manatee Literacy Project. He is also the founder of blue manatee press, which originated to support a community advocacy project during his pediatric residency training. 

“Dr. John’s” research involves exploring the effect of the home reading environment and screen-based media on early brain development using MRI, and has been the first in the world to document relationships with brain structure and function prior to kindergarten. He is also a pioneer in developing children’s books for pediatric health literacy promotion and early literacy screening (The Reading House), several distributed via statewide infant health campaigns, benefiting non-profit groups, and found superior to usual guidance in clinical trials. His goal is to improve the general and health literacy of families from all backgrounds, not just because it’s lovely and wonderful, but because it builds brains and bonds.  

Dr. John is passionate about better understanding the rising influence of digital media on young children, and the importance of a solid foundation in language, human connection and creative play. His health-themed series Baby Unplugged and Love Baby Healthy have been distributed to millions of families worldwide. He has won numerous awards for his research and writing, lectures widely across the US, and attended writing workshops in Iowa City and Squaw Valley, CA.

He lives with his family in Dallas, Texas and visits his grownup children and grandson in Cincinnati and other locales