Fuse 8 N' Kate

Goofy is fun. Goofy is great. But seems to us that sometimes you just gotta slow everything down and do a picture book that's a little more serious. We had to go meaningful this week and what could be more meaningful than a little drop of Allen Say?. That doesn't mean we don't have time to also talk about a yard full of 12-foot-skeletons, of course. We contain multitudes. Show Notes: - You can read Betsy's 100 Picture Books for Kids Poll write-up of this title (at #46) here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2012/05/29/top-100-picture-books-46-grandfathers-journey-by-allen-say/ - For the record, Allan Say as a child ran into Lois Lowry though they never exchanged a word. It was only years later that they discovered that they'd seen one another all those years ago. Read more about it here: https://www.bookpage.com/reviews/25028-lois-lowry-horizon-childrens/ - Here's Halfway Home by Christine Inzer. If you need a comic about feeling torn between Japan and America, this is ideal. Bonus: Actually made by a te

We're back from the ALA Conference, baby! Many thanks to everyone who hung out with us and told us that they liked our podcast. We'll just start off today with a hat tip to author Eliot Schrefer for suggesting today's book. It's one of those rare cases where this is actually a book that Betsy read and reread multiple times as a child. We've done all kinds of William Steig books over the years. Shrek. Doctor DeSoto. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Now we tackle one that is very near and dear to her heart. How has it aged? Content wise? We discuss it all. Show Notes: - I mention at one point that William Steig created a character called Poor Pitiful Pearl. Here is her doll. You can find additional information about her (plus a possible lost early Steig book) here: https://vintagedollcollector.com/poor-pitiful-pearl-article-william-steig/ -Betsy Recommends: The NPR Books We Love round-up this year: https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2022 - Kate Recommends: Queer Ducks by Eliot Schrefer: https:

It's our 5-year anniversary of this podcast and to celebrate we're examining something both obscure and of note. Haven't heard of this particular picture book? You aren't alone. Originally published in 1969, the book is perhaps best known as being the last book Langston Hughes, its author, ever worked on. Betsy was just meticulously weeding her library's adult 811s and stumbled upon it. Black Misery is a children's book marketed as an adult title yet in spite of its copyright date it has a lot of similarities to the children's books today that are calling out elements in our own racist culture. Microaggressions and outright racism vie for space on the pages. The central question for us is this: Is this book a picture book for children or not? It's not easy to answer, particularly when you weigh how little change has happened with some of these moments and how beautifully they're called out here verses the use of the n-word and some of the more dated elements. In the end, we do wonder why it hasn't been repri

By gum we haven't had one of these since our own mother came on the show. Today it is our infinite pleasure to present to you the fantastic author/illustrator/cartoonist Ursula Murray Husted of, amongst other things, the marvelous graphic novel A Cat Story. A fan of the podcast, it seemed only fitting to ask her to suggest a title for the show today. Her choice? A book that honestly I've never seen before. Lulu and the Flying Babies is an obvious homage to, say, The Snowman by Raymond Briggs, and its creator started out by making comics before she made books for kids. And as it just so happens Ursula started out that way too! This is an absolutely fascinating example of a picture book working with this level of comic book paneling. And, of course, at some point we do include the line, "I had no idea how easy it was to decapitate a cat." Show Notes: You can check out some of the range of Posy Simmonds' when it comes to her darker adult comics here: https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/simmonds_posy.htm We brin

Come one! Come all! Come hear Betsy get the tongue lashing of the century! Maybe you listen to this podcast because you just like to listen to grown women talk about picture books. Maybe you like the banter. Or maybe, just maybe, you listen in the hopes of hearing Kate yell at Betsy for her sins. If the latter is your preference then boy howdy do we have the episode for you! Bonus: Kate makes a lot of fart noises. Nothing but class at this joint. As for the book we're doing, this appears to be our first Raschka title, which is funny considering how many Caldecott Honors and Awards he's garnered over the years. Listen in if you want to hear the correct pronunciation of the title of Yo! Yes?, the choices made with the typography, and some truly awful bird calls. Show Notes: The egregious Mackin interview with Betsy can be found here: https://www.mackincommunity.com/2022/05/25/betsy-bird-theres-a-book-for-every-reader/ Lark wasn't wrong. "Puff Daddy" did indeed read Harlem on a cassette tape. This is amazing:

Recently Betsy took a trip to NYC and was, for reasons that will soon become clear, reminded of this great work by Walter Dean Myers and his son Chris. Funny thing is, she has a bit of difficulty figuring out if this book is as well remembered as it used to be. Now when she lived in NYC it was all over the place but that was (A) almost 20 years ago and (B) in the same town where this book takes place. Maybe not the best place to get a unimpeded understanding of its longevity. At any rate, it won itself a Caldecott Honor so we figure it's well worth discussing today. Show Notes: Kate Recommends: Chanel Williams on Instagram or the tikky tok (which is what we call TikTok)- https://www.instagram.com/chanwills/?hl=en Betsy Recommends: The Third Person by Emma Grove. https://drawnandquarterly.com/news/dq-announces-third-person-emma-grove/ For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/05/30/fuse-8-n-kate-harlem-by-walter-dean-myers-ill-christopher-myers/

Folks, we are shocked and appalled that none of you have ever yelled at us for never having done a Mercer Mayer book on this podcast. We're onto episode #227 and in all this time, Mr. Mayer has never once graced our eyeballs. Today, we correct this longstanding ill. Take a listen to this if you would like to hear Betsy's off-the-cuff recounting of all the Mercer Mayer books that we haven't done. She also go into tangents on the awfulness of feet in early 80s footie pajamas while Kate engages in The Great Tissue Box Theory. Show Notes: Not sure how much credence to give to the working theory that this book is referenced in Alice Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare. It's a great idea, but the monsters in this don't really resemble the one in the book. Just our two cents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kum-q6RfPAw Whereas this video of the book is most certainly narrated by Michael J. Fox. So that's all good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpGPYXSPSxQ For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8produc

We continue to dive into the many publications of 2002, so as to determine if the more popular titles of that time have been able to survive two decades. Today's book is a McMullan joint that is still inspiring sequels to this day. We talk typography, readalouds, and more. In the course of things we figure out which of the elements in the trash listed here should be composted and engage in a VERY long discussion of what a yam would look like if it had been hanging around for a year. You know. Important stuff. Show Notes: The best interview we were able to find with Kate and Jim McMullan turned out to be this one with none other than Hamptons.com: https://hamptons.com/the-arts-the-bookshelf-27282-interview-author-kate-mcmullan-and-illustrator-html/ For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/05/16/fuse-8-n-kate-i-stink-by-kate-jim-mcmullan/

Usually Betsy knows at least a tiny bit about the authors/illustrators we do on this show. But Taro Yashima? She knew literally nothing about him, walking into this one. She got the idea to do this from The Rabbit hOle, who had mentioned recently that they're working on a Crow Boy exhibit. Looking at this 1955 winner of a 1956 Caldecott Honor, it does appear that this is about a kid who suffers from sensory overload and can focus on one thing for hours at a time. As such, Chibi does appear to have some form of ASD or neurodivergent condition. Not that a book from the 50s was capable of being as clear as books today. The book was illustrated by Japanese born Taro Yashima and represents an interesting moment in literature where the cultural stereotypes seem confined to the colors used for some of the skin tones. Is there more going on here? We discuss. Show Notes: Seriously, though, if you can think of any other podcasts hosted by amusing sisters, please let us know at fusekate8@gmail.com. Extra thanks to Ma

Last week we cheated by doing a teacher favored picture book that was a mere 19-years-old. This week we're doing a teacher favored picture book that is a FULL 20-years old instead! It occurred to Betsy that the show has never tried a Teague before. And, as you'll see, there are just loads of teacher resources out there. Kate likes books with details. Dear Mrs. LaRue has that. Will she like this book? Stay tuned! Show Notes: Here is the page for the Teachers Pay Teachers where you can find umpteen bazillion lesson plans for this book: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:dear%20mrs%20larue For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/05/02/fuse-8-n-kate-dear-mrs-larue-by-mark-teague/

Betsy is a terrible cheat. She broke our rule that we wouldn't consider a book less than 20 years old for this podcast. But today's book is 19 years old so is it really breaking the rule or, rather, stretching it to its limit? Today, we look a little closer at the story where the kid who says they're not into art gets a private showing of 28 pieces. Does this book deserve the sheer amount of attention and acclaim that it's attained in the intervening 19 years since its publication? Gotta listen and see. Show Notes: Today's book may be the first we've done that has its own holiday. Curious about International Dot Day? Check it out at its own website. A bit lacking on its own history, and parts need to be updated, but still cool: https://www.internationaldotday.org/ For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/04/25/fuse-8-n-kate-the-dot-by-peter-h-reynolds/

At long last we discover what became of Peter Rabbit's sister Cottontail. Sometimes you just want to read a bizarre 1939 feminist take on the Easter Bunny tradition. Right? I mean, am I right? Look, after last week, Betsy wanted to give Kate something old and worth remembering. And this downright magnificent tale of single motherhood, gaslighting, phallocentric patriarchy, and cute bunnies fit the bill. Let's talk about a book that wasn't just ahead of its time but, I'd argue, is the gold standard of Easter picture books in this day and age. Don't believe us? Then you obviously have never read The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes for yourself. Trust me. You're in for a treat. Show Notes: Do be so kind as to check out the Washington Post piece A Brown Feminist Easter Bunny's Inspiring Triumph which really breaks down why this book is so remarkable: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-brown-feminist-easter-bunnys-inspiring-triumph/2015/04/02/3fbfced6-d941-11e4-b3f2-607bd612aeac_story.html For the

"I'm sorry, you're PROUD? What are you 'proud' of exactly? Your family owned slaves, killed Native Americans, fought for the Confederacy, and almost killed a parrot! So I don't know what you're proud of!!!" Those of you familiar with today's book are whistling under your breath and saying quietly, "Here we go." Those of you unfamiliar? Prepare to meet the very first book on this podcast to receive the lowest rating we have ever assigned. If we could give negative numbers, we would. Inarguably the most offensive Caldecott Award winner to date, Kate requested that we do a stinker and Betsy? Betsy overdelivered. Show Notes: As far as Betsy is concerned, this post on the blog Collecting Children's Books is the seminal text on They Were Strong and Good: http://collectingchildrensbooks.blogspot.com/2009/04/they-were-strong-and-good-enough-for.html For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/04/11/fuse-8-n-kate-they-were-strong-and-good-by-robert-lawson/

The other day a documentary film crew came to Betsy's library. They were creating a movie on American picture books through the decades and, at one point, they needed some b-roll of some of the better known picture books out there. So they hit the usual titles like Harold and the Purple Crayon and Millions of Cats. They worked in some Perez Y Martina and Stevie. And then they asked if they could do Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young. That got Betsy to thinking that, crazy as it sounds, she and Kate have never done that one. Has it aged well in the intervening 30 years since it was first published? Find out! Show Notes: Here is Ed Young's very good website. Check out the full run of his books, particularly the oldest ones: https://www.edyoungart.com/ For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8producti.wpengine.com/2022/04/04/fuse-8-n-kate-seven-blind-mice-by-ed-young/

Oh, Danny Boy! St. Patrick’s Day is nigh and Betsy is feeling pretty smug about the fact that she actually reserved a St. Patty’s Day title (sorta) weeks in advance so that she’d have something to do with Kate. And voila! Justification! Kate loves it! It helps that it stars a “Kate” and our Kate recently tried (and failed) to dye her hair the color on this cover. In any case, today we delve a bit into Mr. Talbott’s influences but mostly have a high old time discussing cow side-eye, cats singing Danny Boy, and why this ending rules. Show Notes: This was the best Betsy could find when Kate asked for cats singing Danny Boy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5N68I2bsZM Kate Recommends: The "What's More Punk Than the Public Library" t-shirt, which you can find here: https://mtpfriends.bigcartel.com/product/what-s-more-punk-adult-t-shirt Betsy Recommends: The three library videos she's been working on for the past year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng5G9XLZIeI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01oq0KpNzYo&t=2

This week it's time for a CULT CLASSIC!!! If last week's book was incredibly well-known, this one is not, but it is FABULOUS. And, as you will learn, it utterly and completely charmed Kate, which is tough to accomplish. Consider it a book about feeling embarrassed and worried about your parental units in equal measures. Are you ready for the weirdness? Then enjoy småpapporna galore! Show Notes: Kate Recommends: Come From Away, the musical -https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/come-from-away-2020/ Betsy Recommends: The Bologna Book Fiar - https://www.bolognachildrensbookfair.com/en/home/878.html Care to listen to the book in its original Swedish? Well you can see it in its entirety here. And the title, oh yes oh yes, is Else-Marie och småpapporna: https://youtu.be/Y3rSzEG5US0 And here is Pija herself being interviewed about the book!! Anyone care to translate the best parts for us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRxogNkwRRg And is she still making books? She is! Just check out this interview from Octo

While we've been doing some superb picture books as of late, but it's been a while since we've done a particularly famous one. So for a small change of pace we're doing a Big Name today. The kind where your library might have nine copies in its main location. And, bonus, it's not one by Seuss. Peggy Rathmann giveth again to us today with the irrepressible Officer Buckle and the adorable Gloria. We expected many things to occur during our talk but we did not expect for this podcast to devolve into such long conversations about bananas. It may amuse you to hear that Kate made Betsy banana bread at their next Game Night after we recorded this. Sheesh. Show Notes: Betsy calls Peggy Rathmann "the Gary Larson of picture books". Why? Ms. Rathmann walks away from a marvelous picture book career to live with John Wick. Not even kidding about that. And as Betsy mentions on the podcast, there was a piece in On Pasture called Meet Someone Making A Difference to Agriculture and the Climate. So, basically, she's saving t

We just had a blast last week with our Valentine's Day picture book Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, so where next to go? Clearly, this would be the best time to turn our sights upon the upcoming President's Day. So what better book, I ask of you, could we do than Caldecott Award winner So You Want to Be President? Penned by Judith St. George (who was doing non-fiction for kids in the 70s when it was a particularly uncommon job) and illustrated by David Small (of Long Road to the Circus fame), we determine what has aged well with this book and what is glaringly missing (no mention of how many presidents owned slaves?!?). We also speculate about the fact that it won a Caldecott Award the same year as 9/11, but months in advance and how it sort of prefaced a whole wave of nationalism that would occur later. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2022/02/14/fuse-8-n'-kate:-so-you-want-to-be-president?-by-judith-st-george,-ill-david-small/

You know, for as long as this podcast has been going on, we have never attempted to find a classic Valentine's Day book. It's a tricky proposition. We've done some pseudo-appropriate books like The Pigs' Wedding and The Marzipan Pig. But Betsy thought maybe we should try something love-related that is not hog-related. "It's about a human and it's about love . . . and he's balding. Three for three." This is a book that allows us to question what love truly is. Is love when people only appreciate you for what you can do for them? Or is it something more? Come join us for a journey through cheese and mustard sandwiches and brownies (not together). Stay, if only to hear how Kate reads the line, "I do believe somebody loves me after all," (you'll adore how she does it). Show Notes: Hector Elizondo reads Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch (a.k.a. the storytime you didn't know you needed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGAS_Aj85cA Interested in Aaron Becker's trailer for his latest board book? Look here: https://bl

The 2022 ALA YMA Awards were filled with firsts. The first Caldecott Honor or Award winner that's posthumous! The first LGBTQIA+ Honor and Stonewall Honor co-winner (to say nothing of its National Book Award Honor)! And all this reminded Betsy of a "first" from the past. Who was the first Black African-American winner of the Caldecott to win the Award two years in a row? That's right, we're returning to Leo and Diane Dillon. The first Caldecott Award going to a Black man was for Leo and Diane Dillon's Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears. But the SECOND Award went the very next year to the Dillons' work on Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions. We consider this second Dillon win and find time to indulge in a discussion on why the Sibert Award should be renamed the Cyborg Award (as is right). Show Notes: The bird mentioned in this book but that neither Betsy nor Kate could remember is (naturally enough) the honeybird. This is a bird that leads different animals to sources of honey so that it can have a taste.