Fuse 8 N' Kate

It's rare that we do a picture book from Betsy's old Top 100 Picture Books Poll from back in 2012, but today's the day, we guess. This book came in at #96 and reading it today we were surprised at how well it had aged in spite of its 1972 publication date. You probably know Bernard Waber best as the creator of Lyle, Lyle Crocodile. Today we're talking about Joe the Button Pusher, the Irish Republican Army, and where folks stand on the whole teddy bear issue. For the full show notes please find them here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/01/22/fuse-8-n-kate-ira-sleeps-over-by-bernard-waber/

We are so friggin' psyched!! It's not every day that we (A) Celebrate our 300th episode and (B) Have the very first National Ambassador of Young People's Literature JON SCIESZKA as our special guest! We asked Jon what classic picture book he wanted to celebrate, and do you know what he selected? Not one but THREE Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Not the well known ones either. Three short ones. Weird ones. Peculiar ones. Today, we read through the following: - The Straw, the Coal and the Bean - The Three Sluggards - The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage "Some of the Grimm Brothers stories you find are a little gross. These are a little... odd!" That's Jon selling today's stories. Today we talk hyacinth beans, subversive stories about the monarchy, and why Kate keeps using the phrase "Sausage McLovin" repeatedly. This may be one of our goofier episodes but it is WELL worth a listen! For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/01/15/fuse-8-n-kate-our-300th-episode-with-special-gues

"Ah, Kwame. He's going to get tired of winning Caldecotts one of these days." As track records go, we don't want to brag but the Fuse 8 n' Kate podcast does a particularly good job each and every year of selecting potential winners. Just look at last year's picks. Of the three books we discussed one (Hot Dog) became an Award winner and one (Knight Owl) became an Honor. This year, once more, we've selected three books for discussion. But what's this? Do Kate and Betsy disagree on the final winner? See if you can figure out why we split on our final vote in this year's discussion of Tomfoolery by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Barbara McClintock, There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey, and An American Story by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dare Coulter. You can find the full Show Notes here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/01/08/fuse-8-n-kate-2024-caldecott-contenders/

Here we are in a great glorious new year, and what are we doing? We're directing your attention backwards in time to 1998. Heck, technically we're going even farther back in time with one of our rare nonfiction considerations on this podcast. Travel to the late 19th century and meet a controversial figure. Citizen scientist or man who mucks with the scientific record? Only you can judge when you listen to our latest episode on the Caldecott Award winning title Snowflake Bentley. Today we discuss our new year's predictions for 2024, what "woodcut cheek" is in picture books (trust me, it's a thing), whether this early manipulation of photographs was an issue in authenticity, and more. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/01/01/fuse-8-n-kate-snowflake-bentley-by-jacqueline-briggs-martin-ill-mary-azarin/

Hiccups or no hiccups, the podcast must go on! Betsy and Kate strive to once again provide a holiday-related picture book. Now Barbara Cooney was much on our minds since Betsy premiered the cover of an upcoming Barbara Cooney picture book bio coming out in 2024. Today's little book is actually still in print (not always a given) and it's an interesting consideration of the effect of WWI on small town Christmas celebrations. We quote So I Married an Axe Murderer, Christmas Spite (which would be a great name for a book), what a "treat poke" might be, and discuss how often it is that women are doing ALL the work and getting none of the credit. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/12/19/fuse-8-n-kate-the-year-of-the-perfect-christmas-tree-by-gloria-houston-ill-barbara-cooney

Kate challenged Betsy to come up with a Hanukkah classic we hadn't done before and Betsy . . . turned right around and asked social media for their thoughts. And let me tell you, social media had some GOOD suggestions! So many that we're saving a long list to consult next year. The ultimate winner for today was selected because (A) You can trust author Eric A. Kimmel to present an original Hanukkah story every single time and (B) Betsy was already on a Barbara McClintock kick this year thanks to her work on Tomfoolery! Today we step back in time to 1998 when Mr. Kimmel thought it might be interesting to go all Borrowers on us and create a tale of tiny people battling great big kitty cats. Tell us we're not the only ones getting An American Tail vibes from this. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/12/11/fuse-8-n-kate-when-mindy-saved-hanukkah-by-eric-a-kimmel-ill-barbara-mcclintock/(opens in a new tab)

Do you know the mushroom man, the mushroom man, the mushroom man? Well you're about to! Here's a question for you: Is a piece of cultural entertainment a "Christmas" title if the holiday only makes a brief cameo appearance? Is the film Meet Me In St. Louis a Christmas film just because it includes the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"? Likewise, is The Mushroom Man, now being re-released by Tilbury House on this, its thirtieth anniversary, a Christmas book? Maybe yes. Maybe no. What is important is that we all discover it together. This is our very first Barry Moser book, and what a title! If you are looking for a completely charming book about two lonely souls finding one another and forming a lasting friendship, this is the book for you!! For the show notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/12/03/fuse-8-n-kate-the-mushroom-man-by-ethel-pochocki-ill-barry-moser/

Is it just us, or did someone miss a trick by not creating a new version of Stone Soup for the post-lockdown era we currently live in? Sorry, we're just thinking out loud, but after Kate and Betsy read two different versions of Stone Soup this week (one by Marcia Brown and one by Jon J. Muth) it seemed to us that this story is a lovely metaphor for growing connections and community after harrowing times. In the meantime, it was listener Heather D. who suggested that we consider Stone Soup as a potential Thanksgiving title in the first place. She was suggesting the Jon J. Muth, but Betsy's husband expressed shock and horror that we had somehow not done the Marcia Brown version first. Why choose when you can do both? Today we compare and contrast a 1947 version with a 2003 version of the same story. We discuss how war in a region might easily make folks afraid of strangers, how soldiers attack their problem vs. monks, whether or not this is a technical trickster tale, and how that person who just gave salt got

For the very first time in the history of this podcast, we have taken a request... from a publisher. That's right! You know as well as we do that there are reprinted picture books coming out all the time. Well, New York Review of Books sort of specializes in that industry. Their Children's Collection division has a tendency to find old and shockingly beautiful titles worth bringing back to life. And this year, in 2023, they decided to do a book that is so lovely, so strange, and so original that when they asked if we might be interested in ever featuring one of their books, we accepted. And so, it may not be the most famous book we've ever done on the show, but we suspect that it may remain one of the most memorable. There are very few interior designer picture books, so we get into the weeds. And the most important thing of all? After you finish reading this you are fully convinced that the illustrator had fun with this book. We sure as heck did. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8producti

"There's no possible way to describe what you feel, when you're talking to your meal." - Into the Woods I've been waiting far far too long to do today's book. It was introduced to Betsy in graduate school, back in 2003, as an ideal storytime title. Today we consider Keiko Kasza's best known book and discuss what the Kool-Aid Man says, whether or not the pig is a classic trickster character, and if it truly is "a cute book about a pig with an adrenaline addiction and an out-of-shape fox." Bonus: Betsy only makes a single reference to the song "What Did the Fox Say", for which she should earn some kind of an award. Show Notes: For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/11/06/fuse-8-n-kate-my-lucky-day-by-keiko-kasza/

Happy Halloween! It's a day of celebration in more than one way. After all, starting today we FINALLY are able to start doing some Yuyi Morales books on our podcast! It's been 20 years since this little number came out and we figured what could be a better title to cap off our 2023 Halloween season than with Ms. Morales's first title? It's still in print but how does it stand up after all these years? Tricking death/the devil is a Halloween classic in folktales, so we found it particularly apropos for the day in question. We debate whether or not Senor Calavera is supposed to be death himself or not and talk about how different this book might be if it were published for the first time today. Maybe not our spookiest picture book of the season, but certainly one of the sweetest. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/10/31/fuse-8-n-kate-just-a-minute-by-yuyi-morales/

Let the record show that Betsy read through a slew of different Halloween-centric picture book titles before she alighted upon one that was appropriate for the season. Who knew that Tony Johnston and Tomie dePaola would be the answer to her prayers? Today we consider a book about, at its core, the difficulty of growing more than a single pumpkin in your pumpkin patch. Kate and Betsy, failed pumpkin farmers both, can relate. In today's podcast episode they talk Jawas, rain barrels, hairless leprechauns, and more. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/10/23/fuse-8-n-kate-the-vanishing-pumpkin-by-tony-johnson-ill-tomie-depaola/

Remember when Betsy said to Kate that she wanted to do a certain book for Mother's Day but would settle on doing it for the Halloween season instead? What book could possibly encompass those two holidays? Behold! The rare Mother's Day/Halloween crossover hit! Brought to you by the illustrator best known for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (though he'll always be the winner of the Longest Caldecott Award Speech to us), this is a marvelous combination of love for your mama and downright scares. What could be better? Today we discuss the man who typified the "controlled Jackson Pollock" look. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/10/16/fuse-8-n-kate-monster-mama-by-liz-rosenberg-ill-stephen-gammell/

In spite of the fact that Ed Young recently passed away and, traditionally, when a master of the picture book form passes away, we do one of their books on the show, we decided to keep him on the backburner while we do our first Halloween picture book of the season. And we are VERY excited about this because today's book came out in 2003, which means we can finally do it on this podcast (we have a 20 year rule on books we consider). It wasn't Krosoczka's first picture book but it certainly was early. With its glow-in-the-dark letters on the cover and funny birthday/Halloween premise, we submit to you today Annie Was Warned. It's out-of-print but NOT in our hearts, and we would contest that we should bring it back. Find the complete show notes for this episode here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/10/09/fuse-8-n-kate-annie-was-warned-by-jarrett-j-krosoczka/

Having recently read the new book Ready, Set, Run! The Amazing New York City Marathon by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Jessie Hartland, Betsy was reminded of the old chestnut The Philharmonic Gets Dressed. Then, suddenly, it occurred to her that she and Kate had never ever done this particular book on our podcast. It also appears to be this podcast's first Karla Kuskin and first Marc Simont on the show. Show Notes: For the full show notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/10/02/fuse-8-n-kate-the-philharmonic-gets-dressed-by-karla-kuskin-ill-marc-simont/

It seemed only fitting that since last week's podcast episode dealt so directly with the beginnings of life, why not focus on the end this time around? I'll tell you this much, though. If you'd informed Betsy, prior to this recording, that a 1971 picture book would be one of the best books she ever encountered on death, she would not have believed you. But she probably should have realized something was up when I saw that The Tenth Good Thing About Barney was by Judith Viorst. Today we deep dive into how good a name "Barney" is for a cat, whether the mom is trying to subtly regift her yellow scarf as a dead cat wrap, and whether this family's sodium intake is too high. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/09/18/fuse-8-n-kate-the-tenth-good-thing-about-barney-by-judith-viorst-ill-erik-blegvad/

"Three dudes telling you how babies are made in 1968." The Fuse 8 n' Kate podcast focuses primarily on picture books of the past, but that focus means that we are subject to the past's limitations. Consequently, most of the books we've considered until now have been works of fiction. Well no more! Today we tackle one of our first nonfiction titles, this one dating back to 1968 and, we have no doubt, still circulating in libraries to this day. Yes, it's a book on human reproduction. So how did the denizens of the late 60s handle such a delicate topic for children? With cut paper, of course! We give credit where credit is due and shame where shame is most definitely due in this consideration of one of the more peculiar sex-ed picture books of the past. Buckle up! It's gonna be a bumpy ride. And if you didn't want to hear about paper cut dog penises today, then this may be the episode to skip. For the full episode please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/09/11/fuse-8-n-kate-how-babies-are-made-by-a

Featured today was DRUMMER HOFF. An odd mix of 1960s psychedelia meets Colonial woodcuts, in 1968 it was the ultimate Vietnam War bit of picture book commentary. NOT that the Emberley ever embraced that interpretation, but I am DANG sure the librarians had that in their minds when they selected it for a Caldecott Award. In today's talk we discuss our various interpretations of this book as well as what its ultimate contribution was to children's literature as a whole. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/09/04/fuse-8-n-kate-drummer-hoff-by-barbara-emberley-ill-ed-emberley

Betsy's a child of the Generation X movement and, as such, at some point in her early education, the song "Gonna Die With a Hammer in My Hand", adapted by the folksingers of the 60s, was something she was well and truly familiar with. That said, at no point in her childhood did she ever encounter a single picture book retelling of the legend of John Henry. And though he's one of the great American Tall Tale characters, Kate hadn't even heard of him! This will not stand. So in response to the recent Bookriot piece The 20 Most Influential Picture Books of All Time, we're tackling one of their inclusions. Now we've done many Jerry Pinkney books on our podcast already. We've done Mirandy and Brother Wind, Little Red Riding Hood, and the previous Pinkney/Lester collaboration Sam and the Tigers. Now we're tackling our first tall tale by the duo, and the one that earned at least a Caldecott Honor (though it was beaten by Smoky Night, which has NOT aged particularly well, we must say). For the full Show Notes pleas

Considering the fact that the movie of Lyle the Crocodile came out practically a year ago in October of 2022, it may seem a little late to be returning to this particular member of the family Crocodylidae, but what care we? This Lyle title was originally released in 1969. Remember that date. It puts the contents inside in a little bit of context. Today, Kate and Betsy discuss whether or not this lesser known Lyle title falls into the category of "forgotten gem" or "justly unmemorable bit o' fluff". We enjoy Kate's theory that Lyle's enemy in this book should by all rights be The Man in the Yellow Hat and we talk armless nuns, "piles of water," and the fact that the true moral of this story appears halfway through the book. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/08/14/review-of-the-day-lovable-lyle-by-bernard-waber/