Fuse 8 N' Kate

Spring has sprungeth! Not that you'd know it looking at Illinois right now, of course, but we're getting close to sunnier days. To celebrate, we've decided to equinox the heck out of this latest podcast episode (I still say it can be a verb). Somehow we've never done this particular Caldecott Honor winner before, so we're going to right a great wrong. We talk epistolary picture books, how clean 1936 New York City alleyways were (we'd love to hear your opinions on needles), Groucho Marx, and more. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/03/25/fuse-8-n-kate-the-gardener-by-sarah-stewart-ill-david-small/

It's the Year of the Dragon and yet so far we've done precisely ZERO dragon books so far. That ends today with our first consideration of Jack Kent. The cartoonist turned picture book author/illustrator may have come to the form late in life, but he cast some indelible images in his time. Surprisingly, this turns out to be one of our more divisive books. We ask what the "Children's Book Clinic" once was, discuss songs stuck in our heads, and talk musical bread. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/03/18/fuse-8-n-kate-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-dragon-by-jack-kent/

If you want something Irish, this book fulfills that desire tenfold. Now, for those of you who listen to the Fuse 8 n' Kate podcast regularly, you'll know that Kate likes three particular things in her picture books: 1. Ireland. 2. Strong women. 3. Lotsa details in the art. With that in mind, is it surprising that she adored this? In this episode we discuss Little Shop of Horrors, the fact that single men have a hard time determining the ages of small children, and why this should really have been called Oona MacCoul and Her Baby Man. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/03/11/fuse-8-n-kate-finn-maccoul-and-his-fearless-wife-by-robert-byrd/

No stranger to controversy, we dive deep into one of Tomi Ungerer's more peculiar picture books. It's all about the consumption of children, but that's not why we get icked out by this particular title. Turns out, it has an ending grosser than anything involving the consumption of kids. Sadly, Betsy was not able to give Kate the blood and guts in a picture book that she so desperately required. In Betsy's defense, she remembered a lot more bloody knives than we see on these pages. Certainly Ungerer was happy to place blood in some of his other stories, but this particular time the violence was more implied than anything else. In this episode we discuss food, food, and more food (guess we were hungry). Show Notes: For the full show notes to this episode please go here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/03/04/fuse-8-n-kate-zeraldas-ogre-by-tomi-ungerer/

Originally released in 2003, Skippyjon Jones is a fascinating study of a picture book that was controversial prior to the rise of We Need Diverse Books. When first it came out, the book received loads of praise and awards ... and then loads of controversy. While still in print today, we identify the probable reasons why this book doesn't have a Netflix show, a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a live-action film, etc. Let's just say there may be a reason why the last book in this series came out in 2014. We discuss what may be one of the oddest Kirkus Reviews ever written, the name "Siamese cats", and why the book is trying to keep the hero "out of the closet". You can find the full Show Notes for the episode here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/02/26/fuse-8-n-kate-skippyjon-jones-by-judy-schachner/

Deep in the heart of February, it's not uncommon for folks to start yearning for warmer days and summer nights. While shivering in Illinois, Kate and Betsy dip into some early award-winning Udry and Sendak. Why did Sendak win a Caldecott Honor for this title? We deign to find out. There are ghosts and giants and a cat with a face Kate would tattoo on her arm tomorrow, if she could. There are also long discussions of how precisely these four children of approximately the same age are all related to one another. Enjoy! For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/02/19/fuse-8-n-kate-the-moon-jumpers-by-janice-may-udry-ill-maurice-sendak/

It's officially the 25th anniversary of No, David! by David Shannon and in celebration Betsy decided to do the second "David" book in the series. Having previously done No, David! before, Betsy figured that the sequel was the right way to go with today's episode. Kate, for her part, experiences a curious form of amnesia, capable of remembering the recording of Shannon's A Bad Case of Stripes, but not the first David book. In that sense she's the perfect person to read this book, unencumbered by memories of its predecessor. For the full Show Notes, please visit here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/02/12/fuse-8-n-kate-david-goes-to-school-by-david-shannon/

"There are fish literally everywhere in this book!" We meant to do an Ed Young title a little closer to his death last year, but life interfered. As a result Betsy has been sitting on this particular copy of Yeh-Shen for a couple months now (sorry, library). You can imagine Betsy's utter delight as she discovers that, like Lon-Po Po, Ed Young hid one particular animal on these pages: Fish! Betsy has way too much fun finding the fishies in these pages, and Kate dives deep into this particular telling. We misidentify Disney songs, and discuss "tattered creatures", and kings that neg. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/01/29/fuse-8-n-kate-yeh-shen-by-ai-ling-louie-ill-ed-young/

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/