How crazy is it that Betsy and Kate have never done a Lucille Clifton book before? Nor a Brinton Turkle, but that's a little more understandable. Lucille Clifton was one of the most prolific Black picture book authors in the 70s. Spring has officially sprung and Betsy realized that today's book (which New York schoolchildren are read and given to read every single year around this time) would be the perfect way to celebrate not just the season but Clifton herself. But would Kate like it? Stay tuned, gentle listeners. In the meantime, those of you thinking yearningly of Spring will find much to love in this episode.

Show Notes:

- The best reading that you will encounter all day long is this June Jordan New York Times review. "Really okay book" she raves! https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/04/archives/the-boy-who-didnt-believe-in-spring-by-jeannette-caines-illustrated.html

- The books Jordan read and didn't like were Black Is Brown Is Tan by Arnold Adoff, Abby by Jeannette Caines, with pictures by Stephen Kellogg, Anthony and Sabrina by Ray Prather, Lordy, Aunt Hattie, by Ianthe Thomas, with pictures by Thomas di Grazia, Don't You Remember? by Lucille Clifton, illustrated by Evaline Ness, Good, Says Jerome, by Lucille Clifton, and finally All Us Come Cross the Water, by Lucille Clifton, with illustrations by John Steptoe. As Jordan said of that last book, "The father and son picture and the grandmother and grandson picture must compete, in my eyes, for Terrifying Zombie Page of the Year."

- Macomber for Congress. Macomber may not have been a real candidate but I suspect that Turkle knew someone by that name and sneaked it in. But if you know anything about it, let us know.

- I think it's fair to say that it's time for Henry Holt & Company to seriously re-illustrate and re-release the Everett Anderson books. Like Betsy mentions on the podcast, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS OF EVERETT ANDERSON is one of the few picture books we've ever seen about a kid dealing with a classmate that's being abused.

For the full Show Notes, please visit us at: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/03/25/fuse-8-n-kate-the-boy-who-didnt-believe-in-spring-by-lucille-clifton-ill-brinton-turkle/