Fuse 8 n' Kate

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://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/05/23/fuse-8-n-kate-theres-a-nightmare-in-my-closet-by-mercer-mayer/

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 [email protected].

Extra thanks to Marie for introduced us to the FIAR (Five In a Row) program that has kept many children's picture books in print like They Were Strong and Good.

Kate Recommends: Heather McMahan - https://heatherontour.com/

Betsy Recommends: The Elisha Cooper piece on Literary Hub, A Quiet Reply to a Life Cut Short: After a Profound Loss, How to Honor the Dead. - https://lithub.com/a-quiet-reply-to-a-life-cut-short-after-a-profound-loss-how-to-honor-the-dead/

For the full Show Notes, please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/05/09/fuse-8-n-kate-crow-boy-by-taro-yashima/

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 full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/04/18/fuse-8-n-kate-the-country-bunny-and-the-little-gold-shoes-by-dubose-heyward-ill-marjorie-flack/

"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=2s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LubRSiupY9I

For the full Show Notes please visit us at: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2022/03/14/fuse-8-n-kate-osullivan-stew-by-hudson-talbott/