And we're back to the classics. So far on this podcast, Kate and Betsy have tackled only one William Steig (Sylvester and the Magic Pebble). As per usual, Kate notices things. She notices that the initials of Doctor De Soto are DDS, which is a dental detail Betsy had never thought of before. She notices a rather lovely umbrella stand bedecked with dragons. She notices mouse dentures (and how creepy mouse dentures would be in real life). For Betsy's part, she gets to imitate the sound of a rotten tooth being removed from a fox's mouth (there's a distinct pop at the end) and the two debate whether or not the old No Cavities Forever solution is legit or not.

Show Notes:

- This book was definitely was published after Sylvester, by the way. Sylvester came out way back in 1969.

- Why DID people wrap their heads up with handkerchiefs when they had toothaches?

- Can you think of a classic fox book where the fox is heroic rather than sneaky and sly?

- This book came in at #57 on the Top 100 Picture Books Poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/25/top-100-picture-books-57-doctor-de-soto-by-william-steig/

- The animated short of Doctor De Soto that was nominated for an Academy Award does not appear to be online. Unless, of course, it's this Weston Woods video with its simply marvelous narratorhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGDz1orKRY8

- Read the full Show Notes here: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/01/21/fuse-8-n-kate-doctor-de-soto-by-william-steig

Last year Kate and Betsy discussed three potential Caldecott winners, and two would later receive medals. This year, the two discuss Dreamers by Yuyi Morales, Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, and We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins. And, as per usual, Kate brings up stuff Betsy never considered before. Questions like, how exactly does Penelope Rex eat her classmates so quickly (does she unhinge her jaw?). What does "caminantes" mean? And does the guy in Blue rename his girlfriend's dog? Kate has a violent reaction to one of the three books that Betsy finds deeply amusing. Then they out that Frances, from Bread and Jam for Frances, was originally supposed to be a vole, and Betsy's mind. Is. Blown.

Show Notes:

- Actually Pete Seeger is Laura Vaccaro Seeger's husband's uncle, not her own. Uncle-in-law, let's say.

- Here is the PW interview Yuyi Morales and Neal Porter that gave a lot of great background information to Dreamers: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/77766-in-conversation-yuyi-morales-and-neal-porter.html

- Here is the Horn Book interview with Laura Vaccaro Seeger that discussed Blue: https://www.hbook.com/2018/12/publishers-preview-picture-books-five-questions-laura-vaccaro-seeger/

- And here is the PW interview with Ryan T. Higgins about We Don't Eat Our Classmates: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/77167-q-a-with-ryan-t-higgins.html

- Kate was completely right, by the way. The Triceratops and T.rex were contemporaries. Here's the article I was thinking of when I said the T.rex was farther from the Stegosaurus than we are from the T.rex: https://gizmodo.com/less-time-separates-us-from-t-rex-than-t-rex-from-stego-1614025559

- You can find the link to the Frances / Debbi Michiko Florence, Jasmine Toguchi series here, as spotted by Emily Schneider: https://imaginaryelevators.blog/2019/01/06/jasmine-toguchi-what-was-a-talent-anyway/

- Glynis Johns read all the Frances books?!? This is huge news!

- And here is Kate's board game. Sadly, less one Madame Mim: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/256382/villainous

- Be sure to stay for Kate's um-num-num-num-num.

- Find the full Show Notes here: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/01/14/fuse-8-n-kate-2019-caldecott-contenders

Hungry? With the new year comes a whole set of resolutions. Not knowing that Kate is on the Whole30 again, Betsy forces her to read a book where bread plays a major role. Bread, heck. This is a book that could turn children into bonafide foodies. In spite of the fact that all badgers are born in February, we've decided to do this book in January. And then, in the course of things, Kate starts looking up what the USDA recommendations are for children, we consider the wackadoodle utensils of the Badger household, what exactly a lobster salad sandwich is, etc. As Kate points out, this is a perfect New Year's Resolution book because in the story you are encouraged to try new things and break out of your comfort zone. Justification!

Show Notes:

- If you're curious about the interview Betsy conducted with Russell Hoban in 2010, you can read the transcript here: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/04/24/discovered-in-the-archives-an-interview-with-russell-hoban-2010/

- Is Frances actually the most famous badger in children's literature? The only other contender that comes immediately to mind is Badger from The Wind in the Willows but how many American children can remember him off the tops of their heads?

- The book showed up at #27 on the Top 100 Picture Books poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/05/top-100-childrens-novels-27-bread-and-jam-for-frances-by-russell-hoban-illustrated-by-lillian-hoban/

- You can hear the entire text of the book here in this video. And you have to admit, that's a better egg song than the one Betsy came up with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-KggLPnRYg

For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/01/07/fuse-8-n-kate-bread-and-jam-for-frances-by-russell-hoban-ill-lillian-hoban/

"I can always be called upon to remember a Snurp".

Merry Christmas! Let's celebrate with a book that has absolutely nothing to do with the day in question whatsonever. So I know you're all wondering what elements Kate chose to focus on with this book. Would she like it more than Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus? Less? Well, we'll sum it up for you. We discuss at length the proper way to wash a pure white bra, the genetic dominance of a character's eyes (or lack thereof), and the proper way to pick up a sack of screaming, flailing meat when it is your child.

Show Notes:

- Came in #7 on the Top 100 Picture Books Poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/19/top-100-picture-books-7-knuffle-bunny-a-cautionary-tale-by-mo-willems/

For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/12/25/fuse-8-n-kate-knuffle-bunny-by-mo-willems

The last time Kate and Betsy saw a Dr. Seuss book they were reading If I Ran the Zoo. Not an auspicious beginning for the usually good doctor. In the course of this particular book, Kate manages to locate a place where Seuss got lazy and Xeroxed one of his two-page spreads (something Betsy had never noticed before). There is also talk about Thurl Ravenscroft (and how dead he is), odd Grinch theories, like the fact that his heart may expand and shrink regularly, and are these chimneys essentially pneumatic tubes that suck up the bags?

One of our favorite episodes in a long time.

Show Notes:

- This book appeared at #61 on the Top 100 Picture Books Poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/23/top-100-picture-books-61-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-by-dr-seuss/

- Ask and the universe will provide. Here is Zero Mostel reading The Grinch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hts_sj-0_14

- And heck. While we're on the subject, here's Walter Matthau reading The Grinch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuq3AqIjtAg

- Halloween is Grinch Night! Betsy still harbors a weird affection for this. Partly because Hans Conried (who starred in the live action Seuss film The 10,000 Fingers of Dr. T) did the Grinch's voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygSEkwRCQPM

For the complete Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/12/18/fuse-8-n-kate-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-by-dr-seuss/

After doing Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins last year, Betsy was having a devil of a time (no pun intended) figuring out another Hanukkah classic. After some serious consideration, she decided that this book would give us, as she says on the podcast, a little meat. A little fodder. Something to discuss. What she didn't see coming, though, was how timely this story truly was. How does it feel to live in a society that is constantly pummeling you with religious messages that are not your own? Little wonder the latke screams.

Show Notes:

- Betsy mentions Funny Girl. Golly, that would make a swell gift for people to give to their 9-12 year old loved ones. Check it out here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318948/funny-girl-by-betsy-bird/9780147517838/

- Interested in getting your own full series of Baby Be of Use? I am pleased to announce that they are for sale on Lisa Brown's website: http://www.americanchickens.com/baby-be-of-use/

- A staged production of this book, eh? Here's an ad for one that will make you sad you missed your chance to see it live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0frEnxt1tM

- In case you missed it, you can see the NPR Book Concierge here: https://apps.npr.org/best-books-2018/

For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/12/11/fuse-8-n-kate-the-latke-who-couldnt-stop-screaming-by-lemony-snicket-ill-lisa-brown/

Truly a book for our times. Is there any other picture book out there that causes kids to question what they've been told right from the start, more than this one? This book is timely. It prepares children, in an era of news that is not always reliable, to not take everything at face value.

Warning: At one point during the end of the podcast Betsy does briefly mix up Zul and Zod. Children of the 80s, please forgive her.

Show Notes:

- Here is the highly strange Wikipedia entry for this book. Once the entry goes on to 1993 it gets highly confusing. Yet another example of not believing everything you read? Considering that we're talking about Wikipedia, that would follow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysteries_of_Harris_Burdick

- The website for this book is called Who Is Harris Burdick? Highly worth your time. It's filled with so much fun stuff! It may not have been touched since 2011, but it's still fun and fantastic. Educator guides, tips for writers, tips for teachers, kids stories, etc. http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/harrisburdick/index.html

- For The Chronicles of Harris Burdick, here is the official video the authors made of it and awww! Walter Dean Myers! Stay for the end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=M3kpYep7EQw

- You can see some animations for two of the stories here. The animation for The Seven Chairs isn't too bad, but Uninvited Guests is creeeeepy... http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/harrisburdick/inspired_by_burdick.html

- Watch this song inspired by The Seven Chairs instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKYkFsggPK8

- The 2008 musical of the show did indeed exist. Here's a song for "Under the Rug" performed at the 92nd Street Y: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrqTNUx7Uxg

- For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/12/03/fuse-8-n-kate-the-mysteries-of-harris-burdick-by-chris-van-allsburg

Let's see. After Tikki Tikki Tembo and Little Black Sambo, it seems like Arrow to the Sun is the natural complement to those two, don't you think? Kate and Betsy haven't dug deep into a book with racist issues in a while, and they've never done any books where white folks told the stories of American Indians. In this post-Thanksgiving episode the sisters give as much of the history of this book as possible, all thanks to the work of K.T. Horning and Debbie Reese. Meanwhile, Kate gets confused about the actual storytelling itself, and Betsy cannot get over how a book from 1974 looks this much like a video game.

Show Notes:

- Behold and marvel at the lack of information on the Wikipedia entry for this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow_to_the_Sun

- K.T. Horning's Horn Book article Arrow to the Sun and Critical Controversies is a piece Betsy cribbed (read: stole) from heavily for this podcast episode: https://www.hbook.com/2013/09/choosing-books/horn-book-magazine/arrow-to-the-sun-and-critical-controversies/

- Pitfall came out in 1982, by the way.

- For the record, the song "Cat's in the Cradle" came out in 1974. The same year as this book. Coincidence?!?

- There are two articles on Arrow to the Sun on the blog American Indians in Children's Literature. The first dates back to 2006: https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2006/10/gerald-mcdermotts-arrow-to-sun-gerald.html

- The second from 2009 looks at the book's discussion guide: https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2009/04/scholastic-guide-to-arrow-to-sun.html

- Ten years later that discussion guide is still going strong on the Scholastic site: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=32388

- This would be the "book" sequence in Hocus Pocus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKNm3KVDq28

- Go here to see The Neon Museum of Las Vegas: https://www.neonmuseum.org/

- For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/11/26/fuse-8-n-kate-arrow-to-the-sun-by-gerald-mcdermott

William's Doll: Revenge of the Ascot!

The big news of the day is that Kate and Betsy have created a petition. It's the very first they've ever done and its purpose is simple. As you'll hear on today's podcast, they are big time fans of today's book, but they'd rather like it if Harper Collins could publish a re-illustrated edition. The reasons for this are, as you will hear, pretty clear. With different clothing, they think William's story could reach a whole new slew of kids, and really strike the message home. That said, in the podcast Betsy does make one key mistake. She says that this book was published by Greenwillow. In point of fact, it was published by Harper & Row. It is not a Greenwillow book. So ignore that part of the podcast but do NOT disregard the petition. They would love it if they could get you on board so that William can meet a whole new generation of fans:

https://www.change.org/p/harper-collins-reillustrate-william-s-doll-for-today-s-kids

Show Notes:

- William Pène du Bois was from (and we love this city name) Nutley, New Jersey. Interestingly, he did live in France for a time, and ultimately died in Nice, France.

- "Brown plaid brilliance!" Kate would like to clarify that she was trying to say that Diane von Furstenberg designed the grandmother's wrap dress. And Betsy takes back what she said about the woman's shoes. Those aren't "sensible" at all. They're gorgeous. By the way, we never ever see her face either, a fact Kate and Betsy both missed.

- Let us point out that even this animated sequence from Free to Be You and Me has William wearing more appropriate clothing than in the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lshobg1Wt2M

- For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/11/19/fuse-8-n-kate-williams-doll-by-charlotte-zolotow-ill-william-pene-du-bois/

We're just going to give away the game and break down exactly how this podcast plays out between Kate and Betsy. As you will recall, Bets is a parent of two small children. Kate is not. So when the two sisters read this book, Kate became a full-throated supported of Team Mouse, while Betsy put all of her money down on Team Run-Ragged Kid. Listen and you'll hear how clearly delineated the line is between parents and non-parents.

Show Notes:

- We were actually able to find the Peanuts strip that referenced this book. And voila. From May 25th, 1995: https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1995/05/25

- Here are the sequels mentioned:

If You Give a Moose a Muffin

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

If You Give a Take a Mouse to the Movies

If You Give a Take a Mouse to School

If You Give a Pig a Party

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake

If You Give a Dog a Donut

If You Give a Give a Mouse a Brownie

"If You Give a Bird a Bundt Cake", Kate's suggestion, is completely up for grabs if anyone wants to write that.

- We know you wanted to see it. Here is Michelle Obama reading the book in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZuCPWjCdgY

- Here's the post from I'm Here, I'm Queer, What the Hell Do I Read? for If You Give a Gay Mouse a Cookie: https://www.leewind.org/2014/12/if-you-give-gay-mouse-cookie-zine-that.html

- Back by popular demand . . . Children's Stories Made Horrific: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie: http://the-toast.net/2014/01/08/give-the-mouse-nothing/

- Honestly, we're amazed that in our searching we somehow missed The Toast's fellow piece where the book is interpreted by Ayn Rand: http://the-toast.net/2015/08/11/ayn-rand-gives-a-mouse-nothing/

For the full Show Notes, please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/11/12/fuse-8-n-kate-if-you-give-a-mouse-a-cookie-by-laura-joffe-numeroff