"If you're looking for a typical story with words and a plot, this ain't it. Go somewhere else."

It's the podcast we've wanted to do for months. The ultimate crossover. For the first time, TWO School Library Journal podcasts have come together to consider the classical status of a picture book of the past. You know him. You love him. You cannot help but be aware of his blog (100 Scope Notes), his picture books (The Ship in the Window, Just One Flake, etc.), or his podcast (The Yarn). His co-host Colby Sharp was unavailable but we did get... Travis Jonker! Woohoo! Yay! As per usual, when we have a guest on the podcast we ask them to select a picture book to discuss. Travis's choice is none other than that Remy Charlip delight, Thirteen. A 1975 release, it was re-released in 2018 and remains in print to this day. Amongst its many fans are Brian Selznick, who modeled his character of Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès on the face of Remy Charlip. Today we discuss how this book "rewards repeat rereading" and how it reminds us of Black and White by David Macaulay (though that was only four stories. Not thirteen!) It's a dream for fans of tiny details. Discover it for yourself.

For the full Show Notes, please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/10/29/fuse-8-n-kate-crossover-episode-the-yarn-presents-travis-jonker-with-thirteen-by-remy-charlip-and-jerry-joyner/

"Hurt creatures hurt creatures." Initially I heard about today's book on the podcast The Sartorial Librarian, and they discussed it so brilliantly that Betsy absolutely had to grab it for the recording today. This is an Australian title that somehow has escaped the greater notice of America until now. We aim to change this! Originally published in 2000 in Australia and American in 2001, this is unlike any other book you've ever seen. From the typography to the writing the deeply disturbing and wonderful storytelling at work, we dive deep into this one. By the way, this book is out-of-print at the moment, so if some small publisher with a smart head wants to bring out a book about how animals suffer after wildfires (particularly in the Australian landscape) this is an ideal title to consider. Bring it back!

For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/09/23/fuse-8-n-kate-fox-by-margaret-wild-ill-ron-brooks/

Kate asked Betsy to bring in a fireman/firefighter/firetruck book to discuss as a possible classic. Now if you had to name a 20+ year old picture book featuring that kind of subject matter, what would you choose? Back in the day Betsy read to her kids a veritable plethora of such titles. And the one that rises to the top when she tries to think of the older ones? This little number by Wong Herbert Yee. We talk about where Yee went (where did he go?), why parents get really interested in sleep deprived characters, and whether or not Fireman Small needs some additional training.

For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/09/16/fuse-8-n-kate-fireman-small-by-wong-herbert-yee/

The election isn't until November, but we figured it would be a good idea to tackle the season early before everyone starts plugging their ears saying, "La La La! I can't hear you!" And as luck would have it, today's particularly political picture book came out 20 years ago this year. Now in previous election years, Duck for President was released every four years. It is not, as far as I can tell, being released in 2024. Why is that? This podcast episode aims to answer that question, as well as assess how Duck for President has aged. Has it stood the test of time? Let's find out! We discuss how this book clearly is just barely missing the term "hanging chad" and whether that's relevant to voters today.

For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/09/09/fuse-8-n-kate-duck-for-president-by-doreen-cronin-ill-betsy-lewin/

Our very first Bill Peet! Please understand that the whole reason we haven't done him before is because unlike a lot of animators-turned-author/illustrations, he has no single huge title that he's known for (unlike Seuss or P.D. Eastman). Betsy literally had to look up the Peet titles that are most prevalent in her library's consortium. The winner? Today's book! Today we talk about Katy the FOMO Train (as we would deem her), caboose-eating monsters (who sadly don't appear in this book), and why we call this the Choose Your Own Moral book.

For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/09/02/fuse-8-n-kate-the-caboose-who-got-loose-by-bill-peet/

All around the U.S. kids are beginning to go back to school. With that in mind, Kate asked Betsy to come up with a back-to-school book they hadn't done before. Now you might think that the only first day of school book the great Kevin Henkes created was Chrysanthemum (which we did back in 2021). Not so! Here we find another. Kate says the cover is what you get if you mix Maus with Clockwork Orange (though Betsy thinks it looks more like Maus meets Vertigo). We talk about the panic attacks that are surely in Wemberly's future, how she resembles the Target dog, and why this man knows how to write a book. Mouse SEL books for the win!

For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/08/19/fuse-8-n-kate-wemberly-worried-by-kevin-henkes/

Our Margaret Wise Brown output on this podcast has, until now, been a bit on the scanty side. Sure, we did Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny but beyond that we've sort of left her out in the cold. All that changes today with this, our third MWB and what may be our very first Provensen deep dive. In light of the new life injected into Little Golden Books as of late, (thanks in large part to a very big pop princess) we tackle one of these very books ourselves. In this podcast, we discuss the types of cones that appear in cats' eyes, the true color of bumblebees, why Greek goatherders resemble 80s businessmen, and so much more.

For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/08/12/fuse-8-n-kate-the-color-kittens-by-margaret-wise-brown-ill-alice-martin-provensen/

How the HECK have we done 327 episodes of this podcast and we haven't yet done this book? Released in 1991, we can't help but note that this story, of people flying above New York City, happened to come out the same year that a fellow people flying above New York City picture book came out: Tar Beach. Something about the early 90s just made people want to fly away, we guess. Today we tackle Abuela by Arthur Dorros, a book that has remained popular after all these years. Does it deserve the acclaim? We intend to find out. And if we state that this book popularized the connecting-with-your-grandparent picture book idea, then we say the other books out there owe a debt of gratitude to this one. Interestingly, this is one of the first books Kate has run across where the artist's medium is listed on the publication page. Guess they started doing that in the 90s. Yet they never say where Abuela is from specifically. That's something they'd correct today.

For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/08/05/fuse-8-n-kate-abuela-by-arthur-dorros-ill-elisa-kleven/

By gum, if there's one thing this children's literature podcast needs, it's more Reading Rainbow books from the days of yore. And if that's something we need to go out and find, then surely we will. We were inspired to give this particular book a go after Betsy saw the model of its vehicle on display at Kansas City's The Rabbit Hole. In this episode we discuss the prevalence of the same "a" sound, why this has a Popemobile top, xenomorphs, and extra car features that create duplicate children.

For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/07/30/fuse-8-n-kate-tooth-gnasher-superflash-by-daniel-pinkwater/

While Betsy often prefers to hand Kate children's picture books to consider that are chock full of details, at a certain point she is forced to come up with books that contain none of that. And you cannot get much more basic than Little Blue and Little Yellow here. Your heroes are essentially paint swatches, after all. In the course of our conversation, though, Kate surprises Betsy by coming up with a discussion of everything from the origins and accuracy of certain nursery rhymes to whether or not Lionni's Italian background affected which gender each color receives in this book.