Fuse 8 N' Kate

Believe it or not, Syd Hoff's been in the news quite a lot lately. Not bad for a pronounced children's literature 1930s Communist, eh? You could be forgiven for not knowing a lot about Syd Hoff. Honestly, we'd managed to skate through a significant portion of my life remaining unaware of him apart from the fact that there was some racist stuff at the beginning of the original editions of Danny and the Dinosaur. Now that book series is being turned into a movie series and a book of his early Communist comics (which are, frankly, hilarious) are being reprinted with a new edition of The Ruling Clawss. Seemed to us like a perfectly opportune time to visit the dino in question. Show Notes: For the full show notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/07/24/fuse-8-n-kate-danny-and-the-dinosaur-by-syd-hoff/

Recently Betsy created a post of picture books that belie the idea that all picture book "classics" are by white people. Amongst these were books with Jewish content. But when you sit down and look at those titles you notice that most of these are Hanukkah-related titles. So at the suggestion of Lisa Brown we're doing the very last William Steig picture book that was ever published. This book was released in spring of 2003 and he died in the fall of 2003. Not too shabby. The man was a genius but how does this very last book hold up? We discuss it at length. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/07/17/fuse-8-n-kate-when-everybody-wore-a-hat-by-william-steig

Have you ever wanted to listen to an episode of our podcast but thought to yourself, "This is good, but what would it sound like with more background noise?" At last! Now you have your answer! At the most recent American Library Association Annual Conference in beautiful downtown Chicago, Illinois we bring to you the first LIVE recording of Fuse 8 n' Kate! And what book could be deemed worthy enough of this recording? That would have to be Hippos Go Beserk! by Sandra Boynton, published in 1977. The first of Ms. Boynton's books, the title has since been republished (and re-illustrated) in 2022. Today, we consider the original (Sandra Boynton's first book for children) and its updated edition to determine whether or not it deserves "classic" status or not. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/07/10/fuse-8-n-kate-hippos-go-beserk-by-sandra-boynton-live-from-ala/

We had the honor of recording a guest post earlier in the week with none than the irascible, charming Jerrold Connors! Jerrold is the creator of the massively creative Donut Project which contains hilarity and collage-created donuts. Jerrold is also the creator of what I would call the most interesting picture book biography of James Marshall I've ever seen. But, of course, Jerrold is a longstanding fan of our podcast, so he knew pretty well what kind of recommend. What ensues is an in-depth discussion of elements of a title that have, and notably have not, aged well. Show Notes: For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/06/26/fuse-8-n-kate-weslandia-by-paul-fleischman-ill-kevin-hawkes-with-guest-host-jerrold-connors/

NOT our first Mercer Mayer! Previously we did his book There's a Nightmare in My Closet but it's hardly the man's most famous book/series. Meet Little Critter! At last, he makes his debut on our podcast! The two books we're discussing today originally came out in 1975 and 1983 and then went on to spawn the series we know so well. So once again we have to ask: How come they're moderately well known but not household name known? Interested in how we made these podcasts, by the way? Well, I would like to note that our podcast will be recording at 2:30 CST on Saturday, June 24th in the School Library Journal booth on the ALA Conference floor. If you'd like to hear us do a show, stop by and see us! Show Notes: For the full show notes, please visit us at: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/06/19/fuse-8-n-kate-just-for-you-i-was-so-mad-by-mercer-mayer/

Here on the podcast we are constantly in search of those children's books that represent a variety of backgrounds and identities that have not been sufficiently praised in the past. Today we're dipping into the BBC's list of 100 Greatest Children's Books of All Time and as a result we're doing our first Helen Oxenbury title. Bonus: It's also our first Trish Cooke! This book works as a magnificent readloud as well as a lapsit book. And, as Kate so often requires, the art is packed full with tiny details you might otherwise miss. Woot! Show Notes: For the full Show Notes please visit: fuse-8-n-kate-so-much-by-trish-cooke-ill-helen-oxenbury

In today's podcast Kate expertly cut out the earlier part of the show where I presented a book to her only to find that we'd done it already. 20 minutes later I was back, and the book I had in hand was today's title, Anatole by Eve Titus, illustrated by Paul Galdone. This is our first Titus and our second Galdone (we did The Tailypo for Halloween one year). We talk about why Anatole never reached the same heights of fame as such series as Madeline or Eloise, why this is the less famous of Eve Titus's fictional rodents, and this book's connections to Ratatouille. This is a Post WWII-France where if you want to feed your family you have to create your own job in the marketplace. Some of us can relate. Show Notes:Here's the BBC's 100 Greatest Children's Books of All Time. The very very white list. Many a fine book is on here BUT . . . whaaa? https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230522-the-100-greatest-childrens-books-of-all-time In case you doubt me, there was indeed an Anatole TV series. And its animation wa

Could there be any connection between "Harvey" Potter and "Harry" Potter? No! This delightful picture book was released in 1994, long before the world appearance of the boy wizard. You know how we're always talking about finding classic children's books of the past written by Black creators that exemplify Black Joy? I submit the following for serious consideration. Strange hardly covers it. This book was a marvelous example of the strange and unusual placed in a dull setting. And how about that ending? Here we have a story about someone in middle America going against the norm, facing censors, and coming out triumphant. Sounds like a book we might very much need today. Show Notes: Want to connect to Jerdine Nolen on social media? Find her on Twitter at @jerdinenolen1. Betsy Recommends: The Instagram account @ksrhoads Kate Recommends: The documentary Still, streaming on AppleTV+ For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/05/22/fuse-8-n-kate-harvey-potters-balloon-farm-by-

You know what the problem is with Mother's Day picture books? Not enough of them are truly horrifying and scary, that's what. So we must credit listeners Lindsey Foat & Sara Hudson for coming up with today's suggestion. Certainly, Audrey and Don Wood have been on this podcast before. We recall having done King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, The Napping House and even The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear in the past. Now we tackle that universal problem of what to do when your child has been turned into camembert. In short, we talk about the ultimate mama bear story. Let's just say that this book passes the Bechdel-Wallace Test with flying colors and we really hope that someday there will be a Heckedy Peg 2: The Heckoning. Show Notes: Good old Reading Rockets was good enough to find Don and Audrey Wood and interview them about the creation of many of their books, including this one. You may see their talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaWoJ8S18DA&t=2s&pp=ygUYbWVldCBhdWRyZXkg

Hat tip to Nick Bruel (our other other brother from another nother mother) for today's suggestion. He asked if we'd done any Ezra Jack Keats before and we said, "Sure! We did The Snow Day". Then he asked if we'd done Apt. 3 and we had NOT! Plus, Betsy had recently highlighted on her blog the new Keats bio for adults, Becoming Ezra Jack Keats, so this seemed particularly apropos. In this episode we discuss how this book is like Only Murders in the Building, how, from a color-perspective, this book is quite muted, compared to previous titles by Keats like Whistle for Willie, and why you should never follow someone when they ask, "What's the matter - scared?". Show Notes: And here, we are so pleased to show you, is the original 1971 Kirkus review of Apt. 3. It is, as is often the case with this publication, delightful: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ezra-jack-keats/apt-3/ For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/05/08/fuse-8-n-kate-apt-3-by-ezra-jack-keats/(opens

Kate sez: I want to do a spring book. Betsy sez: Here's a dead bird! With editions created both in 1958 and in 2016, Betsy was lucky to find BOTH editions in her library system. This episode marks our third Margaret Wise Brown book (after Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny), our second Remy Charlip (after Fortunately), and our very first Christian Robinson. Notable for the line, "Have you considered that the bird might smell really really good?" There's not a lot of information to be gleaned from Christian Robinson's version of this tale, but we were able to track down this interview he conducted with Secret Society of Books and it does offer a window into his thought process on this project: https://www.secretsocietyofbooks.com/interview-christian-robinson/ For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/05/01/fuse-8-n-kate-the-dead-bird-by-margaret-wise-brown-illustrated-by-remy-charlip-and-christian-robinson/(opens in a new tab)

What happens when a designer decides to make picture books? What happens when she goes and gets creative with the illustrations? While remembered for many things, I'd say that this 1983 release is without a doubt the best known of creator Ann Jonas. You may remember it yourself. It's the picture book where you read it one way and then turn it upside down and read it the other. It feels like a dare, and comes off as the number one book Betsy had to produce when she worked as a children's librarian. Countless adults would come up to her saying, "There was this book when I was a kid and it was black and white . . ." They literally didn't have to say anything else after that. We have no doubt that this book blew little minds. It may not be the most plot forward of the picture books out there, but who the HECK cares? Show Notes: We mention a couple books in the course of this podcast. If you like this one, please check out Robo-Sauce by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri or the works of Bruno Munari. B

Here at the Fuse 8 n' Kate Podcast, we have a rule. It's a simple one, established since the start of the broadcast. Essentially, we don't like to consider books published until they've been on the market for 20 years or more. It's not exactly a hard and fast rule (we've broken it more than a few times) but it serves as a strong guideline. Today, however, we got mad. Specifically, we got mad at Ron DeSantis and all the horrendous book banners out there who seek to rid the world of books featuring LGBTQIA+ families and children. How best to stick it to the Ron? Why not feature an author that he himself has personally singled out? Today, Betsy decided to pull out a book with a mega-recent publication date: 2019. We do it because not only is the book important, we consider it to be the first truly great trans picture book for kids that will reverberate for the ages. We're talking about this beautiful baby book and all that it entails in this episode of the podcast. Check it out. Show Notes: Here's the video Be

In what may be the most quintessentially "New York" picture book we've done to date (with hints of Where the Wild Things Are in the margins) we confront a 1979 Caldecott Award winner and tackle Betsy's childhood memories of it along the way. Today we discuss a variation on the previously reported upon picture book It Could Always Be Worse, but with an addition of tropical birds, floating islands, and John Tenniel references. Show Notes: For the full Show Notes please visit - https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/04/10/fuse-8-n-kate-by-arthur-yorinks-ill-richard-egielski/

Roy G. Biv, eat your heart out. We're taking a deep dive into a listener suggestion with a trippy dippy 1978 German import from an Italian creator who retired to France! Today we're talking Optimus Prime, The Never Ending Story, rock album covers, and carnivorous flowers/rainbows. If you're into long, languorous moments in picture books where people drown, have I got a book for you!! A pourquoi story done in an utterly original fashion. Show Notes: If you'd like to see even more art from this book you can do so here: https://areaofdesign.com/ul-de-rico/ For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/04/03/fuse-8-n-kate-the-rainbow-goblins-by-ul-de-rico/(opens in a new tab)

The art of picture books based on animated properties has a long and storied history within the oeuvre of children's literature. We've eschewed doing much in the way of Seuss lately, but due to the fact that we've been doing multiple books where child or child-like characters are approached by members of the medical association, we felt we'd cap everything off with this tale of a boy doing his own thing in the early 50s. That's BOUND to go over well! Along the way we talk about picture books in which kids don't adhere to the norm and are therefore considered ill in some way (Imogene's Antlers comes to mind), as well as teachers that call 2-year-olds in first grade classes "hopeless", packing kids full of pills, and why Gerald needs to keep an eye on his own paychecks. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/03/27/fuse-8-n-kate-gerald-mcboing-boing-by-dr-seuss/

To our amazement we have somehow never done this particular David Shannon book before. Tis possible? Tis! It is, as Kate says, "The trippiest book," which is part of why Betsy respects it. Betsy freaks out over the fact that this came out the same year as No, David (how often does an author/illustrator have two classic books come out in the same year?). Meanwhile Kate freaks out over the creepy guys lurking on this poor girl's lawn. But the important thing? We debate whether or not you can buy lima beans in cans anymore. Your votes on the matter are much needed. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/03/20/fuse-8-n-kate-a-bad-case-of-stripes-by-david-shannon/

This month we'll see the publication of Lisa Brown's wonderful picture book The Hospital Book, which may be the best going-to-the-hospital title for kids out there. Because usually, you have to admit, when people walk into your children's library in search of picture books about going to the hospital, what they get is a title from 1966. We've already covered the problematic George in Curious George and Curious George Takes a Job. This is the seventh and last book that was created by George's original creators. Today we're talking barium, sad little Betsys, and why this book is going to give you flashbacks to the beginning of the movie Nope. Having fun at the hospital without sniffing ether. What a notion! Show Notes: Go here to read an interview with Lisa Brown about The Hospital Book: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/07/20/the-hospital-book-by-lisa-brown-a-cover-reveal-and-interview/ We are referring at the end to this video, by the way. The greatest St. Patrick's Day video of all time: https://youtu

Since the entire premise of this podcast with Betsy and Kate is to take well-known books and determine whether or not they continue to deserve their "classic" status, it probably behooves them to do a couple books everyone has actually heard of. And since the last book they did was, at best, obscure and, at worst, completely forgotten, they figured today that they should go all in and do something out-and-out famous. To their surprise, they've never tackled a Jan Brett book before. That said, they did have to admit that it's possible that Kate and Betsy are not the world's most impartial critics. You see, their mother instilled in them an appreciation for fiber arts. and can you think of a single illustrator who has ever depicted the knitted stitch better than Ms. Brett? Today, they consider the woman's best-known book and how it has held up over all this time as well as the timeliness of doing a Ukrainian folktale in this day and age. Show Notes: In the course of Betsy's research for this podcast she read

Librarians, if you're anything like Betsy, then, when the time is right, every year you trot out the same dang Valentine's Day books that are in the Holiday section of your library. All the newer books go out first, leaving behind the stuff that came out in, oh say, 1999. This is the rare example of a book that Betsy didn't know bupkiss about. She didn't know anything about the creators or the title itself, so we're just jumping in because a quick read yielded strange thoughts. In today's discussion we talk about eggnog, hamsters, the quality of the education these critters are receiving, and what this book gets right. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/02/13/fuse-8-n-kate-a-valentine-for-norman-noggs-by-valiska-gregory-ill-marsha-winborn/