Fuse 8 N' Kate

"I have a big red dog. Accept the reality in which I live." Betsy had been avoiding Clifford all these years. Why? Because she always remembered the book as dull. So you've gotta hand it to Kate. Thanks to her the two find far more to talk about concerning Clifford than you ever thought possible. From Emily Elizabeth's fashion sense to why you wouldn't want to camp under his jowls to the logistics of pouring hot tea on your dog's tongue, this book is rife with possibilities. Show Notes: Betsy managed to find an image of the stuffed Clifford at NYPL here: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-clifford-the-big-red-dog-display-childrens-library-new-york-public-138133333.html And because we simply cannot resist, here is some Clifford fan art by sandra that you may purchase here, if you're so inclined: https://www.deviantart.com/sandara/art/Clifford-the-big-red-dog-329256590 For the full show notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2020/01/27/fuse-8-n-kate-clifford-the-big-red-dog-by-norman-br

If you get your kicks out of Kate and Betsy disagreeing about books, today's episode may not be for you. Each year Betsy presents Kate with 2-3 Caldecott contenders. Which is to say, they discuss books that may or may not win the Caldecott Award (which will be handed out a week from today on Monday, January 27th at 8:00 ET here: http://ala.unikron.com/). This gives the two of them a chance to discuss the art and, to a lesser extent, the books' chances. There were actually a fair number Betsy wasn't able to get my hands on for today's recording, but happily two of her favorites WERE available! Show Notes: When discussing the idea of opening the Newbery and Caldecott Awards to artists from other countries the articles, Betsy refers to Leonard Marcus's piece in the New York Times called The Caldecott Medal Needs an International Makeover and found here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/books/review/make-caldecott-medal-international.html - She also discusses The Horn Book editorial Bordering On the Absurd

How old are we all that Trashy Town is 21 this year? Is it just us or does that seem like a very large number? Continuing to attempt to find storytime classics that librarians love, Betsy has Kate take a look at this readaloud classic. And, if you recall, Kate does not always take to storytime books. Many questions are raised in the course of the proceedings. Does Mr. Gilly work for the city? What is the nature of the rat's open mouth? Is Mr. Gilly picking up syringes and blood behind that doctor's office? And why the heck did they name their burg "Trashy Town"? Seems a poor choice and could affect the tourism industry. Please see to it that you enjoy the different rhythmic renditions of the chant in this book. The Monty Python one may become your favorite. For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2020/01/13/fuse-8-n-kate-trashy-town-by-andrea-zimmerman-david-clemsha-and-dan-yaccarino/

This past weekend Betsy took a trip to the Chicago Children's Museum with her kids, and lo and behold she stumbled upon a Mo Willems exhibit currently showing. She marveled at how the show cleverly integrated elements of the artist's books with honestly good, interactive stations. In a nod to Mo's background in animation, for example, kids can turn (oddly sturdy) cranks which flip pages featuring his characters doing an array of different things. Of course, by complete coincidence Kate and Betsy had just finished recording their episode on Knuffle Bunny Too. It's been a while since they've done a particularly famous book, and this would be the perfect way to kick off the new year. Mind you, longtime listeners might remember that Kate has never been the biggest Mo Willems fan out there. She wasn't particularly enamored of Knuffle Bunny the first. How would the second fare? For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2020/01/06/fuse-8-n-kate-knuffle-bunny-too-by-mo-willems/

It's the last day of Hanukkah and what better way to celebrate than with one book split into two parts? In 1990 Eric Kimmel adapted a story he'd written for Cricket Magazine to a picture book format and called it The Chanukkah Guest. Then, in 2013 he took that same Cricket Magazine tale and turned it into the slightly different Hanukkah Bear. One story. One author. Two different versions. Are they both Hanukkah classics or will only one make the final cut? Betsy and Kate discuss every possible angle and come up with the perfect title for a new holiday book: Hanukkah Hangry. You are welcome to use it. Just credit us with the title. For the complete show notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/12/30/fuse-8-n-kate-the-chanukkah-guest-hanukkah-bear-by-eric-a-kimmel/

Today's book is sort of a favor to Kate and Betsy's mom. She's always been very fond of this particular telling of The Nativity, and it remains a favorite to this day. And it's so nice to return to Julie Vivas again! When last seen on this podcast we were looking at her book with Mem Fox called Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge (found here: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/04/22/fuse-8-n-kate/). By the way, Betsy begins by saying that this book is out-of-print. Turns out there's a paperback edition (ISBN: 9780152060855) that's absolutely in print and FINE! So no worries there. False alarm! Show Notes: Thanks to the wonders of Google Books, you can actually find the selection from Censorship: A World Encyclopedia where the objections to this book are recorded here: https://books.google.com/books?id=nzisCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT1869&lpg=PT1869&dq=the+nativity+julie+vivas+censorship&source=bl&ots=gR_0T8y8Cv&sig=ACfU3U0l6llPRJ27Pmyb0nw3Bb1s4E8now&hl=en&ppis=_e&sa=X&ved=2

Ah! At last! The chance to combine three of our favorite types of literature: Holiday Books, Wordless Books, and Cult Classics. In trying to find a new Christmas classic to do with Kate, it occurred to Betsy that the two had never done this particular book. It first came to Betsy's attention years ago thanks in large part to Alison Morris (now working at First Book). Unfamiliar with it? We hope you like a book that leans into its weirdness. For full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/12/16/fuse-8-n-kate-a-small-miracle-by-peter-collington/

In some ways, 2019 was kind of a fortunately/unfortunately kind of year. Seems appropriate that we would tackle Remy Charlip's best known work in one of our final podcasts of the year. Librarians adore this title because its readaloud potential is huge. Will Kate love it for its originality, or detest it for the complete lack of sense it makes? You cannot help but love the fact that she believes that given Charlip's origins, letting Ned die would have been the Frenchest ending of them all. Or that if you try to work out the geography of this book, you're in trouble. He goes from New York to the water with sharks to an island with tigers . . . to Florida? For the full Show Notes visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/12/09/fuse-8-n-kate-unfortunately-by-remy-charlip/

Sometimes you just gotta read something awkward. Today, in spite of Betsy's determination never to do so, she skipped over ALL the previous Little Bear books produced by Minarik and Sendak and handed her sister the strangest of them all. Will Kate or Betsy think that this book is essentially the cringe comedy easy book of children's literature? Will Kate find a good image for a tattoo? Is there any situation where it is not weird to "kiss the bride"? Show Notes: The Kirkus review of this book is THE BEST! https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/else-holmelund-minarik/a-kiss-for-little-bear/ For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/12/02/fuse-8-n-kate-a-kiss-for-little-bear-by-else-holmelund-minarik-ill-maurice-sendak/

When Kate challenged Betsy to find a classic Thanksgiving book, she made the mistake of saying off-handedly, "Oh, it could just be about food too." Ah HAH! Food, eh? Well, they'd already done Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, so that could leave only one other famous food-related piece of children's literary history. That's right. Time to down some Green Eggs and Ham. For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/11/25/fuse-8-n-kate-green-eggs-and-ham-by-dr-seuss/ Betsy anticipated our discussion of whether or not this book is more of a St. Patrick's Day title. What she did not think of was whether or not this book would tap into Kate's bottomless knowledge of sales. It does, she shares her opinion, and Betsy get scared. And really, isn't being scared by your relatives exactly what Thanksgiving is all about anyway? Happy listening! Show Notes: This book showed up at #12 on the Top 100 Picture Books Poll. There are some very funny links in there that you might find wort

It seemed like it would be a pretty safe bet that Kate wouldn't have heard of this week's book. A little 1977 beauty it is. Betsy and Kate haven't done a Pinkwater book before, and this is a heckuva way to begin. It's a glorious celebration of disappointing the homeowner's associations of the world. It also apparently has to do with Nickelodeon, how to keep a pet alligator, and magical mystery lemonade. Show Notes: For further information about that weird moment when a standardized test took one of Pinkwater's stories and asked kids to explain it, check out this New York Times article on the subject: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/21/nyregion/standardized-testing-is-blamed-for-question-about-a-sleeveless-pineapple.html Woohoo! Teaching Children Philosophy is baaaack! Here is their section dedicated to The Big Orange Splot: https://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org/BookModule/TheBigOrangeSplot For the full Show Notes, please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/11/11/fuse-8-n-kate-the-big-o

If there's one thing we know, it's that there are two kinds of picture books that are most often divisive: the message-y books and the sweet and fuzzies. Combine the two and you get The Kissing Hand. There is NO doubt that the book is loved deeply by Kindergarten teachers, but would you call it a picture book classic worthy of keeping on shelves for decades to come? Betsy really didn't know how Kate would react to this one when I handed it to her. Would she be charmed? Be appalled? And, as ever, Kate surprises Betsy. She's good at that. Show Notes: - Honestly, if you know why there used to be two illustrators associated with this book and then, later, only illustrator Ruth E. Harper was mentioned on the book's website, please let us in on the story. - Yep. On the Top 100 Picture Books Poll it came in at #95: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/16/top-100-picture-books-95-the-kissing-hand-by-audrey-penn/ - Here's the link to Letters to Chester, which is entirely free and online for you: http://w

Halloween is almost upon us! And like every year, Kate is always challenging Betsy to come up with some classic scares. This year, we've seen Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark adapted to the silver screen. Seems only natural to then pull out what many would consider to be Schwartz's other scary classic for kids. And, oh joy, it's part of the I Can Read series! What we had not counted on was that in 2017 Harper Collins re-illustrated the series. What to do? Well... why not do both versions? Original illustrator Dirk Zimmer originally hailed from Germany while current illustrator Victor Rivas lives in Barcelona. Who is scarier in the end? Will this be like that time Harper Collins re-illustrated Scary Stories with Brett Helquist instead of Stephen Gammell and the world went mad? Guess you'll just have to find out for yourself. Show Notes: Here are Kate's Grown-Up Things she liked: First up the game Zombie Dice: https://www.amazon.com/SJG-131313-Zombie-Dice/dp/B003IKMR0U Second up, a Zombie catnip toy you ca

We have a special guest!! It was our esteemed delight and pleasure to host international superstar, picture book creator, Hans Christian Andersen Award winner, Roger Mello in this, the latest episode of our podcast! Now it had been a while since we'd done an international picture book. We do try to make an effort to look at what other countries would consider "classics", but it can be difficult to (A) determine what a country thinks of as a classic and (B) find translations here in the States. Fortunately we lucked out with this episode. We asked Roger what Brazilian classic Kate should read and he selected a book that not only got translated here (in 1982) but one where a copy was still available in Betsy's library's consortium. Whew! Of course, the book is 96 pages long so Kate's read had to be a bit truncated. She read just the first tale in the book and the last one, and I do believe it worked out beautifully. Jorge Amado, of course, was the Brazilian novelist responsible for such serious novels about so

In memory of the great Mr. Gerstein we decided to do his best-known, most classicy classic title. Of course, by doing this title, it means that for the first time, in all of our history, we are doing a nonfiction picture book. Not a bad way to start out, eh? Have no fear, we'll be getting to the spooky Halloween fare soon enough, but first we wanted to pay an homage to one of children's literature's greats. Show Notes: - Quiz Question: Which Disney animated film begins with a shot of the Twin Towers? - How old was Philippe Petit when he did this? We looked it up. He was about to turn 25. - Here is the trailer for the documentary Man on Wire. I love that it includes the moment he balances the policeman's hat on his nose and then drops it onto his head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz6oddi0mts - And here is the trailer for the biographical drama called The Walk. Looks like the supplemented the actual drama with some unnecessary dramatic flourishes. I like the shots though. https://www.youtube.com/wat

How do you type with hooves? Would this book today involve the cows texting? What are the logistics of not giving milk and then proceeding to start up production again? Who's buying from the underground milk market? How do you strap a typewriter to a duck? Betsy and Kate are just full of questions with today's book. Kate comes up with the cruelest advice for Farmer Brown you've ever heard and Betsy gets to come up with fake sequel names to this story Show Notes: - As it happens, Betsy was not quite right when she said this book was "definitely older than 20 years old". It is, in fact, 19-years-old. It could not buy a drink in a bar if it wanted to. Here is where we found the information about the right-wing talk show hosts finding this book too pro-union and anti-creationist: https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/beware-the-insidious-agenda-of-click-clack-moo-cows-that-type/ This book came in at #39 on the Top 100 Picture Books Poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/01/top-100-picture-books-39

We have a good good rule here at Fuse 8 n' Kate. Betsy and Kate do not judge any picture book that younger than 20 years of age. And with today's episode, Betsy broke that rule. She broke it hard. Clocking in at a mere 8 years of age, it's a bit premature to consider Klassen's best known title as a "classic" picture book or not. And yet, Betsy clearly could not help herself. In the course of things they discuss the fact that this book is essentially a school play, the speed of a bear, and the likelihood that the rabbit is, in fact, under the bear at the story's end. Show Notes: This book came in at #74 on the Top 100 picture book poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/21/top-100-picture-books-74-i-want-my-hat-back-by-jon-klassen/ Then there were lots of memes of this book out there: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-want-my-hat-back Here is the Re-Seussification Project Betsy alluded to, where Dan Santat redid The Cat in the Hat in the style of Jon Klassen: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production

Betsy had been avoiding today's book, not because it isn't famous enough, but because it's on the simple side. 101 words simple, in fact. The sisters get a little silly in the course of things, but boy do they learn all kinds of things! Lawnmower parenting! How had Betsy not known about it all these years? Kate decides that the boy is secretly working for Monsanto. Betsy defends the parents, which Kate didn't see coming. Kate learns all about the germination cycle of carrots. And Betsy compares the boy to Buster Keaton. Which is right. Show Notes: Betsy doesn't mention it on the podcast but this book came in at #100 on the Top 100 Picture Books Poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/16/top-100-picture-books-100-the-carrot-seed-by-ruth-krauss-illustrated-by-crockett-johnson/ In his essay Ruth Krauss and Me, Maurice Sendak praises ‘that perfect picture book, The Carrot Seed (Harper), the granddaddy of all picture books in America, a small revolution of a book that permanently transformed t

Betsy is very proud of herself. She managed to go this entire episode of the podcast without mentioning Rainbow Fish once. She and Kate do discuss Frederick briefly, but how can you not? In this episode Betsy discovers that no one has ever written a fun background story on how Leo Lionni came up with this book. Instead the sisters discuss whether or not Lionni was good at making art with cut potatoes, whether fish have eyebrows, and how hard it is to say the term "Mom pun" repeatedly. If you would like to see the Reading Rainbow where Tyne Daley reads Amazing Grace, here is the episode: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6f5eek For the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/09/16/fuse-8-n-kate-swimmy-by-leo-lionni/

"Nobody wants your bunny snot cake, buddy." Betsy and Kate had done The Stinky Cheese Man on their podcast, but that still left a great big wolf-shaped hole in the canon. Time for Scieszka/Smith Part 2: Electric Boogaloo. In this episode Kate decides to take the Wolf at his word and, as you might expect, she find some holes in his defense. This guy would never be able to hold it together if that woman cross-examined him on the stand. As you might imagine, the sisters have a lot of fun with this one. Show Notes: Betsy just thinks Binge Boxes are a neat concept. If you'd like to see them in action, check out this posting from the Marion County Public Library System: https://mcpls.org/bingebox/ For the record, if you want a killer authentic version of The Three Little Pigs (though it cuts out the weird apple picking/fair going parts) try reading Yummy! by Lucy Cousins. http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2009/07/30/review-of-the-day-yummy-by-lucy-cousins/ Betsy didn't mention it, but she just loves thi