Fuse 8 N' Kate

The name of the game here is A Break From Brats. Betsy wanted to get Kate out of the realm of bratty children's book protagonists, so she thought the world's greatest friendship pair was the way to go. But before we get to that, the sisters do a rundown of the best and worst picture books they've ever looked at. As for the rest of the show, Kate writes down morals for every story in this book, and her interpretations aren't entirely canon. For Betsy's part, she gets to wax loquacious on her horizontal pupil theory of children's literature. Could you ask for anything more? Show Notes: - The Eric Carle exhibit was turned into a catalog, available for purchase. You can find Seeking a State of Grace: The Art of Arnold Lobel at the Eric Carle Museum's bookstore: https://shop.carlemuseum.org/seeking-state-grace-art-arnold-lobel - We just want to say with sadness that apparently with the publication of The Merry Spinster, The Toast no longer hosts Daniel Ortberg's magnificent Children's Books Made Horrific. So we

It's very special episode time! Very special for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that Kate took five hours to edit this episode down from two and a half hours to a svelte, sleek 47:41. It was also special because it features two guests from fellow podcast Go Your Own YA. So a big time thank you to Carey and Marie for taking time out of their schedules. Finally, it was special because Kate and Betsy finally got to tackle one of the big books they've been skirting around for months. That's right. Eloise is in the house and the results are priceless! Along with a bit of random Eloise trivia, I hope you're prepared for a surprise fact. The four women were actually able to locate a joke in the original book that was excised from editions printed today. And it involves dragging a fellow children's book character through the mud. See if you can guess who it is. Source Notes: - Here's a link to the Go Your Own YA podcast which you most certainly must search out: https://www.goyourownya.com/ - T

I don't think Kate and Betsy expected to get into an in-depth conversation about Miss Nelson's cosplay as Viola Swamp, and why precisely she chooses to do so, but that's the kind of podcast this is. Along the way the sisters get into what the Wicked Witch of the West might have been wearing under that dress, the fact that butterflies were angry about the gas crisis in the 70s, and whether or not Viola Swamp talks like Katharine Hepburn (special bonus: Kate and Betsy may do the worst celebrity imitations of all time). Show Notes: - Here's a link to the website that discusses James Marshall's gravestone. https://wandervogeldiary.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/james-marshall/ - Betsy and her co-writer Julie Danielson spoke about it at length at the Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature website here: http://wildthings.blaine.org/?p=157 - The Reading Rainbow episode is completely available here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5laqhx -Here's the New York Times review of There's a Mystery There by

Betsy and Kate would like to offer a word of warning to their mother with this one. Somehow, this ended up being their longest episode. If she listens to this on the treadmill, she might do herself a serious injury. It's a whopping 48:17 (and that's edited down!). I guess it's not surprising when you do a book as long as SCM. And boy howdy do they come up with all kinds of stuff to discuss here. A smattering includes . . . Source Notes: - Here's the Children's Book-a-Day Almanac link from Anita Silvey that discusses The Stinky Cheese Man: http://childrensbookalmanac.com/2011/10/the-stinky-cheese-man-and-other-fairly-stupid-tales/ - This is the ridiculous Stinky Cheese Man stuffed toy. Betsy loves him so much! He is, as she suggested, from YottoY: https://www.yottoy.com/collections/the-stinky-cheese-man - And here's a video of someone making it run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV_7KfCt5AE - Here he is at #91 on the second Top 100 Picture Books poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/16/top

When it comes to selecting books for the podcast, the sisters tend towards those books that have lots of details. And this one, as Kate was quick to learn, could go head-to-head with Where's Waldo in terms of hidden details. Alas, no clowns this week but they make up for it in other ways. Along the way they manage to identify The Ghost of Christmas Present, Chekov's plug, and the degree to which this book is like the movie Splash. Source Books: - Yeah, they never got to Kate's old blog, but it really it was one of the greatest things. It was called How To, How Hard, and How Much and on it she would find online How To's and try to do them herself. There was great stuff on there. Not the gingerbread Tartis, though. No no. Not that: http://katokula.blogspot.com/ - The Naked Cowboy wasn't actually by Adam Rex. That wasn't even the title. It was The Dirty Cowboy (which he just illustrated) written by Amy Timberlake. - The blog mentioned by listener was Don't Read This to My Kids: http://www.drttmk.com/ - It i

What does making sushi and reading Margaret Wise Brown's second most popular picture book have in common? Betsy and Kate are doing both in one night! They're trying to do a couple more ladies than they've done in the past. This week they talk about whether or not this book has Fellini aspects to it, Bunny Protective Services (the BPS), and a furthering of Kate's ghost grandma theory (which Betsy kind of loves but don't tell her). Extra Bonus: You get to hear Betsy's cute little bunny voice, which she only gets to whip out once in a while. Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or your preferred method of podcast selection. Show Notes: - You can read Monica Edinger’s telling of the Margaret Wise Brown tea here: http://medinger.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/margaret-wise-browns-100th-birthday-party/ - Read Brenda Bowen’s own telling here: http://bowenpress.blogspot.com/2010/05/margaret-wise-brown-birthday-party.html -Read the full Show Notes for this e

After promising Kate that they'd do a book by a lady, Betsy had to determine the best possible choice. Her idea was to look on her old Top 100 Picture Books Poll and see who the top women on there were. #1? Margaret Wise Brown. #2 was Judith Viorst and this book. You know, you never know which books are going to provide you with a plethora of information. This book? Kate had to edit every "um" and "uh" out of the recording to winnow the yammering down to a mere 45 minutes. Still was fun, though. Show Notes: - Betsy couldn't conjure up the name on the spot, but the Boxtrolls movie was based on Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow. - Here's the Viorst bio on Wikipedia. Betsy still finds it oddly charming: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Viorst - Is Ray Cruz dead? No, but it was difficult to find that information online. If you look at the webpage dedicated to his papers at the de Grummond collection, they state that "Cruz lived in New York City until his death." http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/degrum/public_htm

Mother's Day isn't exactly around the corner, but this episode is basically Kate and Betsy's present to their mom. She's been bugging them to do this particular book for ages. Certainly that Caldecott Honor in the corner of the cover gives it the necessary picture book classics cred. Show Notes: - Want to see one of Paul's ties? Watch Betsy interview him in . . . um . . . quite the outfit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B31N56s7lFo - For more info on Rumpelstiltskin from Paul's p.o.v. check out this interview on SLJ: https://www.slj.com/2012/11/interviews/interview-caldecott-medal-and-honor-winner-paul-o-zelinsky-talks-with-slj/#_ - And don't forget to vote on the 100 Best Board Books Poll! http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/03/28/announcing-the-top-100-board-books-poll/ - For full Show Notes please visit http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/04/16/fuse-8-n-kate-rumpelstiltskin-by-paul-o-zelinsky

"50% of this book is just depressed donkeys." In lieu of Shrek, Betsy and Kate go with what is arguably the second most famous Steig picture book out there. You know. The one chock full of sadness and woe. Along the way they tackle grammar, fetlocks, sitting on children, and donkey boulders. Lots and lots of donkey boulders. Show Notes: - For more on Betsy's hatred of knitting needles that stick straight up, be sure to check out her previous blog post The Scourge of Upside Down Knitting: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2014/07/17/the-scourge-of-upside-down-knitting/ - Sylvester came in at #55 on the old Picture Book Poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/25/top-100-picture-books-55-sylvester-and-the-magic-pebble-by-william-steig/ - For the full Show Notes, please visit http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/04/09/fuse-8-n-kate-sylvester-and-the-magic-pebble-by-william-steig

Kate and Betsy celebrate their episode yet! Both had a LOT to say about this book and along the way they learn some very important lessons about themselves. Like the fact that someone with a retainer may have a very hard time saying the words "pacifist" and "pacifism". Let's all say "passive pacifism" together now three times fast! Show Notes: - We able to find the Ferdinand balloon! In Wired Magazine you can find a piece called Amazing Old Pics of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with lots of amazing images: https://www.wired.com/2013/11/the-macys-thanksgiving-parade-was-way-cooler-in-black-and-white/ -- Here's the 1938 Disney short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN62cxSs5Q8 - Here's the popular song about Ferdinand as sung, in this particular case, by The Lennon Sisters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q1KmGMsLsk - And here was the most recent iteration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBXVM7oUPVk - On the picture book poll it showed up as #17: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/14/top

This week Betsy and Kate face down their greatest threat yet: Laptop snafus. This episode marks one of the rare instances where the laptop stopped recording the show right before the end of the podcast. Ah well. This particular week the duo takes on Crockett Johnson's best known work (sorry, Carrot Seed) and comes up with everything from arboreal semantics to Ursula Nordstrom as a hard knocks dame to . . . well . . . Genesis. Show Notes: - What truly was Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings? Behold!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyrDS1UvCG8 - Here is what we do believe is the earliest Harold short created. It. Is. Charming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKhKyZgafU4 - And here is the HBO television show. You will note that everything Harold draws can move. This aligns the new Harold closer to Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings more than anything else: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mq4KbIkqpQ - Here's the Glam Rock Opera version. Very catchy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYc-k6MjS-M - Here is w

Our latest podcast marks a first. Yes what we have here is the first time that Betsy has ever discovered that she's been mispronouncing the title of a popular children's book for years and years and years. You might ask yourself, "How the heck do you mispronounce P.D. Eastman's most classic book?" It's all in the punctuation. In fact, we doubt anyone has ever picked apart the punctuation of this book as intensely as Kate and Betsy do on this episode. As it turns out, the female hat-wearing dog's use or lack of use when it comes to exclamation points practically warrants a conspiracy theory in and of itself. Show Notes: - After looking at this particular video of the show, Betsy is pretty sure the one she saw was just a case of poor direction. This looks MUCH livelier! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_To7faUGBI - Be sure to check out the full text of The Ugly Volvo's An Open Letter to the Female Hat-Wearing Dog From "Go, Dog, Go". http://www.theuglyvolvo.com/an-open-letter-to-the-female-hat-wearing-dog-fro

After delving so deeply into problematic picture books in February, Kate and I deserve a bit of a rest. And what, I ask, could be more restful than carnivorous animals devouring small boys? Particularly when said lions are the product of the inimitable and never imitated Maurice Sendak. This marks Sendak's third appearance on the podcast, and the first time he's shown up with a book that wasn't associated with the Wild Things/In the Night Kitchen/Outside Over There triumvirate. In the course of things we uncover a conspiracy that involves Pierre's parents and the lion. I mean, this thing goes all the way to the top! We also debate whether or not the doctor is a vet or not. Feel free to chime in with thoughts on the matter. Show Notes: - Andrea won't take money from us for this, but she does suggest the charity Everytown for Gun Safety so in addition to that, I figured I'd promote it here: https://everytown.org/ - I kind of want to list all the Home Invasion By Felines books out there. This. The Cat in the

Not content to examine just Curious George and The Story of Babar, Kate and Betsy round out their look at colonial children's literature with a rather more serious examination of Helen Bannerman's Little Black Sambo. Not content to consider a single version, while their primary focus will be the Christopher Bing edition, with the original Helen Bannerman text, extensive consideration is given to the Julius Lester / Jerry Pinkney book Sam and the Tigers, with additional thoughts on The Story of Little Babaji with art by Fred Marcellino. Show Notes: - Here is the New York Times review of the play Spinning Into Butter: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/20/nyregion/theater-review-spinning-into-butter-raises-questions-without-answers.html - This is the Emily Nussbaum review that made Betsy want to be a better reviewer: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/26/how-to-make-a-weepy-family-drama - For the full Show Notes please visit http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/02/26/fuse-8-n-kate-the-story-of-lit

Our theme of problematic picture books that deal indirectly with colonialism continue with this natural companion to Curious George. Today's book is notable if only because it is the first "classic" Betsy and Kate have discussed that Betsy read as a child. Will that make her more inclined to like the book or not? You'll just have to see. Prepare for a heartfelt discussion about Blast From the Past, the Babadook, the difference between bowler and derby hats, and the ultimate lesson in retail therapy: "You want to deal with your mom's death? Buy yourself some spats!" Show Notes: - A link to the interview with Jean de Brunhoff's son in the Wall Street Journal. Babar the Elephant Takes His Final Bow: https://www.wsj.com/articles/babar-the-elephant-takes-his-final-bow-1511560164 - Should We Burn Babar? Here's the Kirkus review that didn't find the book all that keen: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/herbert-kohl/should-we-burn-babar/ - Leslie Jones can be found here on Instagram. https://www.instag

About two weeks ago Kate and Betsy recorded a killer episode where they discussed the classic status (or lack thereof) of Curious George. Naturally, the computer ate the whole dang thing. This week they try it again. Kate’s already read the book so they're changing things up a little. Together, they get to use the phrase, “predicated on a lie”, discuss Zul’s hair, 1940s sailor twerking, and the ultimate lesson that white men get to do anything they want. Interestingly it makes for a much more succinct episode. Show Notes: - The real Betsy Bird: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pjU_WuA7pY - Where George showed up on the Top 100 Picture Books Poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/29/top-100-picture-books-41-curious-george-by-h-a-rey/ -Werner Herzog reads Curious George: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T8y5EPv6Y8 - And for the full Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/02/12/fuse-8-n-kate-curious-george-by-margret-and-h-a-rey/

We're so excited! Kate and Betsy take a little break from their usual schtick this week because a week from today is the most exciting day of the year. You know the one we mean. It's a week until the ALA Youth Media Awards where they'll be announcing the Newbery and Caldecott Awards!!! To celebrate, Kate and Betsy find three top contenders for this year's Medal. Three top contenders that all feature light blue skies on their covers, apparently. Show Notes: - The link to the live feed of the ALA Youth Media Awards on Monday, February 12th can be found here: http://ala.unikron.com/2018/index_home.php - The hashtag for the Awards on Twitter will be #alayma -If you would like to see the full Show Notes for this episode, just go to: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/02/05/fuse-8-n-kate-super-special-caldecott-contender-edition/

This week Betsy pokes her head out of the metaphorical dirt and realizes that there's a great big, wonderful world out there. A world filled with movies based on picture books. Movies like the upcoming Peter Rabbit film. So to honor (slash counteract) its debut in theaters, the sisters consider the original Beatrix Potter in all its teeny tiny glory. Kate in turn, manages to find things about it that Betsy has never really considered, like the book's inherent ageism and the Beatrix Potter/Harry Potter connection (warning: it's a stretch). Source Notes: - You'll find Beatrix's description of Dr. Seuss's works here: https://theconversation.com/its-not-obtuse-to-deduce-theres-a-new-dr-seuss-on-the-loose-37970 - As I mentioned, this book came in at #19 on the Top 100 Picture Books poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/14/top-100-picture-books-19-the-tale-of-peter-rabbit-by-beatrix-potter/ -Here's where I did my research on whether or not Beatrix Potter terrorized little Roald Dahl. Read the art

At long last Betsy moves Kate from the standard "classic picture books" into the far stranger "cult classic picture books" territory. But don't they deserve love as well? That's the question the sisters set out to answer. Along the way Betsy discusses her most successful Halloween costume of all time, and Kate suffers through her third day on the Whole30. Show Notes: - I wasn't making that up. Famke Janssen really did have a home invasion and this book really was left behind: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2013/09/famke-janssen-creepy-book-saga-weirdest-gossip-story-of-year - By the way, they don't mention it in the episode but back in 2016 it was reported that Naomi Watts and Jessica Lange were slated to star in The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll: http://www.indiewire.com/2016/03/naomi-watts-jessica-lange-to-star-in-gia-coppolas-the-secret-life-of-the-lonely-doll-259556/ - For the full Show Notes please visit us here: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/01/15/fuse-8-n-kate-the-lonely-doll-by-dare

The crummy weather has determined the subject of this week's particular podcast. And there are few picture books out there snowier than this old Keats classic. Easily considered one of the Top 5 picture books in the nation in terms of fame and popularity, Kate had nevertheless not really even heard of it. Betsy sets about to do some serious sis-splaining. Source Notes: - Here are The Snowy Day stamps: https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/the-snowy-day-S_676104 -Here's the Snowy Day Christmas special with Boyz II Men: https://www.themarysue.com/snowy-day-animated/ - If you're curious about this book, you should certain read Betsy's post when it hit #5 in her Top 100 Picture Book Poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/21/top-100-picture-books-5-the-snowy-day-by-ezra-jack-keats/ -Further information! Here's the link to The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation: http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/ -And here's the link to the Ezra Jack Keats Award: http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/section/ezra-jack-ke