Stay ConnectedTwo sisters, one in L.A. and one in NYC, both move to the Chicago area and start a podcast. The premise? Picture books and are they really that great? Join Kate and Fuse 8 (Betsy Bird) as they track down a picture book “classic” each episode and try to determine if it deserves to remain in the canon of children’s literature.
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Things get off to a bang when Kate immediately throws Betsy off by calling the entire Harry Potter series "YA". After that things get weird. Sure, Goodnight Moon is one of the best known, best loved, most-received-at-baby-showers picture book classics of all time, but does it deserve the acclaim? The sisters discuss its sordid controversies, the book's forgotten ghost, and the danger of anatomically correct udders. Show Notes: - Proof of the existence of a pinhole camera saltine cracker. http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2017/08/17/solar-eclipse-glasses-cracker-slotted-spoon/575694001/ - The two podcasts that gave us shout outs? First up is The Secrets of Story podcast, created by my very own Matt Bird and his partner-in-crime, YA author and 90-Second Newbery's papa, James Kennedy. https://soundcloud.com/matt-bird-35537727 - The other is the Books Between podcast. Hat tip to Corrina Allen for interviewing me recently. There is a really nice fart noise contest at the end of my episode that I highly recommend. http://www.allthewonders.com/podcasts/betsy-bird-books-between-episode-32/ The link to Goodnight Moon on my Top 100 Picture Book Poll. http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/23/top-100-picture-books-4-goodnight-moon-by-margaret-wise-brown-illustrated-by-clement-moore/ - Answer to The Little House : What book did Virginia Lee Burton create that was ahead of its time? Just prior to writing The Little House, Burton actually attempted to write a book that can only be described as far and away ahead of her time. In the late 30s, early 40s she noticed that her nine-year-old son loved his comic books. The answer? Calico the Wonder Horse; or, The Saga of Stewy Slinker was an honest-to-goodness picture book in a comic-book format. As Minders of Make-Believe puts it, the book was a “gallant though futile gesture.” The Little House was made soon thereafter and got itself a Caldecott Medal in 1943, so there you go. - Here's a link to the Children's Books Made Horrific take on Goodnight Moon (you'll see why we didn't read it aloud). http://the-toast.net/2015/05/14/childrens-stories-made-horrific-goodnight-moon/ - By the way, want to hear some proof that children's books have a weird relationship to cow udders? Check out this story that got cut out of Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature. http://wildthings.blaine.org/?p=486 - Controversy #1: http://www.joshuaprager.com/articles/runaway-money/ - Controversy #2: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/17/books/17moon.html?_r=2 - If you would like to read the Ugly Volvo piece of reader's theater just go to All My Issues with the Goodnight Moon Bedroom. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/opinion/04karbo.html?ex=1291352400&en=7a28d82e45f39af8&ei=5088 - Grown-Up Things We Like: Kate's volunteer event was The Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange. Feel free to volunteer yourself. https://www.creativechirx.org/ - You can reach us at FuseKate8@gmail.com. You can find full show notes for this episode here: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2017/08/28/new-fuse-8-n-kate-episode-goodnight-moon-by-margaret-wise-brown/
Betsy attempts to present Kate with a Caldecott Award winning classic (shiny GOLD sticker and all)illustrated by a woman and finds the task shockingly difficult. Meanwhile Kate delves deep into an Irish brogue, Betsy entirely misses an image of nudity, and they both agree that if you're going to have a sun, have a sassy one. Show Notes: - Here's the list of all the Caldecott Award winners. http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottwinners/caldecottmedal If you can find a really super famous one on there that was illustrated by a woman, tell us what it is (at FuseKate8@gmail.com). The kind that the average person on the street would know. - Here's what the Caldecott Award looks like. Three geese and all: http://www.thesilverpen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Caldecott-Medal.jpg - Here's the music video Kate and Betsy made for the song Randolph Caldecott in 2009: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMIjWQQavcY - For more information on Big Machines: The Story of Virginia Lee Burton by Sherri Duskey Rinker, ill. John Rocco book (which contains plenty of daisies, and zero sassy suns) go here: http://100scopenotes.com/2017/01/09/exclusive-cover-reveal-big-machines-the-story-of-virgina-lee-burton/ - Here's the Disney short film they made based on the book. Sterling Holloway and all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y881yjtFluQ - Kate's 12-point To Do List includes the following: 1. Volunteer 2. Give one gift 3. Read a book 4. Workout 5. Take a class 6. Try one new food 7. Do something scary 8. Go to one new place 9. Call or go out with old friend 10. Meditate/go to (church, temple, etc.) 11. Cook one new recipe 12. Save $__.00 at least - The New York Times article on the death of June Foray: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/arts/television/june-foray-prolific-voice-of-rocky-the-flying-squirrel-dies-at-99.html - Peter Sellers doing Beatles songs sounds interesting, yes? Here are a few examples of what it was Betsy was talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEzJTMf1ZF8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLEMncv140s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAnb1fS1bF0 For complete show notes go to: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2017/08/21/new-fuse-8-n-kate-episode-the-little-house-by-virginia-lee-burton/ Be sure to follow us on iTunes and rate our podcast. Direct all questions and inquiries to Fuse8Kate@gmail.com.
Load up on the Kleenex and stuff some hankies up your sleeve. We wrench out the tears (and the post-apocalyptic hellscape conspiracy theories) with P.D. Eastman's classic text. In the course of things Betsy and Kate also take time to consider chicken's eyelashes, great big rubber stamps, and Betsy manages to work in at least one more reference to holograms (yesss!). Show Notes In Brief: - In terms of feedback from Monica Edinger, please check out her blog post John Steptoe's Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. Extra Bonus: A member of the Caldecott committee that awarded Steptoe the Honor makes a comment at the end! https://medinger.wordpress.com/2017/08/09/john-steptoes-mufaros-beautiful-daughters/ - Interested in reading the post on my Top 100 Picture Books Poll from 2012? Here's the one I did for Are You My Mother? http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/29/top-100-picture-books-45-are-you-my-mother-by-p-d-eastman/ Make sure you read the entire text of the Mallory Ortberg Are You My Mother? rendered horrific here. http://the-toast.net/2013/11/27/mother/ God, I love Robin Sparkles (though I still think she peaked with "Sandcastles in the Sand"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY_bhVSGKEg - Not sure if my description of The Big Sick proved enticing enough? Then read the New Yorker piece Kumail Nanjiani's Culture-Clash Comedy. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/05/08/kumail-nanjianis-culture-clash-comedy - And finally, next time you're in Cleveland, that Christmas Story House really does exist. http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/ Full Show Notes can be found at http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2017/08/14/new-fuse-8-n-kate-episode-are-you-my-mother-by-p-d-eastman
Lest you start believing that all children's book classics were penned by white people, Kate and Betsy delve deep into one of John Steptoe's best works. They consider some of the more problematic messages of the book today, its groundbreaking nature, the history of Steptoe, the most recent Caldecott Award winner (and its connection), and a lot more. And yes. Kate has some weird affection for the last page of every book she sees. Every. Single. One. Full show notes for this episode can be found here: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2017/08/08/new-fuse-8-n-kate-episode-mufaros-beautiful-daughters-by-john-steptoe/
It has taken five books but at long last Kate and Betsy disagree on a book. Who knew it would be the shiniest one in the sea? Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, the book that every American schoolchild knows by heart, is dredged up out of the deep for a fine conversation about Shark Week, holograms, and why sharing is caring.
Betsy brings in a picture book classic that she deems a "perfect ten". Meanwhile Kate attempts to poison her sibling with a Chicago specialty, and the thunder is, as ever, perfectly timed.
In this episode, Betsy tries as hard as she can to find a book that she and Kate can safely disagree on. Things don't go according to plan, though there are plenty of instances of the word "Penis!" being yelled at inopportune moments. Score Thus Far: Betsy: 0 Kate: 0 Maurice Sendak: 1
In celebration of Pride Month, Kate and Betsy tackle the most famous same-sex picture book of all time. How has Heather fared over the years? Does it stand up? Has it become horrendously dated? The sisters hash it out, get a little surprised, and end up drinking rainbow-colored vodka (this is true).
Is Tikki Tikki Tembo the horribly offensive book it seems to be, or a classic worthy of love and adulation? For this first episode Betsy and Kate take a close, very very close, look at Arlene Mosel and Blair Lent's best known work.
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