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.
Profile image by Andrea Tsurumi
It's been a day or two since we did a Mo Willems book on the podcast (and you can believe I'm counting down the days until one of those Elephant & Piggie books turns 20). What absolutely kills me is that we did today's title in complete ignorance of the fact that it was recently adapted into an incredible looking stage production in D.C. with a Chicago-based theater company.... which just closed. Doggone it. This book is interesting for a number of reasons. First off, Mo Willems had already done a Pigeon book (square) and a Knuffle Bunny book (horizontal), but this marked his first vertical book. We discuss our future picture book Steampunk Monster, how Sam's got sass, baby Wild Things, and more. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/04/14/fuse-8-n-kate-leonardo-the-terrible-monster-by-mo-willems/
Kirkus released its list of the Best Picture Books of the 21st Century and we wanted to do one of the books they included! So Betsy went to GREAT LENGTHS to get her hands on today's book. Folks... she had to go all the way.... to Skokie. That doggone beautiful library system. But it was worth it! Our very first Lauren Child is on the podcast! We talk about how Charlie and Lola were the Bluey of their day, weird Girl Scouts, and we'll tell you that our own picky eating definitely comes to the fore. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/04/07/fuse-8-n-kate-i-will-never-not-ever-eat-a-tomato-by-lauren-child/
It's the 20th anniversary of the publication of Llama Llama Red Pajama, and you know how we've chosen to celebrate? With none other than Anna Dewdney's own daughters, that's how! Berol and Cordelia Dewdney join us as we explore a Llama Llama book for the very first time. For the full show notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/03/31/fuse-8-n-kate-llama-llama-red-pajama-by-anna-dewdney-with-special-guest-stars-berol-and-cordelia-dewdney/
Remember when I was constantly trying to find picture books with tidal waves in them for Kate? Somebody somewhere (forgive me for not writing it down) suggested we try good old Ducky from 1997. It's been a day or two since I picked up the book, so I gave it a whirl and discovered that it would definitely be an interesting title for the old podcast here. As such, we're talking rubber ducks, plastic waste, cut paper, and shark sympathy on the old podcast today. Also, this has GOT to be our most miserable protagonist to date. Talk about not appreciating the adventure you find yourself on. Oy! For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/03/24/fuse-8-n-kate-ducky-by-eve-bunting-ill-david-wisniewski/
Happy St. Patrick's Day! You know, this year our library decided to reassess their holiday section and in the course of things St. Patrick's Day got booted from the roster. Why? Because, to be perfectly frank, the number of decent St. Patrick's Day books that come out for kids in a given year is next to none. Smaller than small. For that reason (and because we've covered SO MANY of the usual suspects on our podcast already) Betsy decided to turn once again to the classic fable of Finn McCool or Fin M'Coul or however you like to spell it. Episode 307 was the last time we tackled this particular folktale, and that book was Finn MacCoul and his Fearless Wife by Robert Byrd. How will this book differ? Is it better? Worse? The same? Find out! For the Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/03/17/fuse-8-n-kate-fin-mcoul-the-giant-of-knockmany-hill-by-tomie-de-paola/
Kate gave Betsy a challenge and Betsy.... kinda met it? We've somehow managed to do two picture books in a row on the podcast that involved tidal waves. Betsy was charged with finding a third. To her utter amazement, today's book was not one that we'd done before. Time to buckle up, folks! Kate and Betsy haven't disagreed about a book so much in quite a while. We talk His and Her Preciousses, whether or not apple trees are "insufficiently whimsical", and the degree to which Margaret here is off the grid. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/03/10/fuse-8-n-kate-the-maggie-b-by-irene-haas/
How is it we've never done an Oliver Jeffers book on this podcast? Well, that stops today, folks. Kate wanted something light and goofy, and by gum we'd say this book fills the bill. First off, it came out in 2005 (which means it just barely crests our 20-year rule). Second, it's cute and it's what, we truly believe, put Oliver Jeffers on the map in America. Today we're talking about penguins in all their myriad forms. Kate challenges Betsy to think of another picture book with a tidal wave and so if you folks could help her out, she'd really appreciate it. Any ideas come to mind? For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/03/02/fuse-8-n-kate-lost-and-found-by-oliver-jeffers/
Let the record show that Kate cut out a very long discussion of how much Betsy dislikes bidets from the beginning of this podcast (and Betsy disagrees with this choice but, to be honest, it was a kind of an odd way to start a children's literature podcast episode). Today's book, while it does involve butts, is more about teeny tiny babies. We discuss hot bidet seats, what Jim LaMarche owes to Chris Van Allsburg, adorable weasels, and more. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/02/24/fuse-8-n-kate-the-rainbabies-by-laura-krauss-melmed-ill-jim-lamarche/
The world is in turmoil. On fire. In a terrible state. As such, it seemed a fairly good time to revisit a Jon J. Muth book that would go on to create multiple sequels as well as a series on Apple TV. And its topic? A kind of Zen mindfulness concerning the world in which we live. We're in the mood for a little contemplation and this book serves to answer that need. Along the way we're more than happy to discuss what does and doesn't hold up in this book and whether or not it deserves to be considered a classic. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/02/17/fuse-8-n-kate-zen-shorts-by-jon-j-muth/
Just in time for Black History Month we're tackling a number of firsts on our podcast. Our first Pam Muñoz Ryan book. Our first Brian Selznick book. And while this isn't our first picture book biography, we've done relatively few over the years. Old nonfiction picture books age so poorly sometimes but this title had some incredible backmatter, even by 2025 standards. We discuss how this book has "sepia with depth" yet somehow manages not to be boring looking, and how we'd love to be remembered as "fierce but famous." For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/02/10/fuse-8-n-kate-when-marian-sang-by-pam-munoz-ryan-and-brian-selznick/
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
