Episodes

  • Episode 413 - Frog and Toad Together

    Episode 413 - Frog and Toad Together
    Jun 15 2026
    It's PRIDE MONTH!!! And we've done many a fine LGBTQIA+ book during the year. But this book series, while not considered queer during its initial publication, has since been embraced by the gay community and, as such, we seek to celebrate it here today. Of all the Frog and Toad books in the series (there are four) this was the only one to garner a Newbery Honor (NOT Caldecott... and isn't that interesting?). Today, you will witness a veritable plethora of fantastic videos celebrating this book (there will be ninjas). In the course of things Kate determines that, "I am Toad." Ain't we all, kid? We discuss how Frog falls on the autism spectrum and which story is the one I love best of all. For the full Show Notes, read on here. https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/06/15/fuse-8-n-kate-frog-and-toad-together-by-arnold-lobel/
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    34 mins
  • Episode 412 - Sheep in a Jeep and Sheep in a Shop

    Episode 412 - Sheep in a Jeep and Sheep in a Shop
    Jun 8 2026
    Rambunctious? Bumbling? It's hard to typify the sheep in this Nancy Shaw series (though their publisher has certainly tried over the years). The darlings of the 80s and 90s, "Sheep" appreciation has depreciated significantly over the intervening decades. Today, Kate and I delve into two of the most notable of the sheep book to truly declare whether they deserve a bit of classic status to keep them in the mix, or to be discounted and forgotten to the sands of time. As it happens, it's an ALLLLL Michigan episode here today (Kate, myself, Nancy, and Margot all hail from there). For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/06/08/fuse-8-n-kate-sheep-in-a-jeep-and-sheep-in-a-shop-by-nancy-shaw-ill-margot-apple/
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    23 mins
  • Episode 411 - Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy

    Episode 411 - Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
    Jun 1 2026
    "I don't hate THESE rhymes!" It's a return to New Zealand today with a local classic that has long eluded our particular podcast. Will the little black terrier with the catchy name capture the hearts and minds of these Yankee sisters, or will his charms elude them entirely? On this episode we discuss books that you have to practice reading aloud, why people give their dogs last names, and whether these specific doggy butts in this book were sanitized for American audiences. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/06/01/fuse-8-n-kate-hairy-maclary-from-donaldsons-dairy-by-lynley-dodd/
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    24 mins
  • Episode 410 - The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll & the Broom Handle and Who Was in It

    Episode 410 - The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll & the Broom Handle and Who Was in It
    May 25 2026
    Episode 410 - The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll & the Broom Handle and Who Was in It by Betsy Bird and Kate Atienza
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    30 mins
  • Episode 409 - Princess Smartypants

    Episode 409 - Princess Smartypants
    May 18 2026
    Betsy promised Kate that they'd do a British picture book today in celebration of Kate's recent trip to the fair British Isles. It had occurred to Betsy that they'd never done a Babette Cole book before, so she worked out which one is perhaps best known over there. Now we probably should have done the incredible Mommy Laid an Egg, but Betsy felt like Kate needed a gentler introduction to Cole's work. In the discussion we point out that in Canada we have The Paperbag Princess, in England we have Princess Smartypants, and what does America have? If you have any ideas of what the logical third leg in this triumvirate might be, we welcome the suggestion. You can find the full Show Notes for this episode here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/05/18/fuse-8-n-kate-princess-smartypants-by-babette-cole/
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    29 mins
  • Episode 408 - Uncle Andy's

    Episode 408 - Uncle Andy's
    May 11 2026
    So folks ask me to do more nonfiction on this podcast, and while I admit that it is a bit of a stretch to call today's book pure nonfiction, I at least think that it's closely aligned. It's not a biography, though. Consider it more of a personal memoir from 1962. In essence, it's the true story of Andy Warhol's extended family, written by one of his nephews. Sadly, James Warhola didn't continue to make much in the way of children's books (though he did make a sequel to this book called Uncle Andy's Cats). We discuss everything from David Bowie's depiction of Andy in the film Basquiat, to creepy ventriloquist dummies, to what you should do if roughly a dozen members of your extended family show up at your door (answer: put them to work). For the full Show Notes of this week's episode, please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/05/11/fuse-8-n-kate-uncle-andys-by-james-warhola/
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    30 mins
  • Episode 407 - Doña Flor

    Episode 407 - Doña Flor
    May 4 2026
    As it turns out, this is the second time we've done a Pat Mora/Raul Colón collaboration. With this book, though, we delve into a moment in children's book publishing history when multi-ethnic tall tales were the name of the game. It's been a while since we've done a legitimate honest-to-goodness folktale on this podcast. They were once the lifeblood of children's libraries, and these days they're rare gems. This book came out during a rise of legitimately tall "tall tales" in picture books. I'm talking everything from Big Jabe to Swamp Angel (both of which we need to get to). We discuss the fact that this 2005 publication came out when books still italicized their Spanish language text. We also discuss the fact that this book can't decide whether or not the potential antagonist of the piece is a puma or a mountain lion. For the full Show Notes please go here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/05/04/fuse-8-n-kate-dona-flor-by-pat-mora-ill-raul-colon/
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    30 mins
  • Episode 406 - Possum Magic

    Episode 406 - Possum Magic
    Apr 20 2026
    It's time to bring out the big guns. The big... Australian guns, that is. The last time we did a Mem Fox title on this podcast it had to have been Where Is the Green Sheep? And the last time we did a Julia Vivas? It was probably The Nativity. Put the two creators together and you have yourself a fascinating tale of a new picture book author attempting to create something wholly Australian for the picture book buying public. Australian Listeners Beware: We do some truly regrettable, terrible Australian accents in the course of this recording. This book would go on to sell 5 million copies, which we think we can count as a success. For the full Show Notes you can read on here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/04/20/fuse-8-n-kate-possum-magic-by-mem-fox-ill-julie-vivas/
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    29 mins