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November 13, 2017 by Betsy Bird

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett

November 13, 2017 by Betsy Bird   Leave a Comment

CloudyChanceMeatballsIn lieu of a famous Thanksgiving picture book (which does not exist) I decided a good way to go would be to do something food-related. And what’s more foodie than food falling from the sky? This one is easy since it had a film of the same name. It’s remembered . . . sorta. Due to its length it isn’t really performed in storytimes, and affection for it has more to do with nostalgia than anything else. Or is it fantastic? A little gem we’ve all ignored? Kate and I tackle the book head on and find some surprising results.

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or your preferred method of podcast selection.

– The best we could come up with was that this was some sort of obscure inside joke on the part of Ron Barrett. Or just a play on the “Aunt Jemima” pancake mix without having to show the accompanying stereotype.

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–  The tomato tornado has many fine and outstanding features. For example, I think that’s Dorothy’s house on the upper right.

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– There’s also the man in the boat

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– And the Magritte reference

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-Here is the weight gain we reference Note too the killer designer chair (that is somehow pre-1980s)

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– A lamb chop on the antler of the deer

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– Forgive my ignorance. Venison steak is definitely a thing. And now I want some.

– The jello sunset that inexplicably made it into the film:

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– Proof that I have the sense of humor of a very small child:

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– I see dead children

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– This Minh Le post on Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs may be 10 years old, but it’s just as fresh and clear as it was back in the day.

– Fried egg bird and slipping squirrel

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– And, finally, we can buy the idea of food falling from the heavens, but wet bread that’s strong enough to build houses? Now you have gone too far, sir!

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– Giant Jam Sandwich! I say “mosquitoes” but it was flies, right?

– The book really was #75 on the Top 100 poll. You can read the post here.

– Trailer for the movie – Is this the most successful picture book adaptation to the big screen of all time? I say yes.

– Accident by Andrea Tsurumi – Has a very similar tone to this book

Accident– The Daria opening:

– Here’s the “elders react to” video Kate was talking about. It’s censored but I think it’s still fair to say it’s NSFW.

– Better Off Ted – It was the best show with the worst name.

– Larry Wilmore’s Black On the Air podcast. Loving what the man is doing right now.

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate

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Cloudy with a Chance of MeatballsFuse 8 n' KateJudi BarrettRon Barrett

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

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