Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg

Spooky season continues here on the podcast. Interestingly I’ve never done a Chris Van Allsburg book with Kate for October before. Every year I have to come up with spooky classic picture books, and today’s was a recommendation from one of our fans (that would be our mom). It’s less spooky than it is autumnal, but that’s okay.

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

Show Notes:

Here you may see Kate’s 12-foot-long, handmade spider. PVC pipes, pool noodles and bicycle lights for eyes. Did I ever mention to you that she likes Halloween a lot?

The 12-foot-tall skeleton that Home Depot was selling is not something Kate made up. May we all be worthy enough to own it someday.

If you would like to read Chris Van Allsburg’s Caldecott acceptance speech for Jumanji you can do so here.

Determined to avoid the obvious read of this book, Kate was convinced that this, way in the background, was a UFO.

The bird in the birdbath is saying “Hellloooo!” and the cats are saying, “Hello, Clarice.”

Kate made a very nice point that the very first full face that you see in book is this one (which is also the one featured on the cover).

Does he look the same in this next image though? Kate was a bit perturbed by the fact that this looks like an entirely different man just a page later:

Meet Kate’s nemesis: This pink wallpaper. The pattern isn’t consistent. Therefore Kate’s sense of order has been entirely upset.

There’s a name of this bird: Gossip Gladys. That’s some serious goosey side-eye she giving the stranger, right there.

Meanwhile, this leaf is a backwards picture of a very angry cat.

Here’s the New York Times review of this book Jack Frost’s Amnesia (no spoiler alert, NYT?), written by none other than friggin’ Anne Rice. Who commissioned her?

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate