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February 1, 2021 by Betsy Bird

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang

February 1, 2021 by Betsy Bird   Leave a Comment

Are you ready for a thoughtful consideration of some very angry feelings? YES YOU ARE! Or, at the very least, I was. This week I show Kate a book that, in many ways, really inspired the plethora of books about strong emotions (and how to deal with them) that so many books replicate today. I think a lot of us are feeling like Sophie these days. It’s funny how you can not think directly about a book for a long time and then see it and suddenly have wild opinions about it. But are my opinions pro or con? Are Kate’s? There are many thoughts swirling around this title. Take a listen and see what ours are.

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

Show Notes:

Here is the aforementioned heckuva good website that Ms. Molly Bang runs, particularly the part about Sophie.

Ode to a chill cat. Note the cool purple outlines, indicating how little it is perturbed by this scene. I have cats like this. A kid could literally be screaming bloody murder not a foot away and the cat will be looking on with an expression of bored disinterest.

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“What’s all this now? Pip pip?”

This is the “exorcist” picture that Kate alludes to. It is also, coincidentally, my favorite image in the entire book. It just oozes truth to me.

Here you will find Kate’s one-eyed mouse. And I would like to reiterate that that is CLEARLY the same mouse we last saw in Goodnight Moon. I mean, look at it!

No, Sophie! Run! There’s an enormous amoeba approaching from behind! Can’t be a rock after all. It has purple feelings.

We are attempting to figure out her sister’s feelings on this one. On the one hand we can choose to believe the text when it says that everyone (including sis) is happy to see Sophie come home. But siblings can be complicated. Somehow, in spite of the fact that much of the inciting incident of this book focuses on the relationship between two sisters specifically, Kate and I never drew any direct lines to our own relationship. Hmmm.

After considering this image, Kate came to the conclusion that it is possible that this is an image of the Westward, Seattle’s most famous yacht in Friday Harbor, WA. It can house eight guests at a time! This is probably not an image of it, but it’s fun to wonder where Ms. Bang came up with the name.

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate

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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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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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