Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Anno’s Journey by Mitsumasa Anno

In lieu of anything romantic, what with Valentine’s Day on the horizon, I thought I’d treat Kate to a wordless picture book chock full of more details than she could ever shake a stick at. Mitsumasa Anno died on December 24, 2020 and I realized we’d never done one of his books on the show. The sheer amount of intricate dots in this title would make Peter Sis blush. Will Kate like it? Let’s just put it this way: When she comes back from reading it she says it’s full of, “Duels, clowns and butts!” Everything, in fact, a person might want in a picture book. I should warn you, though. There is just SO MUCH going on in this book that we had to leave a lot out. So if you’re sad that we didn’t mention the love story, the toy boat on the river that keeps popping up, the Aesop fable of the dog and its reflection, the slowly filling painting of the glass of wine, etc. we know they’re there. There’s only so much time in the day.

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Show Notes:

Should you ever be intrigued by the Mitsumasa Anno Art Museum, you can find information on it here.

Thar be the butt. And I hope she decks that peeping tom clear across the page.

You just never know what a person might notice on a first read of this book. I like that Kate picked up on the folks moving from the country to the city. It is cool to compare and contrast:

“Everything’s legal in Jersey.”

I suppose what Kate says is true. When you win the marathon, the expression on your face will probably not be one of glee, no matter how happy you feel about your win.

A spot of Seurat with your children’s books?

Proof positive that Times Square hasn’t cornered the market on cheap Sesame Street costume knock-offs.

Those of you familiar with Kate’s aversion to clowns, rest assured. This book is chock full of them. “There’s not just one clown, Betsy. There’s advertising for clowns.”

A cameo by a fairy tale that, “has a very sad ending if you don’t like turnips.” My favorite version is found in the Lucy Cousins book Yummy. Yourself?

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate