Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Amazing Bone by William Steig
We’re back from the ALA Conference, baby! Many thanks to everyone who hung out with us and told us that they liked our podcast. We’ll just start off today with a hat tip to author Eliot Schrefer for suggesting today’s book. It’s one of those rare cases where this is actually a book that I read and reread multiple times as a child. We’ve done all kinds of William Steig books over the years. Shrek. Doctor DeSoto. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Now we tackle one that is very near and dear to my heart. How has it aged? Content wise? We discuss it all.
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:
I mention at one point that William Steig created a character called Poor Pitiful Pearl. Here is her comic self:
And here is her doll. You can find additional information about her (plus a possible lost early Steig book) here.
Our Instagram follower @pipesinkidlit will just be so pleased with this book.
And for the record, I like the mule/donkey throwing horseshoes. Feels like there’s a metaphor mixed in somewhere in there. Do donkeys not wear shoes? Never really thought about it before.
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I would like to start collecting images in children’s picture books in which the main characters looked directly into the eyes of the readers.
Our favorite line. Bar none.
Those these last two at the end run a close second.
There are so many reasons why this book couldn’t really be published today. This is a pretty good example right here.
My current working theory is that this nattily dressed fox is the same villain found in Doctor DeSoto. He has a friggin’ tie pin! And arm garters!!
This isn’t the first time I’m been reminded of George Booth when looking at the art of William Steig. Just look at the details around this ramshackle house. Kate looks at it and sees a divorced dad that doesn’t have custody of his kids and just put in a tire swing from some abandoned tire he found in his yard.
We really like this split screen effect that happens here. And something about this scene reminds me of My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza.
Betsy Recommends: The NPR Books We Love round-up this year.
Kate Recommends: Queer Ducks by Eliot Schrefer.
Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate
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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Nice call on My Lucky Day. William Steig was huge in our house – in the 1970s – and in the 1990s, when we discovered new/old Steigs like Amos and Boris and Brave Irene. In addition to Steig’s unflinching use of vocabulary, someone should do a study of the mores and habits and customs documented in Steig’s work – testaments to changing times. We were also huge Dominic fans – one of the early One School One Book books that has since fallen out of favor, too. Thanks, Betsy.