Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Our 250th Episode! Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever

It’s our 250th Episode!!

You know, when we first started this podcast we didn’t really have a plan in terms of how long it might go. Nor did I lay out a carefully considered explanation from the start of which books we would do, and in what order. All we had was the premise, a catchy theme song, and an unending supply of titles to choose from. Case In Point: We have never done a Richard Scarry book before. Can you believe it? It’s true though. You see Richard Scarry’s best known books are (how shall I put this) incredibly long. I’m talking, Moby Dick-long equivalent tomes. But 250 is a special number so we’re dedicating it to a very special guy. Come for the turkey. Stay for the odd changes made between different editions of this book.

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:

For the record, ultimately my piece of art for the Rabbit hOle Auction went for $312. Here’s what it looked like:

Here are the original Flickr comparisons by Alan Taylor between the 1963 and 1991 editions of The Best Word Book Ever. The one that went viral and appeared on a lot of other websites.

Making the “X” animal a “xiphias” in the alphabet at the start is a bold move, Mr. Scarry.

I have a theory about this book. The updated animals drawn later are noticeably less detailed than the originals. Note the difference between this pig and this bunny.

“Nothing about this book is dated. Nothing at all,” she deadpanned. A person could actually pick and choose their favorite dated elements. These were ours.

RUN, PIGLET!!! RUN!!!

And this is why I was able to justify this as a Thanksgiving title. Two turkeys, one book.

We love that this is just listed on the Holiday page as “National Holiday”.

This reminds me of that moment in The Sixth Sense when the mom leaves the room for two seconds and returns to see all the doors standing open.

Accurate. At least when it comes to my desk.

Kate has deemed this one “Scarry Sun”. You remember her favorite Sassy Sun? This pairs with that.

As I mention to Kate, this only shows up when you are so close to the end… and yet so far.

Betsy Recommends: Jill Wine-Banks and her book Watergate Girl.

Kate Recommends: The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate