Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Who’s Got the Apple? by Jan Lööf, translated by Ole Risom & Linda Hayward, Featuring Special Guest Star Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic
The American Library Association’s Annual Conference for 2024 may be over but here at Fuse 8 n’ Kate the party NEVER stops! And we can back that statement up by pointing out that this latest episode was actually recorded AT the conference. And not only that, it was recorded WITH a special guest star! Turns out, conferences are a great way to connect with folks you’ve only ever met online. After commenting so well that we dubbed her “the third sister”, Kate and I are inordinately pleased to welcome none other than author Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic to our mic. You may remember Stephanie from her myriad books over the years, though the one I’d personally like you to keep your eye on is Touch the Sky (which has appeared on my Caldecott prediction lists for good reason). Today she introduces us to Swedish author/illustrator Jan Lööf (he, of the double umlauts), a 2011 winner of the Astrid Lindgren Prize. We look at one of his rare English-language translations and talk about whether or not we should institute a new category: Family Cult Classic Picture Books. Which is to say, picture books that aren’t famous anywhere outside of your own family.
Special thanks too to Travis Jonker for allowing us to borrow his podcast booth during the ALA Conference. We owe you one, Travis!
Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, PlayerFM, Audible, Amazon Music, or your preferred method of podcast selection.
Show Notes:
As I say on the show, for certain members of my generation this early Richard Scarry image of the bunnies pulling their mother to a chair to read to them has been ingrained into our memories for all time to come. Note that this particular book is signed by Stephanie’s husband when he was around seven years of age. Fantastico.
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Kate thought that this book had continuity errors right from the start because here is how the apple changes color from page to page.
So it turns out, this was an April Fool’s Day book. Do the Swedes have April’s Fool’s Day? Even the translated words on the calendar indicate that this is the day in question. I have many, many questions about this.
Stephanie at this point mentions a YouTube recording of the book. You can find it here, if you’re curious (and it is by no means the only one on YouTube either):
We’re very fond of the fact that Lööf really knows how cats operate. Here is picture #1:
Here is picture #2:
By the way, the storekeeper seems to have changed clothes mid-book for no particular reason. Kate, naturally, noticed it right away. He then changes his boots later.
The skinless man shown in this image somehow gets flipped by the bank robber (who was hiding behind it) and get the language legible on the backside as well.
Kate checked the math. It all works. Remember, illustrators, someone will always check.
And what’s a classroom without a good old-fashioned organ in the room?
Love the sheer number of things going on in this two-page spread alone.
By the way, this is how much I love you. I had to get under the table at ALA to get adequate photographs of this book.
Stephanie Recommends: The true-crime/ghost story podcast And That’s Why We Drink
Kate Recommends: Secrets of the Octopus on Disney Plus
Betsy Recommends: The Horton Grand Hotel in San Diego
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 Kirkus, 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 BlueSky at: @fuse8.bsky.social
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Omigosh! I can’t wait to listen to this! This was one of my absolute favorite books when I was a kid! But even as a kid I remember thinking it was so weird! I can’t wait to hear what ya’ll thought of it.
I KNOW THIS BOOK was my first excited thought when checking the site this morning. My second thought was NOBODY ELSE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD WILL ALSO REMEMBER IT. Boy was I wrong. Emily Lammy beat me in writing a comment . . . BUT I listened to the podcast first before writing mine! And (sigh) Emily writes from her memories of loving this book as a child.
I jumped to Amazon and was delighted to find dozens of 4 and 5 star ratings and reviews. So much for my thoughts that no one in the world would remember this book. Copies are still available for a price MUCH higher than in 1975.
1975 . . that was 49 years ago!!!!!! Is this book the oldest you have chosen for Fuze 8 ‘n Kate? In 1975 I was in my 8th year teaching kindergarten. WHO’S GOT THE APPLE was one of hundreds of picture books purchased over the years to share with students but eventually willed to a library. Listening to your page by page description today and the featured illustrations definitely refreshed my memory and was absolutely an enjoyable walk back in time. I’m sure when I was reading this with students the kids very much enjoyed the story. I think the question on the last page is perfect. Emily called the book “weird”. I second that opinion. Weird and wonderful! How nice to have a VERY oldie but goodie featured today. Now I’m wondering . . . am I the only one who will leave a comment from a teacher’s perspective?
You wrote about TOUCH THE SKY in the site post and also mentioned it and THE HUMMINGBIRD SEASON in the podcast. I want to take a minute to let Stephanie and all your readers know how very much I enjoyed THE HUMMINGBIRD SEASON. I’m a bird lover but also found the plot description a perfect example of the COVID experience for students and families. I gifted a copy to my rural Maine library and also kept a copy for myself because I believe the book will be excellent HISTORICAL FICTION for those who come after.
Oh no no no. We’ve done much older books than this before! Peter Rabbit, for example, was 1901, right? We’ve definitely done a fair number of books pre-1975, have no fear. But you’re correct that this book has a LOT of love out there. I don’t think we’ve gotten this big a response in a while!
And so glad you liked HUMMINGBIRD SEASON. We’ll make sure Stephanie knows!
I think the shopkeeper is just wearing a sweater when he sells the apple, and he’s wearing an overcoat in later scenes. It doesn’t look like he’s wearing the same sweater, but that’s a big coat, anyway.