Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord and Janet Burroway

You may have recollections of this book so vague you almost wonder if it was a fever dream you had a child. Well, wonder no longer! Today we’re taking a trip to Itching Down where four million wasps cause all kinds of commotion. Like a surreal combination of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and maybe Who Needs Donuts?, join us as we determine whether or not it truly deserves to be remembered as a classic or not. Today we discuss the long forgotten Good Witch of the North, the location of this story, and how, for my generation, this book was “a whole thing.”

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:

Evidence That This Book Is Set in Britain:

Example A: They brought a kettle on a picnic.

Example B: The Vespa Vulgaris is known as “the European wasp”.

Example C: Even though they are cutting an enormous slice of bread, on top of the scaffolding they all have little cups of tea.

Extra points for the illustrator knowing the correct way to hold knitting needles.

As Kate says, someone really needs to make a Fashion in Kidlit Instagram account. Shots like these could then find a home there.

We adore this lady in the baking bread sequence who is clearly shirking the work by doing a job that does NOT matter. She’s just really really busy… ah… writing numbers on a ladder?

This person freaks us out a little. Why are they look RIGHT at the reader and why are they so upset? Are they Pro Wasp?

Okay, y’all. I don’t think John Deere makes these. Please note that Farmer Seed HAS A TEACUP ON HIS TRACTOR even up here in the sky.

The book at this point says that Itching Down is no longer “a waspish sort of town.” I dunno. Looks like a bunch of WASPs to me.

Kate Recommends: Munchkin the app

Betsy Recommends: The Holiday

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate