Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Black and White by David Macaulay
A Caldecott Award winner! It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? When I think of today’s book I think of something David Wiesner said about it during one of his own Caldecott acceptance speeches. “Structurally unlike any medal winner before it — or since — Black and White…redefined the way stories could be told in picture books. And, just as importantly, it did this while being very, very funny.” That’s my bag, baby. As such, I introduce Kate to this metafictional picture book and the legacy it engendered. Today we discuss newspapers, abstract cows, how the book occasionally hurts Kate’s brain, and why it reminds her of the testing she took for her own autism.
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:
Kate informs me that this is the very first time I’ve handed her a picture book with a warning on the title page.
One of our favorite Instagram accounts is Newspapers in Kidlit. I suspect they may appreciate this book on a level the rest of us don’t understand.
Honestly, I used to live in New York City for years. When your train is delayed after a certain amount of time, you are fully aware that chaos is mere moments from breaking out. Extra points if you’ve the wherewithal to give the nearest squirrel a hat of its own.
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Who is “Chris”? Kate’s thought is that it’s a consultant on one of Macaulay’s nonfiction books, but honestly we don’t really know.
As mentioned in our letters section, Christina Hoover Moorhead managed to actually find additional information on John Vernon Lord’s reasons for writing The Giant Jam Sandwich. Here is the lecture he gave on this book. Christina, we bow before your research skills par excellence.
Kate Recommends: The Challenges app
Betsy Recommends: & Juliet
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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Thank you, Christina Hoover Moorehead, not just for the link to that lecture but for letting me know I’m not alone in my canine compulsions—although my habit is more of a cursory sniffing of the rubber squeaker, followed by only a small nibble (ThriftBooks forever!).