Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells

This is our 379th episode. We’ve done 378 until now and not one, not one SINGLE title, has been a Rosemary Wells book. Strange? You bet. Well, today that strangeness ends. Not only are we doing a Rosemary Wells book, but we’re doing a MAX AND RUBY Rosemary Wells book! Howdja like them apples, eh? Of course, once we decided upon this course of action we were faced with the inevitable question of which Max and Ruby book to do. The early ones were board books, for all intents and purposes. But the later ones vary greatly in quality. In the end, it was the suggestion of listener Dan that alerted us to an ideal candidate. Today we’re talking dragon shirts, polite toddlers, and what the HECK Ruby and Max’s mother is up to in all these books.

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:

Full credit to Lark who somehow managed to create a cross-stitch bookmark of, I kid you not, cat anuses. SO Kate!

Kate was quick to point out that though this mall is filled with ads and displays for shoes, not a single, solitary bunny in this book actually wears them.

As a new mom, Kate is now very attuned to how baby carriages are depicted on the page. The fact that this one doesn’t seem to have any handles and yet is pushed alongside a bus seems… poor design. Poor design indeed.

In a thrift shop I would try this on. Sure. Absolutely I would. Pickles AND roses? Have you been reading my dream journal, Rosemary Wells?

This is a bit of an odd case. A man walks into a mall wearing a houndstooth coat. Are we too understand that he has somehow just happened to manage to find an accompanying deerstalker cap to match?

Only a few things date this 1991 book. There’s the fact that this is set in a mall for one. Then there’s the little things. Things like this cash register. That object was old even in the early 90s though. Also not entirely certain why there appears to be an image of Max on the wall behind her.

There are just too many fabulous elements to this teenager in the book. Kate and I discuss at length where, precisely a bunny would wear their earrings. Also, the design of this dress? Perfect late 80s/early 90s fare.

Not that there aren’t other amazing outfits in this book as well. Check out this master of fashion. It’s the sunglasses that really tie the whole thing together.

Kate Recommends: The game Coyote

Betsy Recommends: Zarna Garg on the Good Hang podcast with Amy Poehler

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate