Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger

Dreamlike and surreal, it may not be as well remembered as some of the other 1980s picture books that typify the era (particularly those written by Chris Van Allsburg) but there’s something luminous about this cult classic picture book. Will Kate be drawn to its gentle peculiarities or dislike them entirely? We talk about how gutsy it is to do three wordless two-page spreads, murder hornets, and what Berger owes to Magritte.

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Show Notes:

The book I allude to that freaked me out so much was The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, ill. Jon Klassen:

There’s something about this image that deeply disturbs Kate. It’s something about going inside but then later having woods on the outside.

Until Kate said that Grandfather Twilight’s pants had an “ombré effect” I was

“But his hands are the same color as those of the Haunted Mansion ghosts.” Personally, I feel like we can’t blame a man for his poor circulation.

Kate was also disturbed why all these sea creatures were so far out of the sea. I say the tide is out.

Here is the art that Patricia Alpaugh created for Kate, including the image that appears in Space Mice.

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