Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs by Bernard Most

We had two people recommend today’s book for podcast consideration, and I’m awfully glad that they did. It’s been a day or two since I last read this odd little 80s creation. Now you would not think, looking at this book’s cover, that you would find a title so chock full of little details as this. But you know what we’re talking about this episode? Clowns! Misspellings! And guns guns guns.

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Show Notes:

Now that’s a happy little 1984 family photo if ever I saw one. Bowl cuts. Ron Swanson ‘stache. The works!

I mention this but I am more than a little peeved that Publishers Weekly never acknowledged the death of Bernard Most this year. That’s so strange that they missed his passing! You can make up for that and read his obit here.

You can visit Bernard Most’s website, still going strong, right here.

Elements that may date this book: The, uh… the gun on the cover might be part of that.

So here’s the thing about Kate noticing that Most misspells the word “Brontosaurus” repeatedly. I think that this is less a case of his not knowing out to spell it, and more a case of him running out of room. Why do I think that? Because it’s clearly spelled correctly on this poster IN THE SAME ROOM.

This is the peril that comes with a book that’s partially black and white is that sometimes a child reader will want to “help” out. Can’t blame you kid. As Kate points out, this is the perfect coloring book.

Also, we object to these magic words. Wouldn’t the logical thing for him to say be ‘Abra-Ca-Dinosaur”. Why the second “Ca”?

Yes. He found a way to get a clown into this book. “Do you know what’s scarier than a clown? A dinosaur dressed as a clown.” So sayeth Kate.

Note that the female dinosaurs have to wear matching wigs. Equality for female presenting costume-wearing dinos!

This is pretty Rousseau-cool. Kate found 17 animals. Are there more? She thinks no, and challenges you folks to see if you can find any others.

And now we have… MORE GUNS! They’re pirates but still.

You know what dates this book? Tons of folks on the sidewalks and no one is looking down to check their phone.

This sequence works because Most chose the biggest and bulkiest of the dinos to pull that sleigh in the air.

This is the most heartbreaking section of this book, because of the implications. You know… he didn’t have to show a small child in a sequence that references dinos starving to death.

Anyone want to set all of these to music?

You can find the Jane Breskin Zalben piece Tootle at Sixty: Staying on the Rails No Matter What right here.

Kate Recommends: Shimmering Summer currently housed at the Chicago Botanical Gardens. Here’s a peek of what she saw:

Betsy Recommends: I saw The Odyssey, now still in theaters!

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate