MORE 'FUSE-8-N-KATE' POSTS
You see, there's a bit of a problem with old Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. Most people remember the title of the second book in the series, but are we to ignore Book #1? I gave Kate the chance to decide which one to do, so what did she decide? To do both, of course!
Kate got a dog! A doggy dog of her very own. And you know what goes together well, like peaches and cream? Dogs and picture books. So I had to figure out a classic dog picture book. And lo and behold I realized that in spite of its relative fame we had never done a book about this particular dirty dirty dog.
The old Ant and the Grasshopper fable got the Lionni touch back in 1967 when the four time Caldecott Honor winner chose to put a new spin on an old classic. So how successful was this book in the end? Is it a product of its age (the tune in and drop out 60s) or something that stands the test of time?
I found a nice calm little book and discussed it in a nice calm little way. Fear not, though. There is PLENTY to pick apart. The fact that a Dude In Distress can be simplified to simply "The D.I.D." Who you would cast as the dragon in the movie of this book (which, let's admit it, it's a little weird that it HASN'T been turned into an animated full-length feature film yet)? And how exactly do you pronounce "Munsch"? All will be made clear.
It just seemed to make sense to do a book this week that could kill two birds with one stone. I've always wanted to do a wider range of children's picture books and we haven't done any by Muslim-American (or, in this case, Muslim-Canadian) authors. So I took a look at New York Public Library's 100 Children's Books, 100 Years list (which I still love and admire) and selected Big Red Lollipop. And who did the illustrations? The latest double Caldecott Award winner, Sophie Blackall, that's who.
It's the Memento of the 1980s! Take a trip back in time with me to 1980 on the nosey. An era when children apparently eschewed backpacks for satchels and school lunches were just as elaborate as those in Bread and Jam for Frances. Don't believe me? Then you haven't taken an up close and personal deep dive into one of Kellogg's most famous stories.
And we're back to the classics. So far on this podcast show, Kate and I had tackled only one William Steig (Sylvester and the Magic Pebble). I was thinking maybe we should do Shrek next, but then I thought better of it. It seems to me that there's a lot more fodder in this title.
Last year Kate and I discussed three potential Caldecott winners, and two later received medals. This year, Kate and I are discussing Dreamers, Blue, and We Don't Eat Our Classmates. And as per usual, Kate brings up stuff I never considered before. Questions like, how exactly does Penelope Rex eat her classmates so quickly (does she unhinge her jaw?). What does "caminantes" mean? And does the guy in Blue rename his girlfriend's dog? Stay tuned!
In the course of things, Kate starts looking up what the USDA recommendations are for children, we consider the wackadoodle utensils of the Badger household, what exactly a lobster salad sandwich is, etc. And as Kate points out, this is a perfect New Year's Resolution book because in the story you are encouraged to try new things and break out of your comfort zone.
So I know you're all wondering what elements Kate chose to focus on with this book. Would she like it more than Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus? Less? Well, I'll sum it up for you. We discuss at length the proper way to wash a pure white bra, the genetic dominance of a character's eyes (or lack thereof), and the proper way to pick up a sack of screaming, flailing meat when it is your child.