Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Stone Soup by Marcia Brown AND Jon J. Muth

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Stone Soup by Marcia Brown AND Jon J. Muth

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Is it just me, or did someone miss a trick by not creating a new version of Stone Soup for the post-lockdown era we currently live in? Sorry, I’m just thinking out loud, but after Kate and I read two different versions of Stone Soup this week (one by Marcia Brown and one by Jon J. Muth) it seemed to me that this story is a lovely metaphor for growing connections and community after harrowing times. If anyone wants to write one now, my last name is spelled B-I-R-D (you can just put me in the acknowledgements, thanks). In the meantime, it was listener Heather D. who suggested that we consider Stone Soup as a potential Thanksgiving title in the first place. She was suggesting the Jon J. Muth, but my own husband expressed shock and horror that we had somehow not done the Marcia Brown version first. Why choose when you can do both? Today we compare and contrast a 1947 version with a 2003 version of the same story. We discuss how war in a region might easily make folks afraid of strangers, how soldiers attack their problem vs. monks, whether or not this is a technical trickster tale, and how that person who just gave salt got away with murder.

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, PlayerFM, or your preferred method of podcast selection.

Show Notes:

Ah… yes. The famous Dutch bagpipe. Okay, folks. Help us out. What the heck is this?

We like the inclusion of the brave little girl. In our opinion, older books are always improved by the sudden inclusion of brave little girls.

If you read the new version, keep an eye on the cat. You could have a lot of fun figuring out where it’s going to pop up next.

As final lines go in a book, this one’s rather fascinating. They just sorta sneak it in there.

Betsy Recommends: The Marvels

Kate Recommends: My apple pie recipe, which you can see here, if you really want to:

Ellen Myrick Publisher Preview: Spring 2024 – Gecko and Helvetiq (Part Two)

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Part two of our useful preview of small publishers during the Spring 2024 season. It only comes but several times a year, after all! Part One already debuted here. Onward to Part Two!

Lionel Is Just Like Dad by Éric Veillé

ISBN: 9781776574650

Surely SURELY you can’t have forgotten about Lionel already? The star of the previous board books Lionel Eats All By Himself and the very European Lionel Poops is back for more and this time author illustrator Veillé is sweetening the deal. Literally. This book is just too friggin’ sweet. In his latest outing Lionel just wants to do what dad does in every possible way. And while I know it’s not scientifically accurate to have a little lion wearing a mane just like his daddy, who am I to resist these board books’ charms?

A Better Best Friend by Olivier Tallec

ISBN: 9781776575732

And THAT, my dears, is how you do a cover of a picture book.

So mushrooms are having a bit of a moment these days, aren’t that? I credit the discover of the wood wide web. Suddenly they’ve gone from being slightly rubbery on pizza to being the sustaining bonds that keep an old growth forest alive. Fascinating. This is a title best described by its publisher as, “Warm and funny story perfect for readers who lend themselves to overthinking.” In it a squirrel is attempting to make a friend. Things go well until a second friend shows up. Now the squirrel, who is entirely locked into the whole one-best-friend mindset, is having some problems. In an era where people are trying to find picture books to help kids navigate the complexity of friendship, this title fits the bill.

It may also help that Olivier Tallec can do no wrong.

My Baby Sister is a Diplodocus by Aurore Petite

ISBN: 9781776575725

Sometimes getting through to a kid about their new sibling means speaking their language. From the creator of the book My Mother Is a House comes a book with a VERY pink cover about a boy who has a new baby sister. At first he tries to play with her, but is a tiny bit too rough. When it becomes clear that the new baby is NOT useful when it comes to playing, he goes into his room and pulls a full-on Max from Where the Wild Things Are. Realizing that they need to give him the words to understand, his parents explain in dino terms that his sister is a diplodocus. Commendable for its positive portrayals of breastfeeding, I’m fond of this. It’s a nice example of meeting a child where he is.

The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist by Anders Sparring and Per Gustavsson

ISBN: 9781776575664

It’s funny, but I was just listening the other day to the podcast Articles of Interest about the history and contemporary state of prison uniforms in America. One element of the show that really caught my ear was when they discussed striped uniforms. They did exist, albeit for a very brief period of time. And why were they striped? To look ridiculous, actually. To rob the inmates of dignity. They were since appropriated by movies and other forms of entertainment, which takes us to this new illustrated early chapter books (the kind of books we rely upon Gecko to provide each year). This is the story of a crime family and right from the start you get to see a rap sheet for each and every last one of them. In this particular story, they’re planning a heist but things go wrong and it’s up to the kids to save the day. Note the shot of the creators of the book. Note the fun Quizzes at the end of the book (Find Your Criminal Name!). And especially note that this is the VERY rare import to garner a quote from the king of funny himself, Jon Scieszka!! Never seen THAT before!

Sounds Good: Discover 50 Instruments by Ole Könnecke, music by Hans Könnecke

ISBN: 9781776575558

Holy moly it’s Ole Könnecke! And son!! You know, whenever anyone starts in with that old trope that the Germans aren’t funny, I think of Ole Könnecke and how untrue that is. This particular book takes you on a tour of 52 musical instruments (the extra two are a bonus). Every page has a different instrument with a QR code, so that you can hear the instrument they discuss. You might ask, why is Ole’s son Hans credited with “music by”? Well, apparently Hans actually plays most of the instruments in this book. And hey! I bet you didn’t think you’d see a kangaroo playing the theremin today, did you? Guess this just happened to be your lucky day, huh? Learn about everything, including a Lur. What’s a Lur, you ask? Find out!

The Observologist by Giselle Clarkson

ISBN: 9781776575190

This is a book that’s entirely about mounting an exhibition and if Ellen Myrick (who presented this book to me) wants anything it’s that a Table of Contents Awards (A) exist and (B) go to this book. Shows how you need to pay attention to the tiny world beneath your feet or in the water or wherever. But what’s inside this book? Pages that shows that puddles are rife with life. Information on how to start a collection that doesn’t involve killing the critter you collect. Aural observology on what you hear (dragonfly vs. mosquito vs. bee). And near the end, my pet personal section consisting of a very good explanation on how to relocate a spider and how to save a moth from drowning (I didn’t know this one at all!).

Extraordinary Eyeglasses by Caroline Stevan, ill. Francois Vigneault

ISBN: 9781776575190

What’s going to be hot in the works of children’s literature in 2024? Would you believe… spectacles? Apparently eyeglasses are gonna be very in next year, and this book is a great way to kick all of that off. It’s a nonfiction title that’s just chock full of info and overflowing with facts. It is a little odd that considering how many people wear glasses, we’ve had approximately zero children’s books centered on that. Welp, expect that to change and soon.

Squirrels! This Is Not a Book About Dinosaurs by Melina Schoenborn and Felipe Arriagada-Nunez, translated by Jeffrey K. Butt

Why the confusion with the title? Well, I think we all know that dinos are in a LOT of picture books for kids. In this story, a squirrel is dead set on having a book of its own, but a pesky dinosaur keeps butting in, trying to steal the story. Fortunately the squirrel will not stand for any of that nonsense. I like this note I heard about this book: “Sometimes you have to be persistent to get your story heard!” Yep!

And that’s all she wrote for today, folks. Stay tuned for next week when I do a deep dive into more publishers with more books coming out next year!

Justice for Pterosaurs: Tas Mukanik Guest Posts

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Folks, you may have noticed that I haven’t been posting a lot of reviews lately. The fact of the matter is that once the end of the year rolls around, I begin to lose a bit of steam. That means that there are going to be loads of amazing 2023 books that I just wasn’t able to bring to your attention. Titles like Lost Time, the incredible middle grade graphic novel that has everything from time travel to baby pterosaurs to . . . well, here’s a description:

“Jurassic World meets How to Train Your Dragon in this gorgeously drawn, adventure-packed middle grade graphic novel about a girl who gets trapped 65 million years in the past and must learn to survive with only her wits…and the pterosaur she befriends.

Twelve-year-old Evie didn’t mean to get lost—especially in the Cretaceous period! Now she’s alone, without her parents or anyone else to turn to for help. That is until she rescues a baby pterosaur and raises it on her own. As the baby grows into a giraffe-sized flying reptile, which Evie names Ada, the two manage to to find a way to survive in the prehistoric wilderness.

But Evie will have to risk everything when she makes a discovery that may just be her only chance of returning home. Putting Ada’s flying skills to the ultimate test, the duo must embark on a journey halfway across the world—battling all nature throws at them, from fearsome dinosaurs to raging storms. Will Evie manage to overcome all the odds and find a way back to her family… or is she truly lost in time?”

It is legitimately a ton of fun. A good old-fashioned survival tale and a fun book to boot. So when Penguin Young Readers asked if I might like to host a guest post by creator Tas Mukanik, I said yes and please.

So on that note, please join me in welcoming Tas and her piece on dino fascination:

Tas Mukanik

Like a lot of kids, I had a big dinosaur phase. I mean, who can blame them for having one? Here are some incredible giant reptiles, the perfect fuel for scaly movie monsters, but for once these monsters were actually real. I grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, where dinosaurs had a huge boom thanks to Jurassic Park and subsequent dinosaur media. And I certainly won’t lie that the scary movie monster variety of dinosaur pulled me in, and to this day I still enjoy a good exciting dino-monster. But it was the media that gave me insight on how these were real animals that really kept me plugged in to learning about dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, such as the enigmatic pterosaurs.

My biggest dinosaurian obsession as a kid was BBC’s Walking With Dinosaurs, which used state of the art CGI of the time and practical effects to present a nature documentary about prehistoric animals. I was hooked on it—my parents taped it and I lovingly watched those tapes over and over. It was that show that had me saying my favourite dinosaur was Leaellynasaura, much to my poor teacher’s attempts to try and spell it for me. I also grew up in Alberta, which meant I was lucky enough to have frequent trips to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, one of Canada’s most extensive dinosaur museums. I was drenched in dinosaur stuff. I ate it all up.

However, I also loved the fantastical, and dinosaurs were no stranger to that either, being so entwined with kids and learning. It was just as often you’d find an educational dinosaur book next to a cute kid’s book involving cartoon dinosaurs brushing their teeth. It was the fantasy that always drew me in—I would pour over the works of James Gurney in his Dinotopia books, where humans interacted and rode dinosaurs in lush painted artworks. I think that’s where I really found the love for pterosaurs, as they were featured prominently in those books, which was oddly rare when it came to any prehistoric media.

Pterosaurs, or pterodactyls, are often mistakenly called dinosaurs. Which to be fair, they did live and die out with the non-avian dinosaurs, and although they aren’t a part of the dinosaur family tree, they’re closely related—kinda like the weird flying cousins. But where dinosaurs have had a renaissance lately, in terms of updating their visage in popular media to be more accurate to what we now know, pterosaurs often lagged behind. They’re like… the B-side of prehistoric creatures. Usually the set dressing, just to have something flying around in the skies. Which I don’t think does them any justice. They were just as unique, if not even stranger, than their dinosaurian cousins too.

If you say “pterodactyl” the picture you probably bring up is a weird scaly or leathery bat-like prehistoric creature, usually with a crest, maybe with teeth and claws. In fact, pterosaurs were likely coated in fluff, and had a very diverse range of appearances and sizes. Some were barely as big as your hand, with frog-like mouths. Some had tall crests that were larger than their own bodies. And some were as big as fighter jets. They were also the first vertebrates to learn to fly, and unlike the modern-day dinosaurs, birds, they walked around on all four legs.

I chose Evie to ride a pterosaur in Lost Time to bring some of that fun insight to life. Ada is a Quetzalcoatlus, which was one of the biggest pterosaurs, and likely one of the largest creatures to fly ever. When I was a kid, giant pterosaurs like Quetzalcoatlus were thought to have been sluggish, and needed to dive off of large cliffs just to get airborne. But this was based on what we knew about birds, and what the largest of birds need to take off. Modern research into pterosaurs has given us a new updated view of them as more active creatures, who could take off on their own power. Of course, perhaps that’s even more terrifying to know that a giraffe-sized flying reptile can take off into the air with just a little push of its legs.

To me, learning about dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures is always a fun journey. Every year new research comes out, and every decade it seems we have more and more understanding, upturning everything we knew before. Even in my own fantastical stories about dinosaurs, I want to foster that fun imagination in what we believe now, and what more we can learn. So much has changed since I was young, and it’s great to see how new media reflects it, too. Apple’s Prehistoric Planet is a new generation’s Walking With Dinosaurs, and includes a lot of wonderful focus and updated depictions of pterosaurs. I also think it just opens the door to so much more interesting ways to design them: we’ve seen the same reptilian dinosaurs and pterosaurs for decades, but what if we could make them weirder and fuzzier? Not only is it unique, it’s also more accurate to what we know!

Not everyone is going to be interested in the educational stuff, but I don’t think that means it should be entirely excluded from the fantasy. Because dinosaurs, and all their weird cousins—they were real animals at one point. To me, that makes them so much more tangible, and exciting, than just any old monster.

Huge thanks to Tas for this piece and to Jenna Smith and the folks at Penguin Young Readers for proposing it. Tas Mukanik is a queer artist best known for her YA and adult self-published works, such as The Sanity Circus and Paint the Town Red. She has a keen interest in drawing fun characters with big expressions, as well as a fascination with birds, nature, and prehistoric life. Lost Time is her debut middle grade graphic novel. Originally from Alberta, she now lives in Montreal, where she and her partner jointly run Windy & Wallflower, an online business. You can see more of her work at windywallflower.com.

Lost Time is now out on bookstore and library shelves everywhere. Be sure to grab yourself a copy whenever you have a moment!

The Scourge of Upside Down Knitting Needles: 2023 Edition

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Thaaaaaat’s right! It’s time for the Stupid Hill I’d Die On edition of everyone favorite petty post! We all have relatively ridiculous things that we get upset about. Whether it’s the aspect ratio on a television or the proper placement of a soup spoon, everyone has that little something that they care about more than they probably should.

Me? The correct positioning of knitting needles in picture books.

So let’s get the usual caveats out of the way. Does this matter in the long run? No. Does anyone else care besides me? Doubtful. But will I keep posting these ridiculous posts every single year?

You betcha, baby.

And before you start telling me that obscure Scottish grandmothers once used this technique in the 1930s, I will remind you that relatively few of these picture books are set in 1930s Scotland, and feature grandmothers. So none of that, now. Knitting is not a complicated procedure. There is a right and a wrong way to do it, but even the most accomplished illustrator will often eschew basic research (I mean, literally, all you have to do is Google an image of someone knitting) in favor of making those knitting needles look like they’re the antennae on an old school television set.

Before I get into the 2023 books that, for good and for ill, earned either my ardor or abhorrence, this year I have a bit of a treat for you. While in Italy for the 2023 Bologna Book Festival I happened to mention my I Would Die On This Hill stance on needle placement to a bunch of folks from Gecko Press. Ms. Rachel Lawson remembered this conversation and subsequently found the following images as she traversed the fair.

The moral of the story? America is not alone in its confusion over how to hold a needle. As you can see here, it’s a worldwide predicament (though some folks clearly know what they are doing!):

Wrong
Wrong
RIGHT!
Correct!
Passable

And now, one and all, please join me as I round up the books of 2023 and their knitting needles. The good. The bad. And the what-the-heck-were-you-thinking?!?! At the end of this post we’ll tally them all up and see whether more people knew how to illustrate knitting correctly or incorrectly in 2023.

Before we officially begin, I would like to ask you to set aside your preconceived notions of who may or may not illustrate knitting needles correctly. Often you will find it will have little to do with nationality, medium, talent, or artistic background. It is, as you shall see, a truly random process.

First up, I’ll begin with the first book I saw this year to display knitting in some form:

Well done, Frank. Well done, indeed. That’s some nice knitting there.

So you see, right from the start I thought we were on the right foot.

How wrong I was. But not at first.

Yes! Olivier Tallec for the win! Duck’s even wrapped a little of the yarn around his finger/feathers in a realistic manner. Well done!

Aaaaand…. it couldn’t last. Doggone it. This one really hurt. I’m a fan of this French-Canadian import, so to see Goldstyn completely drop the ball on the knitting needles? Ow, man. Ow.

Shoot. I love Ashley Spires. Totally thought that this one would have the knitting needles placed correctly but . . . no go. *sigh* Perhaps ants have too many limbs to get it correct?

He may be a relunctant hero, but there’s nothing reluctant in his knitting abilities. Look at that lovely placement of the needles. It just looks right.

I’m sorry, did you miss the nonfiction historical picture book about when Icelandic women walked out of their homes to march for equal rights? Well, there’s nothing else like it on the American literary front. There’s something just the tiniest bit off with this image of a girl knitting, but since the needle’s end points downward, I think it’s all right.

Board book alert!! And is it just me, or is Alma’s aunt literally the coolest person you’ve ever seen in a book for preschoolers? Martinez-Neal really plays up not just the needles but a bit of the stiching the two have been doing. This one was a vast relief.

For anyone who has ever knit a scarf, the brother’s dedication to his rainbow scarf here is not only accurate but extensive. It looks like he finished a row and hasn’t started another yet, and that is fine.

Oh boy. So this is another board book series, and a delight one, I must say. I confess that sometimes I do have a weird affection for books that get knitting SO WRONG that you just kind of have to throw up your hands and go along with whatever weird streak held sway in the illustrator’s brain that day. Those of you who know how to knit, look long and hard at the mole’s hat here. Now please tell me, how and why are those two pieces of yarn attached to the back of this hat?

Sometimes a character will dislike an activity so much that you begin to suspect that dislike of affecting the book’s illustrator. How else to explain what precisely it is that this young woman is doing. Cause it sure as heck isn’t knitting!

On the one hand, the knitting needles are 100% pointed in the right direction. On the other, I’m not entirely certain how the yard of whatever is being knit in this image is attached to those aforementioned needles. It looks a bit floaty.

Gol durn it. This is a fun quirky book, but whatever it is that grandmama is doing here, I assure you that it isn’t knitting.

I really do like this one. I believe it’s Japanese and that little mouse definitely knows how to cast on and cast off. So cute.

Board book again. And . . . nope. So much with the nope. Nope nope nope.

Matt Tavares put knitting into his debut graphic novel this year and not only did he put knitting with correct needle placement into this book, he put it in several times! That’s the kind of dedication we like to see, people.

It’s funny. In spite of the sheer number of knitting-related images in picture books this year, very few made that the focus of the story. This was one of the few, and if you like sweater stories, I highly recommend it. Plus, this has the added extra benefit of showing someone trying to knit while a cat chews on their work.

The knitting in this one is very difficult to see and rather tiny, but in spite of the questionable hand positioning I think it’s going in the right direction.

Love the scarf she’s making and the knitting needles. The book is about an exceedingly hot day, so I think this image shows pretty clearly one way of knitting without having to touch the wood yourself directly.

First, this is 100% one of my favorite graphic novels of 2023. Second, that is in spite of the fact that this “knitting” sequence appears in the book. Maybe it’s supposed to be magic? I’m just going to assume as such.

Are those little stars at the end of this hedgehog’s knitting needles? If so, he should win awards not simply for correct placement, but for blinging up his craft supplies too.

With thanks to Cara Frank for alerting me

Doggone it. No, they weren’t even trying with this one. It looks like they’re delicately stabbing a shapeless sweater with two sticks.

It’s always so interesting to me how one book with cartoonish images can still be more accurate in something as basic as knitting than the books with a more realistic bent.

Isn’t that a great title? Alas that the knitting doesn’t live up to the premise.

They may lack digits and opposable thumbs but these cold-weather birds know how to knit when weather permits. Plus I love the one holding out a skein of yarn.

This one falls into the category of knitting in only the vaguest sense of the term. Maybe it’s modern art instead.

And now, an apology to whatever this book is. I kept the image but have long since forgotten the title:

If you recognize it, please let me know because that knitting is choice!

And now for the Crochet Hook Honorable Mentions:

Reader Margaret had this to say about this image: “The K-Fai Steele illustration looks like Tunisian crochet to me, and deserves extra credit for depicting a less generally-known technique.” One gold medal to K-Fai then!

This was the only other crochet-related picture book I was able to find this year. It’s always so interesting to me how common knitting is in picture books and how rare crocheting is.

And the final score at the end of the day is . . .

2023 Children’s Books with Correct Knitting Needle Placement: 17

2023 Children’s Books with Incorrect Knitting Needle Placement: 10

Correct knitting needles for the win! They swept it this year! But don’t get cocky. In 2024 the baddies might take the title back. Stay tuned!

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse! by George Mendoza, ill. Doris Susan Smith

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For the very first time in the history of this podcast, we have taken a request… from a publisher. That’s right! You know as well as I do that there are reprinted picture books coming out all the time. Well, New York Review of Books sort of specializes in that industry. Their Children’s Collection division has a tendency to find old and shockingly beautiful titles worth bringing back to life. And this year, in 2023, they decided to do a book that is so lovely, so strange, and so original that I absolutely fell in love with it when I saw it a couple months ago. Then, recently, they asked if I might be interested in ever featuring one of their books? Since I’d already fallen, and hard, for this remarkable little title, what choice did I have? And so, it may not be the most famous book we’ve ever done on the show, but I suspect that it may remain one of the most memorable. There are very few interior designer picture books, so we get into the weeds. Plus I get to mention Le Corbusier (all thanks to that one design class I took in college). But the most important thing of all? After you finish reading this you are fully convinced that the illustrator had fun with this book. We sure as heck did.

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, PlayerFM, or your preferred method of podcast selection.

Show Notes:

Actually, I’m not kidding about the whole Who Is Doris Susan Smith thing. Have any of you, ANY OF YOU, (I’m looking at you, Nick Bruel) ever met her, heard of her, or know anything about her at all? Info, people, I’m seeking INFO!

We like that there’s this shot of food under the desk where Ms. Mouse works. It’s a very realistic detail. For those of us that eat our own lunches at our own desks, this rang true.

Kate liked the amount of lighting in Ms. Mouse’s home and, almost more to the point, the thought that went into its placement.

Adore her sound system. Very familiar to this 80s child. And we all remember those chairs, right?

As Kate pointed out, this is the second week in a row that I’ve given her a book about a fox who likes to work out. We speculate as to whether or not, if this book were to come out today, he’d be more into Peleton or Occulus.

The book I refer to about the beaver builders (and yet do not name) is the incredible A House in the Woods by Inga Moore. One of my favorites of all time.

This is why I find it so strange that the beavers are constructing a greenhouse when I’d think their strengths would lie in water-based construction. Maybe they’re doing the plumbing?

Am I the only one disturbed by the fact that the caterpillar’s home is its… chrysalis? Maybe that’s just a euphemism or something. Otherwise… *shudder*

Kate thought the Bear had a bong. Not so sure about that one.

And she was even more suspicious of the “vase” in Frog’s home.

Kate asked me what my favorite house in this book might be. I dunno, but I’m rather charmed by Spider’s pad. It has an Eames chair and everything!

Kate Recommends: A Wonderful World and Company in Chicago

Betsy Recommends: Loki Season 2 and Holiday Baking Championship. Both are back, baby!

Cover Reveal: World More Beautiful: The Life and Art of Barbara Cooney by Angela Kunkel, ill. Becca Stadtlander

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If you’re a creator of books for children, you are obligated to go face-to-face with your fans on a regular basis. And if you are, say, doing a school visit you will find that the kids there have sometimes been instructed by their teachers to ask you questions. And the question you most often receive? “Where do you get your ideas?”

It’s such a tricky thing to answer. Sometimes you’ll have the perfect origin story at hand. It might involve false starts, drama, and humor. Other times you’ll have to confess that the idea kind of came out of the ether. And sometimes you’ll tell the kids that you got the idea from a podcast you were listening to. There’s no shame in that. I’ve bandied about many science-related ideas for books from the podcasts I follow (and I am STILL waiting for someone to write that CRISPR picture book, people). Other folks enjoy history podcasts and that’s where they get their ideas.

And then there are the people who get ideas from children’s literature podcasts.

Specifically the podcast Fuse 8 n’ Kate.

Even more specifically still, MY podcast with my sister.

I received the following email the other day from author Angela Burke Kunkel (author of this year’s incredible Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schon, and Some Very Famous Ducklings):

The idea for this picture book bio started way back in 2020 when I listened to your Fuse 8 n’ Kate episode on Miss Rumphius. I originally started researching Hilda Hamlin, the real “Lupine Lady,” but for many reasons the book shifted to become a biography of Cooney instead…. The podcast really was the start of it— I was driving around Vermont, maybe delivering things to students if I remember correctly?

Pro-tip, this is a very effective way to get someone’s attention.

I probably don’t need to tell you that this has never happened to me before. I’ve randomly led people to picture book ideas, sure (this year’s Jerry Changed the Game! How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever mentions me briefly in the back because author Don Tate saw a tweet of mine about Jerry and got inspired) but never ever because of my podcast. Needless to say, Kate and I are totally flabbergasted and honored. And when Angela said she’d let me premiere the cover of her book on my site? Well, you can bet I jumped all over that.

So for all you Barbara Cooney fans out there, check out this cover and some of the interiors they’re releasing on Edelweiss:

You may have noticed that the art certainly evokes the style of Ms. Cooney herself. That’s thanks to artist Becca Stadtlander, the artist behind (amongst many other things) Mr. McCloskey’s Marvelous Mallards. I just can’t help but love that two women who separately worked on picture book bios of Robert McCloskey are now coming together to create a book about Barabara Cooney.

World More Beautiful doesn’t release until August 13, 2024, but you’ll be able to start the pre-orders next week on November 13th, have no fear. And believe me. This one is worth the wait.