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Tag: Chris Van Allsburg

October 21, 2024 by Betsy Bird

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg

While doing another Chris Van Allburg picture book may seem like a relative no-brainer around the Halloween season, maybe there's a reason we hadn't done this particular title before.

October 18, 2021 by Betsy Bird

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Widow’s Broom by Chris Van Allsburg

"If this really is the ghost of the broom, I hope it hacks the men to pieces!" We're discussing another Chris Van Allsburg Halloween title and this one has a real creep factor AND heart as well.

October 19, 2020 by Betsy Bird

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg

Every year I have to come up with spooky classic picture books, and today's was a recommendation from one of our fans (that would be our mom). It's less spooky than it is autumnal, but that's okay.

More Recent Posts

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

May 18, 2020 by Betsy Bird

"Candyland is more complex than this game looks." Continuity errors? Devil chimpanzees? John Cleese cameos? Kate and I discuss the book that spurred on all those movie franchises.

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

December 3, 2018 by Betsy Bird

Truly a book for our times. Is there any other picture book out there that causes kids to question what they’ve been told right from the start, more than this one? I make the argument in the podcast that this book is timely. It prepares children, in an era of news that is not always […]

“You can’t go broke overestimating the intelligence of children” – Chris Van Allsburg and the Eric Carle Honors of 2013

October 21, 2013 by Betsy Bird

There comes a time in every woman’s life when she is asked to interview a childhood idol. Put another way . . . There comes a time in my life, say every half a year or so, when I am asked to interview one of my own childhood idols.  Most recently, that someone was Carle […]

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Fusenews: On Beyond Flummoxed

December 18, 2012 by Betsy Bird

In a weird way, Twitter sort of made my Fusenews posts this side of obsolete.  If you want cool things to see online it’s often just a case of knowing whom to follow.  And yet I love my little Fusenews.  Pressed as I am for time today, let’s pretend that these are little tweets: Pinterest […]

Top 100 Picture Books #50: The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

May 29, 2012 by Betsy Bird

#50 The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg (1984) 38 points This is such a great mysterious book. I love sharing this book with a group of students who think they have it all figured out. This book never fails to stop them in their tracks. After we read it, they always have […]

Top 100 Picture Books #56: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

May 25, 2012 by Betsy Bird

#56 The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (1985) 32 points After hundreds of readings, I still cry at the end of this book. – Susan Lang Perfect story, perfect pictures. – Rose Marie Moore This is the second Christmas picture book to grace our list so far.  Now many authors will tell you that […]

Video Sunday: Weirdly supple crystal balls

September 11, 2011 by Betsy Bird

Oh good. Now we have a rallying cry. Bonus.  Thanks to Maureen Johnson for the link. Travis at 100 Scope Notes recently discovered the author video cache to beat all author video caches.  As he puts it “I challenge you to a good ol’ fashioned game of ‘I Bet I Can Find a Video Interview […]

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