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Fuse 8 n' Kate

Fuse 8 n' Kate

By: Betsy Bird and Kate Atienza
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Two sisters, one in L.A. and one in NYC, both move to the Chicago area and start a podcast. The premise? Picture books and are they really that great? Join Kate and Fuse 8 (Betsy Bird) as they track down a picture book "classic" each episode and try to determine if it deserves to remain in the canon of children's literature. Profile image by Andrea TsurumiAll rights reserved
Episodes
  • Episode 414 - Juneteenth Jamboree

    Episode 414 - Juneteenth Jamboree
    Jun 22 2026
    Sure, we missed it by a couple days, but it's never too late to lift a glass in honor of Juneteenth. Betsy was determined to figure out what the very first Juneteenth picture book published by a major publisher was, and we think we've found our answer. The kicker is that not only did this book come out in 1995, it was the very first picture book by future multi-award winner Carole Boston Weatherford. We discuss double space typing, the "cool aunt" concept, how to design an 80s kitchen, and a lot lot more. See the full Show Notes here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/06/22/fuse-8-n-kate-juneteenth-jamboree-by-carole-boston-weatherford-ill-yvonne-buchanan/
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    31 mins
  • Episode 413 - Frog and Toad Together

    Episode 413 - Frog and Toad Together
    Jun 15 2026
    It's PRIDE MONTH!!! And we've done many a fine LGBTQIA+ book during the year. But this book series, while not considered queer during its initial publication, has since been embraced by the gay community and, as such, we seek to celebrate it here today. Of all the Frog and Toad books in the series (there are four) this was the only one to garner a Newbery Honor (NOT Caldecott... and isn't that interesting?). Today, you will witness a veritable plethora of fantastic videos celebrating this book (there will be ninjas). In the course of things Kate determines that, "I am Toad." Ain't we all, kid? We discuss how Frog falls on the autism spectrum and which story is the one I love best of all. For the full Show Notes, read on here. https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/06/15/fuse-8-n-kate-frog-and-toad-together-by-arnold-lobel/
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    34 mins
  • Episode 412 - Sheep in a Jeep and Sheep in a Shop

    Episode 412 - Sheep in a Jeep and Sheep in a Shop
    Jun 8 2026
    Rambunctious? Bumbling? It's hard to typify the sheep in this Nancy Shaw series (though their publisher has certainly tried over the years). The darlings of the 80s and 90s, "Sheep" appreciation has depreciated significantly over the intervening decades. Today, Kate and I delve into two of the most notable of the sheep book to truly declare whether they deserve a bit of classic status to keep them in the mix, or to be discounted and forgotten to the sands of time. As it happens, it's an ALLLLL Michigan episode here today (Kate, myself, Nancy, and Margot all hail from there). For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/06/08/fuse-8-n-kate-sheep-in-a-jeep-and-sheep-in-a-shop-by-nancy-shaw-ill-margot-apple/
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    23 mins
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