Fuse 8 n' Kate

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 Tsurumi

Fuse 8 n' Kate is a kids podcast hosted by Betsy Bird and Kate Atienza, with 421 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Betsy Bird and Kate Atienza hosts Fuse 8 n' Kate, a kids show with 421 episodes published.

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  Fuse 8 n' Kate

  Episode 423 - Tootle

  Sep 7, 202629 min

  “If you’re going to Lower Trainswitch / Be sure to wear flowers in your hair…” Today we talk Tootle. Ever read him? No? Well, in 2001 Tootle was the all-time third best-selling hardcover children’s book in English. He’s not as famous now as he was twenty years ago, but that fact made us curious. Why is he so forgotten? Should he be brought back? Is this some lost gem of children’s literature just aching to be rediscovered? We discuss how this 1945 release came out after Ferdinand, but seemed to cast the idea of frolicking with flowers in an entirely different light. For the full Show Notes, read on here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/09/07/fuse-8-n-kate-tootle-by-gertrude-crampton-ill-tibor-gergely/

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  Fuse 8 n' Kate

  Episode 422 - The Butter Battle Book

  Aug 23, 202629 min

  "How do you say, 'You don't start nothin' there won't be nothin' in Seuss?" So Betsy promised Kate that for her birthday they'd do a book that published in 1984 (the year of her birth)... and then she promptly forgot. So on the day of this recording (which was Kate's ACTUAL birthday) Betsy found one they hadn't done before. Written during Seuss's strange didactic era (your Lorax, your Sneetches, and now your Butter Battle Book era) we've never really tackled this one. But we're sure kids today totally get... uh... the arms race. Determining how well this book has aged, one cannot separate this book from its context. But what happens when the context doesn't really apply so well anymore? As Betsy tells Kate, "This is kind of the MOST 1984-y book I could find." For the full Show Notes, go here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/08/24/fuse-8-n-kate-the-butter-battle-book-by-dr-seuss/

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  Fuse 8 n' Kate

  Episode 421 - The Adventures of Sparrowboy

  Aug 16, 202630 min

  Suggested alternate title for this text: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. Our very first Brian Pinkney! Are you surprised? So am I, quite frankly. Even thought we've done multiple Jerry Pinkney books at this point (Mirandy and Brother Wind, John Henry, Little Red Riding Hood, Goin' Someplace Special, etc.) I thought for sure we might have at least done Sukey and the Mermaid or something, but nope! Not as such. Today, then, we tackle our very first Brian P. text, and we're not starting small. This book? It's a doozy. For the full Show Notes please read on here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/08/17/fuse-8-n-kate-the-adventures-of-sparrowboy-by-brian-pinkney/

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  Fuse 8 n' Kate

  Episode 420 - Bedhead

  Aug 9, 202631 min

  "Distinctive and it always looks like this." That's Betsy discussing the artistic stylings of Jack E. Davis. Published in 2000, this book is pretty quintessentially early 00's. Now we have never done a Margie Palatini OR a Jack E. Davis on this podcast to date. Neither of these two have any currently operating and working websites either, so in some ways we're flying by the seat of our pants in this episode. Happily there is MUCH in this book to capture Kate's attention. An oddly mysterious little title. For the full Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/08/10/fuse-8-n-kate-bedhead-by-margie-palatini-ill-jack-e-davis/

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  Fuse 8 n' Kate

  Episode 419 - In a People House

  Aug 3, 202628 min

  Upon hearing that Jon Klassen was hugely affected by this book as a kid (fascinating when you consider how opposite it is from his latest title The House with Nobody In It), we felt it was time to revisit this old 1972 easy book to see how it stands up. Truth be told, we're less interested in the Seuss connection than by the outdated terminology in a supposed book for early readers ("bureau drawer"?!?). "Seuss knew what he was doing with Cat in the Hat. I guess he sort of lost it at this point." We talk about how the book is, at times, "adorably dated," and how this is different from The Cat in the Hat because, at least in that case, the Cat cleans up after itself!!! For the full Show Notes, please read on here: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2026/08/04/fuse-8-n-kate-in-a-people-house-by-dr-seuss-ill-roy-mckie/

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