Sometimes in the course of running through the classics Kate and I are in danger of looking at books for kids with too clinical an eye. For example, I might easily forget that Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman is, at its core, a very sad little book. Fortunately Kate’s there to remind me, so we ratchet up the sadness quotient to 11. For the first time we’re considering an Easy Book. Should we have started with Go, Dog, Go instead? I’ll leave that up to you to decide.  You can listen to our latest podcast recording/debate at: https://soundcloud.com/user-745466600/episode-7-are-you-my-mother

Happily, if you listen to our podcast in your car at all, you’ll notice that the stereo setting we were using that made Kate’s voice sort of disappear into the mist is now gone.

Answer to the Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters Question: According to the book Dear Genius, John Steptoe was about 18 years of age when he first met with Ursula Nordstrom. A hat tip to Kathryn Leahey for getting it right!

Show Notes:

• In terms of feedback from Monica Edinger, please check out her blog post John Steptoe’s Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters. Extra Bonus: A member of the Caldecott committee that awarded Steptoe the Honor makes a comment at the end!
• This is the Alison Bechdel book I keep referring to (it’s really good!):

• Here’s what the “party edition” looks like. Sorta. Imagine more with the shiny:

• This is the hen that Kate said freaked her out. I have no idea what she’s talking about:

• Interested in reading the post on my Top 100 Picture Books Poll from 2012?  Here’s the one I did for Are You My Mother?
• Here’s the car that convinced me that this book takes place in post-apocalyptic Cuba.

• Make sure you read the entire text of the Mallory Ortberg Are You My Mother? rendered horrific here.
• God, I love Robin Sparkles (though I still think she peaked with “Sandcastles in the Sand”):

• Not sure if my description of The Big Sick proved enticing enough? Then read the New Yorker piece Kumail Nanjiani’s Culture-Clash Comedy.
• Kate’s not wrong. That’s one big rubber stamp:

• And finally, next time you’re in Cleveland, that Christmas Story House really does exist.