This week KC and Eric review Eric Carle’s 1969 classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. After The Bagunda summarizes the plot—an egg hatches, the caterpillar eats increasing amounts of fruit, then a chaotic Saturday spread of treats (including the aptly renamed "flat cheese"), gets a stomachache, eats a leaf, forms a cocoon, and emerges a butterfly—they debate whether the story fits a hero’s journey about consumption, self-regulation, and transformation. They cover publication history, Carle’s background and influences, and the book’s design innovations like hand-painted tissue collages and die-cut holes. “WTF moments” include the bizarre Saturday menu and a science complaint: butterflies form a chrysalis, not a cocoon. They joke about darker alternate endings, connect the book to intuitive eating lessons with kids, and recommend it as a must-have bedtime staple.

Timestamps:

00:18 Welcome to the Board Book Breakdown

02:52 What the Kids Say

04:34 Coffee

06:25 Plot Breakdown

07:10 Plot Breakdown

09:55 Heros Journey

13:45 Author and Influences

16:54 WTF Moments

18:12 Cocoon vs Chrysalis

22:12 Alternate Endings 23:57 Adult Food Lessons

About the Show:

Board Book Breakdown is the hilarious, slightly NSFW podcast where two overstimulated parents dissect the children’s books our toddlers demand and ask the question that matters: why is this a thing? We read over a thousand kids’ books a year. Some are sweet, some are cardboard fever dreams from the nightmare collection… and of course, those are the kids’ favorites.

Every week, we go down a quick author rabbit hole, share our what the— moments, ask what would a toddler say? If bedtime stories are breaking your brain, come laugh with us. New episodes every week—subscribe and follow.

Feedback:

What book should we review next? What coffee should we try? Please follow or subscribe and connect at: BoardBookBreakdown@gmail.com and @Boardbookbreakdown on Instagram.

This week, KC and Eric review the 1968 picture book Tikki Tikki Tembo (retold by Arlene Mosel, illustrated by Blair Lent), a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner they call their most controversial pick yet. With help from Little Eric’s recap, they outline the plot: two brothers in a village, one with a long honored name and one called Chang; both fall into a well, and the long name delays rescue and recovery, leading to a “lesson” against long names. They discuss repetition, name-as-identity, social hierarchy, and criticize cultural appropriation and inaccuracies, noting the story likely isn’t even a Chinese folktale.

Timestamps:

00:37 Welcome to the Board Book Breakdown

01:12 What the Kids Say

02:56 Coffee

04:33 Plot Breakdown

08:21 Why the Controversy

11:43 Author and Influences

16:19 WTF Moments

22:13 Alternate Endings

About the Show:

Board Book Breakdown is the hilarious, slightly NSFW podcast where two overstimulated parents dissect the children’s books our toddlers demand and ask the question that matters: why is this a thing? We read over a thousand kids’ books a year. Some are sweet, some are cardboard fever dreams from the nightmare collection… and of course, those are the kids’ favorites.

Every week, we go down a quick author rabbit hole, share our what the— moments, ask what would a toddler say? If bedtime stories are breaking your brain, come laugh with us. New episodes every week—subscribe and follow.

Feedback:

What book should we review next? What coffee should we try? Please follow or subscribe and connect at: BoardBookBreakdown@gmail.com and @Boardbookbreakdown on Instagram.

In this episode of Board Book Breakdown, KC and Eric break down Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. A cap peddler can’t sell his hats, naps under a tree, wakes to find monkeys wearing his caps, and finally gets them back by mimicking their gestures and throwing his own cap down. They test whether the story fits Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey and conclude the peddler is not changed and carries on with his sub-par business strategy. They cover Slobodkina’s background as a Russian refugee turned American abstract artist who preferred collage, her connection to Margaret Wise Brown, and possible influences from her father. “WTF moments” include beyond the horizon advertising, napping on the job, medical experimentation leading to zombie outbreaks, and inflation math on 50-cent caps, plus alternate endings and lessons about retail, creativity, and parenting.

Timestamps:

00:24 Welcome to the Board Book Breakdown

02:20 What the Kids Say

03:58 Coffee

05:48 Plot Breakdown

08:15 Hero’s Journey

11:29 Author and Influences

15:34 WTF Moments

18:36 Alternate Endings

21:37Final Thoughts

About the Show:

Board Book Breakdown is the hilarious, slightly NSFW podcast where two overstimulated parents dissect the children’s books our toddlers demand and ask the question that matters: why is this a thing? We read over a thousand kids’ books a year. Some are sweet, some are cardboard fever dreams from the nightmare collection… and of course, those are the kids’ favorites.

Every week, we go down a quick author rabbit hole, share our what the— moments, ask what would a toddler say? If bedtime stories are breaking your brain, come laugh with us. New episodes every week—subscribe and follow.

Feedback:

What book should we review next? What coffee should we try? Please follow or subscribe and connect at: BoardBookBreakdown@gmail.com and @Boardbookbreakdown on Instagram.