Reviews
Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature by Betsy Bird, Peter Sieruta, Julie Danielson
jobinsonlis's review against another edition
4.0
Light and charming from beginning to end. This isn't the book for someone wanting an in-depth look at the childrens' book industry but if you want to learn about a beef between J.R.R. Tolkien and Maurice Sendak which robbed us of a Sendak-illustrated Hobbit or hear how Laura Ingalls Wilder implied that her Pa may have rid the world of a few serial killers, this is the book for you.
ashleylm's review against another edition
4.0
This was just a fun read throughout. Some of it I knew, much of it was new to me, it didn't feel too bloggy (if you know what I mean--there weren't 100 repetitive chapters, for instance), and I was happy to return to it whenever I got the change (lunchtime, waiting for the water to boil, the bath--those are all separate times, I don't personally boil my bathwater).
Could have done without the sidebars where they polled themselves on certain subjects. If you have nothing to say on the subject (as one of them did at one point) why are you publishing that fact? Weird.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
Could have done without the sidebars where they polled themselves on certain subjects. If you have nothing to say on the subject (as one of them did at one point) why are you publishing that fact? Weird.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
littleelfman's review against another edition
4.0
This book is wonderful. For any adult appreciator of children's books, it's fascinating reading!
erine's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
3.5
A meandering journey through children’s literature. Beginning with books about naughty children and swift punishment, continuing through the lives of lgbtq children’s authors and characters, checking in with book banning, and giving a heavy eye roll toward celebrity authors.
This book was published eight years ago, and since then there seems to be more diverse content in children’s books, particularly with lgbtq characters. But there also seems to be more challenges of late.
This book was published eight years ago, and since then there seems to be more diverse content in children’s books, particularly with lgbtq characters. But there also seems to be more challenges of late.
vossnraven's review against another edition
5.0
I avoid writing reviews for most books I read for various reasons. But I had to give at least a little something about this book.
More often than not, when picking up books about the history of literature, or about publishing, I close them before the first half. There's no reason, after all, for non-fiction to be eye-bleedingly dull, and I won't compromise that unless I simply can't find an interesting book on a given subject.
As soon as I opened Wild Things, I knew I wasn't getting that. I knew I'd love it, and I'd read it cover to endnotes (There are a lot of endnotes, because the book cites a number of different sources.). And I proved myself right, on that front.
Honestly, it never occurred to me to think of many of these books as being 'subversive' in any way. I was raised on Where the Wild Things Are. I loved the Tomie dePaola books. I knew Shel Silverstein wasn't exactly the most loved children's writer in the world, but subversive? Never crossed my mind.
Oh, how wrong I was. The very fact that Sendak and dePaola wrote children's books as gay men was (and still is) amazing. And that's just one of a very few amazing things uncovered in this book. I won't list anything else, so as to save it for you to discover on your own. But I will say this: if you have any interest in children's and young adult literature, read this book. Right now.
More often than not, when picking up books about the history of literature, or about publishing, I close them before the first half. There's no reason, after all, for non-fiction to be eye-bleedingly dull, and I won't compromise that unless I simply can't find an interesting book on a given subject.
As soon as I opened Wild Things, I knew I wasn't getting that. I knew I'd love it, and I'd read it cover to endnotes (There are a lot of endnotes, because the book cites a number of different sources.). And I proved myself right, on that front.
Honestly, it never occurred to me to think of many of these books as being 'subversive' in any way. I was raised on Where the Wild Things Are. I loved the Tomie dePaola books. I knew Shel Silverstein wasn't exactly the most loved children's writer in the world, but subversive? Never crossed my mind.
Oh, how wrong I was. The very fact that Sendak and dePaola wrote children's books as gay men was (and still is) amazing. And that's just one of a very few amazing things uncovered in this book. I won't list anything else, so as to save it for you to discover on your own. But I will say this: if you have any interest in children's and young adult literature, read this book. Right now.
books4days's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I found this a bit redundant with the Children's Literature class I took in college, and the title to be a bit of a misnomer. I liked their well-deserved shout-out to Julie Edwards Andrews in the mire of terrible celebrity children's books, and the series mentioned in the chapter on books kids love and critics hate.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
2.0
It promises to be the behind-the-scenes tell-all about children's lit. I guess it kind of is? But it's also not earth shattering or particularly surprising. I guess I'm jaded, and uninterested in the gossip.
hsquared's review against another edition
4.0
Probably best appreciated by children's literature nerds, this was an entertaining look at the history of children's literature. The book is full of funny stories about authors, books, and the publishing industry. One of my favorites was the story of how illustrator Trina Schart Hyman took her revenge on a bad review by penning a mean-spirited epitaph on the gravestone in a picture of a cemetery in a later book. Nobody caught it until it had been in print, and many were not amused. Kirkus Reviews (the author of the aforementioned bad review) however took it in good spirits and said if they were going to dish it out they better be able to take it. Of particular interest today is the section on book banning and why children's literature seems so often the target of censors. Overall, an informative book for anyone with a love for children's books.