Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature


Secret lives, scandalous turns, and some very funny surprises — these essays by leading kids’ lit bloggers take us behind the scenes of many much-loved children’s books.
Told in lively and affectionate prose, this treasure trove of information for a student, librarian, parent, or anyone wondering about the post–Harry Potter children’s book biz brings contemporary illumination to the warm-and-fuzzy bunny world we think we know.

 

The wilder side of children’s literature

Anyone whose life involves children’s literature has probably encountered the assumption that books for children are all sweetly sentimental tales of selfless trees and fluffy bunnies. In Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature, librarian-bloggers Betsy Bird, Julie Danielson (also a BookPage reviewer) and their late co-author Peter D. Sieruta thoroughly debunk that notion.

In chapters focusing on book challenges, gender and sexuality, the lasting effect of the Harry Potter phenomenon and other topics on which authors, readers and arbiters of taste have often clashed, the co-authors present a history of the personal stories, sociopolitical debates and subversive details that underlie classic and contemporary books for children and teens. Both longtime fans of children’s lit and relative newcomers will find something to appreciate here, including a risqué image hidden in a Trina Schart Hyman illustration, a discussion of the apparently equally disturbing presence and absence of underwear in books for young readers and varying opinions as to whether or not Nancy Drew will topple civilization.

The chatty, humorous text is broken up by text boxes, “Pushcart Debates” between the authors, rare sketches related to well-known works and, of course, line drawings of mortified-looking fluffy bunnies.

Source notes and an extensive bibliography make the book ideal for university courses, but the audience for Wild Things! is much broader than just students. Anyone who loves children’s books will relish the historical facts, insightful interpretations and wild anecdotes in this highly recommended addition to the literature about children’s literature.

 

ABOUT

Betsy Bird is the youth materials collections specialist for the New York Public Library and the author of Giant Dance Party, illustrated by Brandon Dorman. In addition to writing for The Horn Book, she is the creator of the blog A Fuse #8 Production.

Julie Danielson is a regular contributor to Kirkus Reviews, and in her blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, she has featured and/or interviewed hundreds of picture book creators. Julie Danielson lives in Tennessee.

Peter D. Sieruta (1958–2012) was an author, book critic, and frequent reviewer for The Horn Book. His blog, Collecting Children’s Books, served as inspiration for his contributions to Wild Things!

 

 

WILD THINGS: ACTS OF MISCHIEF IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Betsy Bird, Julie Danielson, Peter D. Sieruta


PRAISE

“The collaborators plow an ample field, and they do so with affection, insight, the occasional raised eyebrow, and great good humor. Theirs is a book that will delight and divert any lover of books for kids and will also inform newcomers to the field, planting seeds of salutary subversion in their minds and hearts. Wild Things!, I think I love you.”
—Booklist, STARRED Review

“Three popular kidlit bloggers take readers on a wild ride through children’s literature that is as entertaining as it is educational… A perfect choice for children’s literature courses.”
—School Library Journal, STARRED review


“Bird, Danielson, and Sieruta’s collection of anecdotes and backstories highlight the irreverent and scandalous authors and illustrators that we all know so well. Told conversationally, moving easily from book banning to social politics to plain old sour grapes, this collection dispels any notion that children’s literature is apolitical and humorless.”
—VOYA


“The authors’ enthusiasm and engagement will keep the pages turning. [F]ascinating… The discussion of censorship is particularly thoughtful, both emphasizing intellectual freedom and considering the problematic nature of classic literature amid changing cultural sensibilities.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Three children’s book specialists gleefully shred the “romanticized image” of children’s authors, illustrators, and editors, slinging behind-the-scenes lore, recalling censorship controversies, and [shedding] light on children’s literature’s household names.”
—Publishers Weekly


“A lively historical survey of scandals and secrets from the children’s-book biz… [T]he gossip is good (and scrupulously documented); sandwiched among the juicy bits are thoughtful passages about censorship, celebrity books, and the perpetual struggle between the reading tastes of children and what their elders prefer for them.”
—The Horn Book

ISBN-13: 9780763651503 / 288 pages
ISBN-10: 0763651508

    Ages: 14–up
    Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
    Author’s agent: Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management

    WILD THINGS IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT:

    BOOKSHOP.ORG

    BARNES & NOBLE

    BOOKS A MILLION

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    Behind The Scenes with Betsy!

    LOREM IPSUM DUMMY COPY This book was created in large part because of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Folks sometimes forget that when the first Jeff Kinney book came out, it was only a mild hit. It was after the second book hit the stands that the kids discovered the series… and went wild for it.

    I had kids coming into my children’s library all the time, demanding something similar. It was a tricky proposition but I had a fair number of books I could recommend. I always tried to include some female funny creators along with the men. Then I started wishing I could just hand over a book with a LOT of hilarious women collected. That book had to exist, right? Turns out, nope!

     

    Reader Stories

    Pepper jack cheesy feet cheese triangles. Jarlsberg macaroni cheese edam cow danish fontina manchego manchego edam. Who moved my cheese blue castello jarlsberg cut the cheese stinking bishop pepper jack the big cheese cheese and biscuits. Smelly cheese bavarian bergkase feta lancashire mozzarella brie queso cut the cheese. Cheddar cheese triangles.

    A young girl chalks a brilliant rainbow on the sidewalk. The author and a reader share a selfie with big smiles.

     

    Awards & Accolades

    A Junior Library Guild Selection
    One of Publisher Weekly’s Best Summer Books

     

    Educator Resources

    Cheese and wine say cheese brie. Stinking bishop emmental goat caerphilly say cheese hard cheese bocconcini emmental. Fromage frais melted cheese cheesy grin cheddar fromage brie rubber cheese airedale. Cow jarlsberg.

    Pepper jack cheesy feet cheese triangles. Jarlsberg macaroni cheese edam cow danish fontina manchego manchego edam. Who moved my cheese blue castello jarlsberg cut the cheese stinking bishop pepper jack the big cheese cheese and biscuits. Smelly cheese bavarian bergkase feta lancashire mozzarella brie queso cut the cheese. Cheddar cheese triangles.