“A clear-eyed and often hilarious deep dive into some old standbys of children’s literature. ‘By one measure, I suppose,’ he writes, ‘you are holding in your hands a work of sublimated grief.’ How beautiful, and how painful, and how incontrovertibly true.” - The New York Times It allowed him the chance to hold close his children’s younger selves. His foray into children’s literature allowed him more than a simple chance to re-encounter the favorite books of his youth. He’s got a magpie’s eye for odd and shiny details. His analyses are affectionate and often eccentric. Handy quotes liberally from each book he admires, and he curates those passages beautifully, allowing readers both literary pleasure and a kind of time travel. “ Wild Things is relaxed, discursive, and personal. Literary criticism through the prism of memoir, Wild Things is a read-a ride!-of pure pleasure.” - Vanity Fair “Nothing less than a Golden Ticket into the Whipple-Scrumptious world of children’s classics, where mystical and marvelous surprises await. But like The Runaway Bunny, it’s really a gently obsessive tale, a man gathering up so many words and ideas as if to create a magical stay against his own children growing up.” -Rivka Galchen, The New York Times Book Review It reads as a companionable romp through all the stories you sometimes tire of reading to your own children. Just as almost all kids’ books, with their frequent appearances by talking animals, are part emotional masquerade, Wild Things, too, is in disguise. The Handy children’s appearances are brief but disproportionately memorable.
It is also engaging and full of genuine feeling, and I liked it very much.” -Meghan Cox Gurdon, The Wall Street Journal For parents who are embarking on this phase of rediscovery, for those in the thick of it, and for those for whom it is a warm and recent memory, Wild Things will be a delightful excursion. Handy writes with zip, sincerity, and good humor. “A charming, discursive encounter with classic children’s literature from the perspective of a parent. Wild Things makes a convincing case for reading children’s books as an adult.” - The A.V. “A terrific rumpus of a journey into the world of illustrated and young reader classics. White, Wild Things will bring back fond memories for readers of all ages, along with a few surprises. A clear-eyed love letter to the greatest children’s books and authors, from Louisa May Alcott and L. It’s a profound, eye-opening experience to reencounter books that you once treasured after decades apart. Along the way, Handy learns what The Cat in the Hat says about anarchy and absentee parenting, which themes link The Runaway Bunny and Portnoy’s Complaint, and why Ramona Quimby is as true an American icon as Tom Sawyer or Jay Gatsby. In Wild Things, Bruce Handy revisits the classics of American childhood, from fairy tales to The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and explores the backstories of their creators, using context and biography to understand how some of the most insightful, creative, and witty authors and illustrators of their times created their often deeply personal masterpieces. So how did we get from there to “Let the wild rumpus start”? And now that we’re living in a golden age of children’s literature, what can adults get out of reading Where the Wild Things Are and Goodnight Moon, or Charlotte’s Web and Little House on the Prairie? Offering children gems of advice such as “Strive to learn” and “Be not a dunce,” it was no fun at all. In 1690, the dour New England Primer, thought to be the first American children’s book, was published in Boston. “Witty and engaging…Deeply satisfying.” - Christian Science Monitor “A delightful excursion…Engaging and full of genuine feeling.” - The Wall Street Journal “Consistently intelligent and funny…The book succeeds wonderfully.” - The New York Times Book Review
An irresistible, nostalgic, insightful-and totally original-ramble through classic children’s literature from Vanity Fair contributing editor (and father) Bruce Handy.