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About the Book

About the Book

Wild Things!: Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature

Did Laura Ingalls cross paths with a band of mass murderers? Why was a Garth Williams bunny tale dubbed "integrationist propaganda"? For adults who are curious about children’s books and their creators, here are the little-known stories behind the stories. A treasure trove of information for a student, librarian, new parent, or anyone wondering about the post-Harry Potter book biz, WILD THINGS! draws on the combined knowledge and research of three respected and popular librarian-bloggers. Told in affectionate and lively prose, with numerous never-before-collected anecdotes, this book chronicles some of the feuds and fights, errors and secret messages found in children’s books and brings contemporary illumination to the warm-and-fuzzy bunny world we think we know.

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.

Wild Things!: Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature
by Betsy Bird, Julie Danielson, and Peter D. Sieruta