WILD THINGS by Bruce Handy, contributing editor at Vanity Fair, is a fun look at children's literature, prompted in part by Handy's rediscovery and enjoyment of Where the Wild Things Are when reading it to his own young son. Readers will be familiar with many titles that Handy notes: Goodnight Moon, Charlotte's Web, The Snowy Day, Beezus and Ramona, House at Pooh Corner, the Giving Tree, and SO many more. The book begins with picture books, moves through animal stories, and eventually profiles books for older readers through late elementary and early middle school; biographical information about key authors like Margaret Wise Brown, Beatrix Potter, and Maurice Sendak is provided with a conversational tone that manages to be both informative and entertaining. Handy's affection for children's literature is evident throughout as he says, "I hope this book will shed light on why we loved the books we loved, and on the social and personal contexts that produced them in the first place; what they meant to their authors and illustrators ..." WILD THINGS, available this month from Simon & Schuster, received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal AND Publishers Weekly.