This was an interesting take on the lies that parents tell kids. I was once a kid, and I have a lot of siblings but a majority of these lies were really weird, somewhat scary and I had never heard at all. There were a handful that I recognized but most were very left-field for me.


Each lie comes with text and then a drawing of the lie. The drawings were awesome and very fun, but the lies were so strange. Who tells their kids that spiders eat people? Wouldn't that have the opposite effect of what you are trying to do?... maybe I just need a kid to understand a few of these. They might be satirical too and I just missed that - it is possible.

The illustrations gave this book an extra star for me, otherwise I was not too impressed.

Except for a couple of the 'lies', I've never heard of any of them. To be honest, I like feel some would seem too violent to even say to kids. On the other hand, the illustrations were great!

2.5

This is more a quirky book for adults then a kids book! Some of the lies would really scare children, but humor adults. I found the illustrations MUCH more appealing then the actual "lies." Would make a really cute coffee table book for someone who enjoys weird facts and/or illustrations.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2173626567

The premise of this book is really cute and it had such good potential but unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it maybe because I didn't relate to it, I had hopes that it might give me a nostalgic feeling of being a little kid but no it didn't even make me laugh.
But I have to admit the illustrations were really good and might be the only reason for giving it one star. sorry!

Got it from NetGalley for an exchange of an honest review.

Some "nice" lies that parents tell their kids. Some I had heard of before but quite a lot that I hadn't but did have a chuckle to myself as I read them!

This book is funny. It has a lie and then on the next page it has a picture of the lie. The pictures made me laugh so hard.

Brett Wagner has created a book with incredible art work which tells a story in themselves and matches them with sayings our parents warned us with as we were children showing us how dark and wild some of the things we were told really were.

This is a nice book to flick through and laugh at the sayings while admiring the art work, some of which would make a great tattoo! I especially loved the saying about how you should eat your vegetables or they will eat you accompanied with the image of a killer carrot.

Quirky, yes, but not all are funny

Lies We Tell Our Kids by Brett Wagner is a collection of made-up stories that adults tell kids in the hope of scaring the little ones to do what we want them to do. A very short read that can be finished in one sitting. The book brings back childhood memories, of times when we were kids who believed everything adults told us, however fantastical these stories may be.

Only a few of those stories included in the book were familiar to me, and I think the book’s illustrations are more scary than funny, really.

*thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

1.5 stars.
I grew up in New Zealand, and then spend my teens in Australia and that might be why I have only ever heard 2 of these lies. Some of them are so unbelievable, I mean, do the rest of these actually get said? Its not really funny but I can tell the author is trying which is why the images are done in that cartoon style. I do like one of them though. "The moon follows your car because it's tied to the door."
But I wouldnt buy or recommend this.

Possibly the most random book I have ever read, which of course made it incredibly funny. My personal favorite was the slot!
If you're looking for something fun, quirky and quick with some cool illustrations, then check this one out. It's definitely a great pick for a giggle.

This book had fantastic illustrations however was not what I was expecting and was very short - read in 5 minutes. I personally have not heard of a majority of the lies and it was a bit gruesome in parts! A quirky book that I'm sure will appeal to some people but unfortunately not to me.

This review was written from an advance copy of the book in ebook format. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an amusing if quick read. The pictures are of course the best bits the supposed lies are very odd in my experience but maybe i didn't have a very imaginative mother?
Something for the stocking I would say - a light fun book by a very good artist.

This book is one of those "Santa is not real" moment. It is so funny. I never expected it to be like this. It's a quick reads. I love the arts that accompanied each lies our parents told us. And how ridiculous it sounded now that we're an adult and the drawings made it much more ridiculous.

I was expecting this little book to be full of really sweet and funny anecdotes about the lies people have told their children, along with accompanying child-friendly illustrations.

What I got was a picture of a rabbit messily eating a human finger and a load of 'meh' lies that have presumably been told to children. There's no doubting the talent of the illustrator, but I think that this book missed the mark where it comes to choosing its audience.

1.5 Stars.

I'm not really sure who this book is meant to be for. It didn't seem to be intended for kids or adults in my opinion. A lot of the examples were kind of messed up and I wouldn't tell kids those things. I did sort of like the illustrations though and that's the only reason why this isn't a 1 star book for me. Maybe it just wasn't for me but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

* I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This short volume is the perfect gift for your former college roommate who is now a new parent. These delightfully warped lies are wonderfully illustrated. One of the few "traditional" lies in the book is "If you cross your eyes, they will stay that way". These lies may start silly, but sometimes go dark (think rats with two heads and dragons hatching from your shoes to the absurd (George Washington in space). Delightfully zany.

This book is really funny and had me laughing out loud as I can remember my parents telling me quite a number of these things! Especially "Sticking you finger up your nose" and "Crossing your eyes". The illustrations are done very well too!

I was sure this book was going to be among my favourites.
It makes me sad to say that it isn't my cup of tea.

Don't get me wrong, the illustrations were unbelievably beautiful and I loved some of the lies included in this piece even though I've never heard most of them and some are too creepy to tell your child. The thing is that I didn't find it great, maybe I was like Tommy Nilsson and had too many expectations?

This is a darkly humorous book with really wonderful illustrations from Brett E. Wagner and Animal Media Group. The illustrations are beautiful. The 'lies' are not really commonly told lies so much as weird 'what ifs'. I wasn't familiar with most of them, though a few (if you pick your nose, your finger will get stuck, if you cross your eyes, they'll get stuck that way, etc) I had heard in my misspent youth. Many of them were straight up odd and seemed a bit like the author was trying to think of anything to pad out the book somewhat.

That being said, it's a short (105p.) book with gorgeous illustrations by a very talented author.

If you think of it in the same vein as Go the F**k to Sleep or Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book then it's quite a bit funnier. I enjoyed it.

PS If my mom told me dragons came from stinky shoes, I guarantee I'd never have changed my socks or shoes again, just on the off chance of getting my own dragon :)

Okay, NOT what I thought I was getting at all. Disappointed? Maybe more like surprised! I've never heard of most of those "lies" listed, except perhaps for "If you cross your eyes, they'll get stuck that way." Some were so-so, and then there are those I'd consider horror--i.e., "Most rabbits have not developed the taste for flesh...Most." Huh? The accompanying illustration is awful. No, these aren't lies you'd tell your children, whether or not you are in the U.S., and I'm not sure where they came from. Really, I suspect these were aimed solely at adults, who'd be the only ones who could understand the illustration for "Seals love clubbing." The illustrations, for the most part, are extremely colorful and very eye-catching. A number of the color combinations startling, almost beautiful. Because it is literally a short picture book, my concern might be that the book is thought to be for children. It's not. It's a very dark sense of humor on display here--perhaps if it came with a warning? I was offered this download by the publisher and NetGalley and appreciated the read and review.