Wild Things and Castles in the Sky: A Guide to Choosing the Best Books for Children

by Leslie Bustard (Editor), Théa Rosenburg (Editor), Carey Bustard (Editor)

Wild Things and Castles in the A Guide to Choosing the Best Books for Children gives the reader over 40 essays that examine specific types of children’s books and offer suggestions in each category. Among the topics covered imagination, faith, classic literature, middle school books, race, fantasy, contemporary children’s books, Shakespeare, art history, Newbery books, young adult novels, poetry, and more. Curated and edited by Leslie and Carey Bustard with Théa Rosenburg  (a mother-daughter team and a children’s books blogger), Wild Things and Castles in the Sky will encourage and envision parents, grandparents, teachers, and friends―to know the power of a good story and to share it with a child they love.

Genres: Parenting, Christian, Nonfiction, Education, Childrens

272 pages, Paperback

Published April 19, 2022

Reviews

[Julie Zilkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do believe talking about books should be a sixth love language, and it is definitely one of my love languages! Second to reading an excellent story, my next favorite kind of book is a book about books. I hesitated to purchase this, because I feel like after 15 years of home schooling, I have heard about all the books and probably wouldn't find anything new here. I could not have been more wrong...so many new to me books, all woven into 40 separate essays written by others who speak the love language of books. Delightful!!

[Michelle Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed some essays more than others, but all had something to offer. This was a very diverse collection of modern authors/book lovers’ essays on excellent children’s books. From a Christian perspective.
Each essay focused on a single topic such as history, old books, board books, teen books, diversity, race etc…,
This took awhile to finish, but it’s one that is easy to set aside and pick up again since each essay is individual although unified by the topic of books.
Best of all, it’s simply full of book recommendations 💙

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of bookish goodness and wonderful recommendations!

[Alicia Terrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. There are many great essays here and excellent suggests for books for kids. I appreciated some of the focuses on diversity and inclusion in the essays and the recommendations. This isn't something I would have picked up on my own or would typically enjoy, but I was surprised by many of the insights in it. One slight criticism - I love C.S. Lewis and Tolkien as much as the next fantasy-lover, but almost every essay referenced them. They're great, but there are so many other excellent children's writers that I became a little frustrated with the constant references to them in almost every essay. However, I plan to pass it along to a friend of mine who I think would enjoy it even more than me! It was pretty interesting.

[Christina]

From the Little Book Big Story weekly email by Thea Rosenberg, blogger at littlebookbigstory.com:

“Also! Redeemed Reader recently published a delightful review of Wild Things & Castles in the Sky. And it looks like Wild Things is in stock on Amazon now and ready to ship. Huzzah!”
Review link:
https://redeemedreader.com/2022/05/wi...
Blog link:
http://littlebookbigstory.com/now-ava...

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about books! And essays. It's always nice to have a source for book recommendations. These are from a Christian perspective. Some of the essays are really good, some didn't chime my bell as much.

I wanted more - I wish there had been an index of ALL the books mentioned in the essays, as a lot of them were name-dropped but didn't make the "official" cut.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this collection of essays. So moving, inspiring and encouraging. I’ve underlined and dog-eared it all over, and marked so many kids books to read! Highly recommend!

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of the multiplicity of authors, the writing quality is uneven. But I enjoyed this book very much and, although I’ve read many children’s and young adult books, still discovered new-to-titles.

[Rebecca van den Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good! So many books referenced I had never heard of and now need to read.

[Cheryl]

Much too Christian for me. I did try, but no, not even the chapter on the Newberys was helpful or interesting. March 2025

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treasure I will be returning to again and again over the years! The essays were incredibly enriching and the book recommendations are true gold-- we have already found many new favorites! I also appreciate the appendix that sorts the books recommended by age group. I can't sing the praises of "Wild Things" more!

[Clarice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading these essays feels similar to reading blog posts or internet articles, some short and others lengthier. It lends itself well to reading piecemeal. It includes a nice variety of essay topics, and the book recommendations are a delightful mix of classics and newer books. I found several new-to-me titles to place on hold at my library.