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Kids Say the Darndest Things!
Here for your delectation is the SPECTACULAR AND RARE--------------Kids Say the Darndest Things by ART LINKLETTER, ILLUSTRATED BY CHARLES M. SCHULZ OF "PEANUTS", INTRODUCTION BY WALT DISNEY............Arthur Gordon "Art" Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly, July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, on NBC radio and TV for 19 years. Linkletter was famous for interviewing children on House Party and Kids Say the Darndest Things, which led to a series of books quoting children. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1942. .................... This is the softcover stated CARDINAL EDITION FROM SEPTEMBER 1961. Other than slight yellowing from age, the binding seems fragile because of the glue used by the publisher---and a couple of pages need to be taped. The book (no dj) is in excellent reading condition. There are no rips, tears, markings, etc. (see photo). ** All books listed as FIRST EDITIONS are stated by the publisher in words or number lines--or--only stated editions that include only the publisher and publication date. Check my feedback to see that I sell exactly as I describe. So bid now for this magnificent, impossible-to-find HUMOR COLLECTIBLE.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
March 26, 2015
I think I am gonna carry this book around with me all the time. Whenever life is handing you lemons and making your day gloomy, you can rely on a kido to help you out with perspectives and simplify your convoluted adult thoughts, cause they'll give it to you straight.
May 31, 2016
How could you not love this book? The kid's are adorable! A few samples to make you want to pick this up: "One little lad remarked that they had a brand new Daddy around the house. When I asked if he knew how his mother had met him, he told us a real whizzer: 'It all happened one morning when the doorbell rang while Mommy was taking her bath.' He stopped to gulp. And at this point I could have inserted a ten minute commercial for any client under the sun and we wouldn't have lost a viewer. 'My little sister went to the door,' her finally continued, 'and there was a strange man standing there. He said he'd like to see my mother. So sister let him!"
Too cute! And when Linkletter asked a kid, "Did you see Santa this year?" the kid answered, "See him? I fixed him a bourbon and water." Another kid was learning his lessons of right and wrong from the Bible. When asked why he hit another kid in the face with a cupcake, he said, "It's not in the Bible." Or, when he asked a kid if he had any brothers or sisters, and the kid replied, "No, I'm single."
But, probably my favorite was, "I used to have a cat named Susie Q". "What happened to him?" "It's a him." "A 'him' named Susie Q? Well, anyway, what happened to him?" "He was chasing a mouse and he ran into a tree and he was so ashamed he moved away."
See? Hilarious! Even the illustrations are adorable. The great Charles M. Schulz illustrated it.
Too cute! And when Linkletter asked a kid, "Did you see Santa this year?" the kid answered, "See him? I fixed him a bourbon and water." Another kid was learning his lessons of right and wrong from the Bible. When asked why he hit another kid in the face with a cupcake, he said, "It's not in the Bible." Or, when he asked a kid if he had any brothers or sisters, and the kid replied, "No, I'm single."
But, probably my favorite was, "I used to have a cat named Susie Q". "What happened to him?" "It's a him." "A 'him' named Susie Q? Well, anyway, what happened to him?" "He was chasing a mouse and he ran into a tree and he was so ashamed he moved away."
See? Hilarious! Even the illustrations are adorable. The great Charles M. Schulz illustrated it.
January 31, 2019
I first read this many years ago and picked it up to get a few laughs. Most people don't remember Art Linkletter now, but his show and this segment of it was delightful. Ah, out of the mouths of babes come some funny, strange and even horrible statements. I think even now the concept would not be out of place.
The statements from the children in the book date it clearly to the late 1950's and early 1960's. A Walt Disney comment also dates it. The saddest thing to read is Bills Cosby's little intro. It is sad that he ruined not only the lives of others but also his deserved place in history.
A lovely little book.
The statements from the children in the book date it clearly to the late 1950's and early 1960's. A Walt Disney comment also dates it. The saddest thing to read is Bills Cosby's little intro. It is sad that he ruined not only the lives of others but also his deserved place in history.
A lovely little book.
June 18, 2019
This was the funniest book I've read in a while. I couldn't put it down. Finished in a day- but it's not long LOL. Reading this book takes you back to the days of being young and innocent. Who wouldn't want to be a kid again. Getting the chance to see the world through kids eyes is so amazing. Everyone should pick up this great read.
March 1, 2010
Cute book! I began reading it on a bus trip to New York City because I knew 2 of my young cousins would be along, and if they got bored I supposed I could read excerpts from it to entertain them. They didn't care about the book, but my uncle noticed it, having read it in its original publication back in his youth.
We both remember the television show, though my memory is of Bill Cosby's revivial and not of Art Linkletter's original. Having spent so much time with the aforementioned cousins over the years, I am fully aware that kids are still very spontaneous and could be counted on if anyone ever decided to do a modern take on this book or revive the TV show again.
Some of the material does sound dated now, as WWII was the most recent conflict these children knew about and they didn't have near the technology we do today, so they tended to use their imaginations to create the worlds they now can see on TV, the internet, etc. However, judging by the ways I've seen my cousins play, there is still plenty of room in their minds for their own creativity.
We both remember the television show, though my memory is of Bill Cosby's revivial and not of Art Linkletter's original. Having spent so much time with the aforementioned cousins over the years, I am fully aware that kids are still very spontaneous and could be counted on if anyone ever decided to do a modern take on this book or revive the TV show again.
Some of the material does sound dated now, as WWII was the most recent conflict these children knew about and they didn't have near the technology we do today, so they tended to use their imaginations to create the worlds they now can see on TV, the internet, etc. However, judging by the ways I've seen my cousins play, there is still plenty of room in their minds for their own creativity.
January 17, 2016
Kids Say the Darndest Things! by Art Linkletter (Prentice Hall 1957)(817). I loved this book as a kid. Art Linkletter hosted a popular daytime variety and talk show in the 1950's and 1960's called "House Party"; he would often assemble a panel of young children and ask them questions; the always surprising and often hilarious answers have been crafted into this book. For instance, Linkletter confesses in the book that one of his favorite questions to ask the kids on the panel was, "What did your mother tell you not to talk about on the show today?" This volume is at times laugh-out-loud funny. As a kid I read my family's paperback copy of this until it fell apart. My rating: 7.5/10, finished 1968.
March 3, 2010
When I was little I read all kinds of things I'd never look at today, except perhaps in a bathroom. One was Reader's Digest, a commonplace in homes. Another was this book derived from radio and television interviews with kids under the age of eleven. What I'd like to be able to recapture about this reading is how it felt to read what kids my own age were saying as wrapped up in print by adults. Sadly, because I would have preferred to be more exceptional than I was, I read it as given, just as I took in almost everything as given, so wrapped up was I in the effort to grow up.
March 14, 2016
Some great utterances by the kids make this collection almost worth it. One can see such brutal honesty and profound wisdom in the voices of these youngsters that you will come to appreciate the delicateness of children's souls everywhere, and greatly fear the fragility of the innocent bubble they reside in. You will question how you came to stop being one - and how, if only you had the power, you could have preserved that same purity of mind and heart which everyone somehow grows out of.
August 27, 2016
I love this collection of hysterical things said by kids, as collected by the TV host. Inherited this book when it was donated to the church library but considered too ripped up for the shelf. I used to volunteer to tidy up the neglected room. At that time I had no idea who Linkletter was or that the book was based on his popular TV hosting gig.
August 12, 2008
My parents had this on the bookshelf in the living room. When I read it, I was about the same age as the kids being quoted. I thought it was the funniest book in the world back then. A delightful read!
July 16, 2014
...when asked leading questions. Whenever you're bored just find a kid and ask them about any serious weighty topic of the day. For even more fun, invite them to speculate on topical subjects: how does the Easter bunny do that?
September 27, 2016
Art Linkletter had an occasional segment on his TV showw where he interviewed several kids, one by one. The title says it all and things haven't changed awfully much in the world of kids. If you find this book, read it! It'll brighten your day.
March 23, 2008
My mom had this book on the book shelf when I was younger. I loved to read it and laugh. I found a used copy and bought it just for the memory.
August 27, 2008
Kids do, so this was pretty funny!
March 16, 2009
I love this book! It is so funny and reveals the innocence and honesty of children so well.
July 23, 2009
Kids really do say the craziest things! I read this before I had kids, but I'm going to read it again from a parent's perspective.
August 5, 2012
Non-fiction. Oldie but goodie. Found at yard sale for a dollar.
October 6, 2012
My parents had this book when I was a kid and I read it back then. I found it kind of amusing, even as a kid.
July 4, 2016
A very fun book full of those charming and sweet things children say. You can tell that the book was written in the late fifties but still the innocence of children is timeless.
September 22, 2016
Wonderful! Hilariously entertaining.
October 16, 2016
Great thrift store find... somewhat dated yet also timeless in the presentation of children.
February 20, 2018
It's obvious that this is an old book (although a new edition) from some of the things the kids say (and from the forward by Bill Cosby), but I still found it very enjoyable.
July 1, 2021
Still funny after 62 years! A few of these had me rolling! The book has quite a few funny kid drawings by Charles Shultz peppered throughout! So win-win!
It was fun seeing how dated the references were about; Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presely, Jimmy Durante, Jane Mansfield, etc. And how little girls hoped to grow up to be housewives, nurses, or secretaries. Mom's spent all the money, Dads made all the money. Oh boy! Times have changed.
It was fun seeing how dated the references were about; Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presely, Jimmy Durante, Jane Mansfield, etc. And how little girls hoped to grow up to be housewives, nurses, or secretaries. Mom's spent all the money, Dads made all the money. Oh boy! Times have changed.
October 17, 2016
Kids Say the Darndest Things
What an excellent collection of the thoughts from babes. I enjoyed how many boys referenced how they would enjoy having Marilyn Monroe or Jane Mansfield as their mother. If you don’t know who they are, take the time and do a little research. In my day, it was Raquel Welch! When it came to a father figure, Dwight David Eisenhower was a unanimous choice. For me I’d have to say it was John Wayne.
While I enjoyed many of the comments Art was able to pry out of the young minds, it was his lessons in parenting that resonated with me.
The lessons he taught and the disciplinary principles he enforced on his own children are the ones I grew up with, yet have fallen to the wayside by those who deem themselves, progressive and know better. Dr. Spock comes to mind. Idiot.
People today cry and complain about the current state of the United States. Our current election is a perfect example of how low our society has stooped. Yet no one, for some reason, knows how to fix it. Well, that’s because they’re as blind as bats and don’t want to be responsible for their actions. It’s always someone else’s fault. Don’t believe me? Turn on the news and find a politician from either side of the aisle that will admit they’ve made a mistake. Instead, they blame it on Congress. “But aren’t you one of those who makes up Congress?” Utter silence or plausible deniability. This thinking has crept into all facets of our daily life. If you want to stop crying and whining, then start admitting to mistakes and looking for ways to correct them.
I didn’t mean for this to turn into a political debate, but that’s how strong the principles he brings up in this excellent book. I lost count how many times he would ask questions concerning God and Jesus and the children had the answer, not always what Art was looking for, ready for delivery. And, they would say they read the bible or learned about it in school. What a foreign thought for many of today’s youth.
Another caveat was the background of the children he chatted with. They came from all walks of life and incomes, yet many of their answers were the truthful responses we expect from those who minds are still open and absorb every little thing they hear.
If you want to find out how children think and the things we adults wish they wouldn’t have heard or seen, take the time to pick up a copy and see a reflection of our youthful years.
A resounding five stars, then and now!
What an excellent collection of the thoughts from babes. I enjoyed how many boys referenced how they would enjoy having Marilyn Monroe or Jane Mansfield as their mother. If you don’t know who they are, take the time and do a little research. In my day, it was Raquel Welch! When it came to a father figure, Dwight David Eisenhower was a unanimous choice. For me I’d have to say it was John Wayne.
While I enjoyed many of the comments Art was able to pry out of the young minds, it was his lessons in parenting that resonated with me.
The lessons he taught and the disciplinary principles he enforced on his own children are the ones I grew up with, yet have fallen to the wayside by those who deem themselves, progressive and know better. Dr. Spock comes to mind. Idiot.
People today cry and complain about the current state of the United States. Our current election is a perfect example of how low our society has stooped. Yet no one, for some reason, knows how to fix it. Well, that’s because they’re as blind as bats and don’t want to be responsible for their actions. It’s always someone else’s fault. Don’t believe me? Turn on the news and find a politician from either side of the aisle that will admit they’ve made a mistake. Instead, they blame it on Congress. “But aren’t you one of those who makes up Congress?” Utter silence or plausible deniability. This thinking has crept into all facets of our daily life. If you want to stop crying and whining, then start admitting to mistakes and looking for ways to correct them.
I didn’t mean for this to turn into a political debate, but that’s how strong the principles he brings up in this excellent book. I lost count how many times he would ask questions concerning God and Jesus and the children had the answer, not always what Art was looking for, ready for delivery. And, they would say they read the bible or learned about it in school. What a foreign thought for many of today’s youth.
Another caveat was the background of the children he chatted with. They came from all walks of life and incomes, yet many of their answers were the truthful responses we expect from those who minds are still open and absorb every little thing they hear.
If you want to find out how children think and the things we adults wish they wouldn’t have heard or seen, take the time to pick up a copy and see a reflection of our youthful years.
A resounding five stars, then and now!
October 5, 2018
The best way to describe this book is ... cute. Art Linkletter was an early Television pioneer whose House Party daily TV show included a segment where he interviewed grade school children. The segment evolved into a show of its own called Kids Say the Darnedest Things. In 1957, Linkletter compiled this book of classic examples of kids' answers to Linkletter's shrewdly crafted questions. There are a lot of cute moments in the book, a few laugh out loud responses, and overall a lot of insight into the imagination, creativity an innocence of children. It is clear that Linkletter values children (he has five of his own), and his efforts are not only to garner laughs but to explore the fertile minds of children. This only gets three stars, however, because the interactions miss something in print. I have a feeling they would be much more engaging and funny if seen on video.
November 7, 2013
While there were certainly a lot of cute stories in this book regarding the cute things children say, I think most all of them would have been much funnier if I could have seen the children (on the old show) rather than just reading it on the page. While many of the responses were humorous, I'm sure they were MUCH funnier when you could see faces and see the children.
November 30, 2018
3.5 stars.
It was definitely entertaining at lots of parts of it. But just him reading lines from his tvshow got a bit old. It's also clear that it's quite dated, lots of religion references in there and the belief that hitting your children is a good thing.
Overall it was a quick and entertaining read but it was quite short and that was long enough.
It was definitely entertaining at lots of parts of it. But just him reading lines from his tvshow got a bit old. It's also clear that it's quite dated, lots of religion references in there and the belief that hitting your children is a good thing.
Overall it was a quick and entertaining read but it was quite short and that was long enough.
February 15, 2018
This was not as entertaining as I thought it would be. The illustrations by Schultz are wonderful, but I still couldn't finish the book.
Children do say wonderful, hilarious things all the time, but Linkletter's format is distracting and takes away from the flow.
Children do say wonderful, hilarious things all the time, but Linkletter's format is distracting and takes away from the flow.
January 30, 2010
Pretty funny. But this book is so old (1957) that much of it was dated beyond my understanding.
Still it was quick and enjoyable with a bit of Art's autobiography thrown in.
Still it was quick and enjoyable with a bit of Art's autobiography thrown in.
August 22, 2011
They really do!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews