AIBU to think that “The Wonderful Things You Will Be” is an overhyped, vomit inducing puddle of mawkish bollocks?

[saynotofondant]

“The Wonderful Things You Will Be” by Emily Winfield Mason, published in 2015.

It’s got a near-perfect 4.8/5 rating on Amazon UK, from almost 15,000 reviews. Only two people have ever given it one star. Ever.

www.amazon.co.uk/Wonderful-Things-You-Will-Be/dp/0241446953/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Am I honestly (almost) alone in thinking that this book is mawkish, unbearably cutesy, and actually more for parents than for children?

It takes itself so seriously, all the children look like unsmiling china dolls in ridiculous outfits (bow ties?), whenever they’re dressing up it’s in costumes clearly made by adults, not made by themselves. It’s all so idealised and how parents think children should be rather than what children actually like or are interested in.

Where is the gentle humour, the unruliness, silliness, irreverence, or unexpected turns? Not every children’s book has to have all those, but all the good ones have at least one. Like the tiger drinking all the water in the tap so Sophie can’t have a bath, or the Paper Dolls having silly names, or the bear at the end of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt trudging sadly home to his cave?

YABU - you are an unfeeling weirdo, please hug your child more

YANBU - I couldn’t read this to my child either without a sick bucket (perhaps for both of us)

You are DNBU. It's awful. And I love 60s nostalgia graphic design.

Anyone reading their child that book needs to move swiftly on to 'Oh the places you'll go' to re-engage both their brains.

You don't like it then OP?

Never heard the word mawkish before.

It's for adults for sure, I don't read it to the kids. It was a gift when I had my first DC from my auntie. It's a keepsake type book.

I'll confess I've not heard of it orcread it but I feel like from your description I'd hate it. I'm much more of a 'Paper Bag Princess' type or those brilliant Terry Pratchett quotes that do the rounds.

Give me 'Postman Pat and the Puzzle Parcels' or 'Meg's Car' any day.

Silly, irreverent and a good laugh. Can't stand simpering whimsy.

It’s a relief to know I’m not the only one who felt this way about a children’s book that everyone else seemed to think was life-affirming and adorable

I will look into the books you all recommended - thank you very much I never read much Dr Seuss as a child, but the title “oh the places you’ll go” sounds familiar. I loved the Meg & Mog series too! And my American colleague raves about the Paper Bag Princess to me!

Never heard of it but YANBU, it looks ghastly. Probably purchased by the same people who think ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ is incredibly moving and profound.

Never come across that book. I thought you might be talking about the excellent Dr Seuss book I half remembered, but I see that has already been namechecked as 'Oh the places you'll go'.

I don't like the idea that it's all about the child's future. It's like, no pressure!

@MustardRose

Meg is brilliant, my son has my Meg books I bought, aged 4/5, from the book club at my primary school! We love Meg's Eggs the best.

Moral of Meg's Eggs - sometimes things go wrong but it'll be alright in the end. Perfect ❤

Never heard of it but it does sound pretty twee from your description. What We'll Build by Oliver Jeffers is brilliant though. About the future but about imagination and adventure and falling out along the way.

My hated book is Guess How Much I Love You. Big Brown Hare is basically Competitive Dad from The Fast Show.

@bookworm14

Never heard of it but YANBU, it looks ghastly. Probably purchased by the same people who think ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ is incredibly moving and profound.

Aw, I love the Charlie Mackesey book. I wouldn't say it's profound by any means, but some of the pictures and lines are very cheering, especially in these times.

Just looked at it online and the illustration is great but I do find some of the text a bit ick...as a rule I hate any book that calls children wise.

Finding good children's books is sooo hard. I was recently recommended the Alfie series by Shirley Hughes and hated it. The books people like align with their personal values as parents.

Amazon does this shite with global reviews and global ratings, so those 14,000 people are around the world. Because the review voted second most helpful among JUST British reviews is a one-star review that completely agrees with you and calls it “A Dull Lifeless Picture Book Written For Adults To Tell Little Ones What They Are Expected To Be!” That’s definitely not beating around the bend. I do wonder if maybe it’s more appreciated by Americans? Because you can see one of the top “most helpful” American reviews for it is very mawkish itself (the review refers to a child with a chromosome disorder as a “chromo cutie,” which I suppose is their choice, but I just cannot imagine anyone I know saying that).

@RightYesButNo I assumed that review was left by the OP. I don't mind the illustrations but don't understand why no one is smiling?

@Oneborneverydecade The review is from 2018. I suppose it could be the OP, but...

@BraveBraveMouse

Just looked at it online and the illustration is great but I do find some of the text a bit ick...as a rule I hate any book that calls children wise.

Finding good children's books is sooo hard. I was recently recommended the Alfie series by Shirley Hughes and hated it. The books people like align with their personal values as parents.

What did you hate about Alfie??

Oh I love the Alfie books, they really remind me of my own childhood in the 80s.

My pet hate with kids' books is those that rhyme. Or try to. One of the books we have rhymes "giraffe" with "scarf". These do not rhyme to me.

From a quick glance I’d agree, but so are lots of children’s books — when we had DS, we were given two copies of that freaky mother/son one with the refrain ‘As long as I’m living my baby you’ll be’, which features an ageing mother creeping into her growing and then adult son’s bed at night, and ends with him cradling his elderly (possibly dead?) mother in the same pose. My SIL could not get over the fact that I thought it was more like some kind of Bates’ Motel scenario than anything cute.

I loved reading the ' Katie Morag' books to my two, fierce Granny Island in her wellies, and Granny Mainlaid with her perfumed frolics... Wonderful sense of place.

@garlictwist

Oh I love the Alfie books, they really remind me of my own childhood in the 80s.

My pet hate with kids' books is those that rhyme. Or try to. One of the books we have rhymes "giraffe" with "scarf". These do not rhyme to me.

Giraffe and scarf rhyme to me but if the book you are talking about is "The Smartest Giant in Town" I hate it! There are some rhyming books that you can read again and again but that one is no tedious!

I have never heard of "The Wonderful Things You'll Be" but it sounds dreadful.

I can't bear children's books with excessive use of odd formatting and font changes. Owl Babies (an otherwise charming book) is really bad for this.

Ugh, "so tedious", not "no tedious".

My hated book is Guess How Much I Love You. Big Brown Hare is basically Competitive Dad from The Fast Show.

Yes!! - I find myself internally shouting "just validate the kid's feelings, fgs!"

@Nordicwannabe

My hated book is Guess How Much I Love You. Big Brown Hare is basically Competitive Dad from The Fast Show.

Yes!! - I find myself internally shouting "just validate the kid's feelings, fgs!"

Exactly! I made our copy disappear. But when we did have one and it was requested I was always doing bits about how the dad must be quite insecure to need to win every time and how silly he is

OMG, just looked up the Robert Munsch "Love You Forever". It's seriously weird. Frogcorset, you are right, definitely Bates Motel stuff!