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Wings and the Child

E. Nesbit

48 ratings
Wings and the Child | E. Nesbit

Wings and the Child

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When this book first came to my mind it came as a history and theory of the building of Magic Cities on tables, with bricks and toys and little things such as a child may find and use. But as I kept the thought by me it grew and changed, as thoughts will do, until at last it took shape as an attempt to contribute something, however small and unworthy, to the science of building a magic city in the soul of a child, a city built of all things pure and fine and beautiful." -- E. Nesbit
prime instinct of a child at play—I do not mean a child at games—is to create. I use the word confidently. He will make as well as create, if you let him, but always he will create: he will use the whole force of dream and fancy to create something out of nothing—over and beyond what he will make out of such materials as he has to hand. The five-year-old will lay a dozen wooden bricks and four cotton reels together, set a broken cup on the top of them, and tell you it is a steam-engine. And it is. He has created the engine which he sees, and you don't see, and the pile of bricks and cotton reels is the symbol of his creation. He will silently borrow your best scissors and cut a serrated band of newspaper, which he will fasten round his head (with your best brooch, if he cannot find a pin), hang another newspaper from his shoulders, and sit in state holding the hearth-brush. He will tell you that he is a king[18]—and he is. He has created crown, robes, sceptre, and kingship. The paper and the rest of it are but symbols.
trainHE HAS CREATED THE ENGINE.

And you shall observe that the toys which the child loves best are always those toys which lend themselves to such symbolic use.

tombTHE TOMB IN THE DESERT.
18]

Christmas is at hand. You go to buy gifts for the child, in memory of that Other Child whose birthday gifts were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. You go into the toyshops, elbowing your way as best you can, looking for such toys as may aid the child in his work of creative imagination.

You find a vast mass an

Enola 12/25/2023
So inspiring!
Alyssa 12/30/2019
Some brilliant ideas, some wise advice, some less wise advice. Overall a worthwhile inspiring read.
Jacob 03/18/2018
3.5 stars. The first half (or so) of the book dealt with the author's philosophy of imagination in children and how to encourage children to use their imaginations in play, especially in creating imaginary worlds--really good. The last half (or so) of the book drilled down into the practical aspects
Genna 03/05/2018
I grew up reading E. Nesbit's books, and only found this one recently in a used bookstore, where I plunked down more money than I should've on a first edition (not saying it wasn't worth it, just that I probably shouldn't be spending that much money on one book).

I'd never read anything non-fiction b
Tai 03/05/2018
This book is a delightful introduction to the mind of a child at play. It is my belief that this book, along with Swallows and Amazons, should be mandatory reading for all mothers and educators.
Nesbit lays out some fundamental precepts on allowing the imaginative life to grow within a child- the de
Matt 09/24/2016
fascinating ruminations on how to play with children -which is a talent some have automatically but some need to learn. If you work with children in any capacity, as a parent, an educator, or a care giver, or some combination of these, you need to read this book.

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