Wings and the Child: Or the Building of Magic Cities

by E. Nesbit, George Barraud (Photographer)

Unique in its approach and scope Wings and the Child teaches adults how to work with children to play and imagine with the mind of a child. Wings and the Child is a work of non-fiction by the pioneering children's author E. Nesbit written in 1913. It is a passionate argument for the need to encourage simple, creative play in children. Nesbit gives concrete suggestions and fresh ways to engage children's imaginations so they can exercise this wonderful skill fully and for the rest of their lives.
Illustrated with photographs of amazing constructed magic cities, this book can’t fail to awaken the sleeping dreamer in us all.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

197 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1913

About the author

Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit.
She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later connected to the Labour Party.

Edith Nesbit was born in Kennington, Surrey, the daughter of agricultural chemist and schoolmaster John Collis Nesbit. The death of her father when she was four and the continuing ill health of her sister meant that Nesbit had a transitory childhood, her family moving across Europe in search of healthy climates only to return to England for financial reasons. Nesbit therefore spent her childhood attaining an education from whatever sources were available—local grammars, the occasional boarding school but mainly through reading.

At 17 her family finally settled in London and aged 19, Nesbit met Hubert Bland, a political activist and writer. They became lovers and when Nesbit found she was pregnant they became engaged, marrying in April 1880. After this scandalous (for Victorian society) beginning, the marriage would be an unconventional one. Initially, the couple lived separately—Nesbit with her family and Bland with his mother and her live-in companion Maggie Doran.

Initially, Edith Nesbit books were novels meant for adults, including The Prophet's Mantle (1885) and The Marden Mystery (1896) about the early days of the socialist movement. Written under the pen name of her third child 'Fabian Bland', these books were not successful. Nesbit generated an income for the family by lecturing around the country on socialism and through her journalism (she was editor of the Fabian Society's journal, Today).

In 1899 she had published The Adventures of the Treasure Seekers to great acclaim.

Reviews

[Genna · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 by Nesbit before, and it was surprisingly lovely to hear the narrative voice of my childhood explaining children to me. I think she and I would've gotten along famously. We have similar opinions about what it is to be a child and how few adults really remember that and act accordingly. She wanders into a bit of crotchety "When I was a child everything was better and it always snowed on Christmas and WHAT WILL BECOME OF US WITH ALL THIS CHANGE?" but, even that was endearing.

I wish I'd read it when I was younger. I could've built a helluva magic city if it'd occurred to me to use candlesticks.

[A.M.]

Some days I end up deep in the Amazon backlists.
The author did talks in schools and exhibitions about how she built ‘magical cities’ out of whatever she had around the house. She must have been the coolest grandma! People kept asking her how to do it, so she wrote this instruction book. The latter chapters deal with this, and the earlier ones are about her ideas about raising children.

For the education of the last three hundred years has led, in all things vital and spiritual, downhill all the way. We have gone on frustrating natural human intelligences and emotions, inculcating false doctrines, and choking with incoherent facts the souls which asked to be fed with dreams-come-true—till now our civilisation is a thing we cannot look at without a mental and moral nausea.

Nesbit, E. (Edith). Wings and the Child or, the Building of Magic Cities (p. 8). Kindle Edition.

I rant on about how our education system has not changed.

Now the trees are cut down and there are no more flowers. It is asphalt all the way, and here and there seats divided by iron rods so that tired tramps should not sleep on them.

Nesbit, E. (Edith). Wings and the Child or, the Building of Magic Cities (p. 26). Kindle Edition.

Things REALLY just don’t change, do they?

A few things amused me, like this:

You will find plenty of books that nobody will mind your using—the old Whitakers, bound volumes of the Cornhill and Temple Bar—good solid blocks for the foundations of your city. If there be a pair of candlesticks or an inkstand which match, you may make a magnificent archway by setting up the candlesticks as pillars and laying the inkstand on the top. You can see how this is done in the picture of the Elephant Temple. Get the children to bring down the bricks and enlist a friendly parlour-maid to let you have the run of the china cupboard, or a footman, if you are in that sort of house, to bring you the things you want on a tray.

Nesbit, E. (Edith). Wings and the Child or, the Building of Magic Cities (pp. 52-53). Kindle Edition.

And she complains about the underfunded schools.

The hard thing to do is to live for your country—to live for its children. And it is this that the teachers in the Council Schools do, year in and year out, with the most unselfish nobility and perseverance. And nobody applauds or makes as much fuss as is made over a boy who saves a drowning kitten. In the face of enormous difficulties and obstacles, exposed to the constant pin-pricks of little worries, kept short of space, short of materials and short of money, yet these teachers go on bravely, not just doing what they are paid to do, but a thousand times more, devoting heart, mind, and soul to their splendid ambition and counting themselves well paid if they can make the world a better and a brighter place for the children they serve. If these children when they grow up shall prove better citizens, kinder fathers, and better, wiser, and nobler than their fathers were, we shall owe all the change and progress to the teachers who are spending their lives to this end.

Nesbit, E. (Edith). Wings and the Child or, the Building of Magic Cities (pp. 78-79). Kindle Edition.

In a word, we want more money spent on schools and less on gaols and reformatories. It cannot be put too plainly that the nation which will not pay for her schools must pay for her prisons and asylums. People don't seem to mind so much paying for prisons and workhouses. What they really hate seems to be paying for schools. And yet how well, in the end, such spending would pay us! "There is no darkness but ignorance," and we have now such a chance as has never been the lot of men since Time began, a chance to light enough lamps to dispel that darkness. If only we would take that chance! Even from the meanest point of view we ought to take it. It would be cheaper in the end. Schools are cheaper than prisons.

Nesbit, E. (Edith). Wings and the Child or, the Building of Magic Cities (p. 85). Kindle Edition.

3 stars

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 of building miniature cities out of household items--certainly less engaging for me than the first half of the book. I'd say the first half of the book is definitely worth reading.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first half of this book and it contains a quote/idea I’ve been chewing on for awhile now about the relationship between fairytales and spiritual formation in children. The quote starts with “But Mr. Gradgrind prefers the lantern unlighted” and goes on to say that we’re not allowed to believe in fairies but we must believe in angels, etc. I was not as interested in second half explaining actual building of magic cities.

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some brilliant ideas, some wise advice, some less wise advice. Overall a worthwhile inspiring read.

[Enola Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring!

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half is a fantastic treatise on the emotional life of children, by someone who obviously still remembers what it was like to be a child. It's simply glorious, and seems far ahead of its time (this book was written in 1913.) The second half is devoted to the mechanics of building "cities" out of household items. It's..... less glorious. I understand that the author sees these subjects as equally important, but they really should have been the focus of two different books. If they were, I'd've given five stars to the first, and two stars to the second. As things stand, E. Nesbit is wonderful and inspiring, and I shall give her book four stars. (I already want to re-read that first half!)

[Matt Darby · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally found this on Gutenberg.org - this is what makes Nesbit my favourite writer.

[Tai · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 development of genuine, loving interest in the child, the ability to remember one's own childhood fears and joys, the provision of time, materials, and companions for imaginative play.
While many of the particulars may be specific to Nesbit's era, the principles are deeply needed today.