| The Bad Child's Book of Beasts | |
|---|---|
Cover of the 1918 edition |
|
| Author(s) | Hilaire Belloc |
| Illustrator | Basil Temple Blackwood |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's literature |
| Publisher | The Camelot Press Limited |
| Publication date | 1896 |
| Followed by | More Beasts for Worse Children |
The Bad Child's Book of Beasts is an 1896 children's book written by Hilaire Belloc. Humorously illustrated by Basil Temple Blackwood, the superficially naive verses give tongue-in-cheek advice to children. In the book, the animals tend to be sage-like, and the humans dull and self-satisfied.[1] Within the first three months of its publication, The Bad Child's Book of Beasts sold 4000 copies.[2]
Lord Alfred Douglas accused Belloc of plagiarizing his work Tales with a Twist, which although published two years after The Bad Child's Book of Beasts was according to Douglas written before Belloc's work.[3]
The illustrations have also drawn comparison to the works seen in Dr. Seuss books.[4]