In his new book, Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children’s Literature as an Adult, contributing editor to Vanity Fair Bruce Handy revisits classic American children's literature to see what he can learn as an adult from books like Charlotte's Web and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He also explores the lives of authors like Louisa May Alcott, L. Frank Baum and Maurice Sendak to understand the stories behind their famous works.  Bruce Handy will appear for a reading and signing on the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble (2289 Broadway, at 82nd St.) on Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m.