Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
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Book Reviews of Where the Wild Things Are
Book Review: Classic story, classy art from a classy illustrator.
Summary: 5 Stars
Not much can be added to the accolades of so many people concerning the books and art of Maurice Sendak. I grew up with his work, I read his books to my children, I am reading them now to my grandchildren. ... And so will send for a hardback edition this time around. When children ask to read a book over and over again, you know that that book has found a place in their imaginations. This is one such book. When I think of a classic picture book, there are two such Maurice Sendak books that come to mind. His work is beyond mere illustration, it is an artform. The pictures require close attention to catch all the visual nuances. Max is a typical little boy, who dons his wolf outfit and becomes a 'wolf' in his active imagination. In sending him to bed without dinner, he uses his imagination to turn his room into a wild forest inhabited by humongous monsters. He asserts his powers over the monsters, and becomes their rightful king, for he is surely a monster himself! Yet, his mother loves him in spite of his monsterism...and eventually he comes home to find that mother has relented and brought in his dinner...
This winter, get this book, this classic and sit down in a big chair with a child and read and pore over this book together. Every time a child is read to, it expands their imaginations, helps to determine their life course, aids in getting them ready for school and the 'real world'. Our children are not getting the aural and visual stimulation that is our right as chldren. My parents read to me, and I've never stopped reading because of that...in spite of captioned television and computer access. Our children have a right to be read to by someone they love and someone who loves them. Turn the television and computers off, and use a rainy evening to spend time with your own monsters. Maybe someday they will become the next Maurice Sendak!
Karen Sadler,
Science Education,
University of Pittsburgh
Book Review: Humanimals
Summary: 5 Stars
While going about My nightly activities, I came upon this delightful hard-cover book and it brought forth an evocation: I remember reading this book in 5th grade when I found it in the school library during a break from My Safety Committee duties - the cover really drew Me in - and though the story was intended for previous gradation, I enjoyed it for its charming simplicity and the adventure of Max, who likes to dress up like a white wolf who used his imagination to fashion his own little total environment in his room, and effectively turns it into a dark jungle for himself, and thus embarks upon a journey that will bring him into the darkest recesses of his imagination, as he visits an island "where the wild things are", which are various projections of himself in the lycanthropic state - veritable Satanimal-like forest demons resembling some of the classic features from demonological arcana - werebeasts all {note the humanoid feet and general mannerisms}, who in the beginning, try to scare him, but he ends up becoming their king, and they show him homage as King of all Wild Things, ruling with sceptor and crown. So they romp together under the full moon, hang from trees, and parade through the glades in a joyous fanfare, until little Max gets a bit bored and longs for something good to eat, and sets off back to his room across the sea again "for over a year", finding his hot supper waiting for him.
It can be seen now that this was but a dream, as he took a famished nap, after having earlier run about the house chasing the family dog and constructing his room to specification with utmost imagination, fading into a nap sometime in the process. I suppose mom could not allow him to starve, so after sending him to his room to ruminate over a comment he made about eating her up, he awakens from his nap and is welcomed back to the table.
Book Review: This Story Rules The Universe!
Summary: 5 Stars
Hey, don't waste time reading this pedantic review, because you can finish WTWTA cover-to-cover in about as long. Go! Really! Get this book! Run!
Well, if you're still here, let me try a second time to convince you. WTWTA (as we in the cool crowd call it...) is the wonderful tale of a little boy named Max, who dresses in his wolf suit and proceeds to run amok through his house, chasing his dog with a fork and making so much noise and mischief that he gets sent to his room. Ah, but rather than ending there, the story takes off. (Bet you never saw that coming, didya?) Max either imagines what comes next or--as I prefer to see it--is transported into another dimension, where Wild Things, some of the hippest, wildest-looking creatures this side of Budhuhastania live. To get there, Max sails in and out of a year and lands where the wild things are. Initially the Wild Things size Max up as a pre-dinner snack, but Max isn't scared of them. Nope, he tames them with a look and bids them to "BE STILL". And they do. The Wild Things recognize in Max a kindred spirit and make him their ruler. They begin a wild rumpus and dance and howl and party all night. It's a great sort of life.
And I bloody wish the book had ended here, but...
Well eventually Max becomes tired of his job as king and plots a return home. The Wild Things, being less than overjoyed to hear the news of their king's abdication, plead with him not to go and promise, "We'll eat you up, we love you so!"
Oooohh, heavy stuff indeed. Do the Wild Things feast upon fillet of Max? Sorry to leave you on the edge of your seat, but you'll have to travel through all dozen pages of Where The Wild Things Are to find out for yourself.
Unhesitantly recommended by me, Mr. Sendak's lifelong fan.
Book Review: read it for what it is
Summary: 5 Stars
I am surprised at some of the reasons some reviewers give for posting a negative score for this book. One reviewer stated that this book had wonderful illustrations but the writing was horrendous with little content. This reason seemed enough for that particular reviewer to give it a feeble one star. Well isn't it a picture book first and foremost? A PICTURE BOOK. Another point brought up by someone was that it set a terrible example to kids that it's ok to be bratty. Well here's a news flash... Every kid goes through tantrums and frustrations. Its all part of learning to understand the grown-up world outside their bedroom door. Sometimes a child's only haven is inside their room, where they are free to sort things out and release their frustrations. Sometimes its very hard for a child to make sense of the world around them. Remember when you were a kid and just didn't understand why you were getting in trouble? It may seem obvious to a parent, but to a two year old, its a whole mess of feelings. Max was, after all, being punished for his actions. Was he supposed to be a good little boy and be happy that he got in trouble? Every kid goes through those "terrible times" stage, and It's funny how some parents seem to forget... Sendak never said it was ok to snap at mommy, so I am curious as to where that reviewer assumed that this was the message. It's a story of what goes through the imagination of a young boy when he gets punished, and how he deals with these emotions. We don't become adults at the snap of a finger...
I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so I leave it up to you to make yours. My opinion is this: fantastic book, fantastic illustrations, fantastic pace... just right for what it is, a picture book that I loved as a kid and loving reading to the kids as an adult.
Book Review: Max versus Disney. For Bedtime Reading, it's no Contest
Summary: 5 Stars
A story on kids in the 90s that appeared recently in the Wall Street Journal compared the top three children's books from two eras: the 1960s and the 1990s. Despite being parent of a three-year-old who loves books, I had never heard of any of those listed as today's favorites, at least not in book form (two were adapted from Disney movies). However, I owned all of the books on the 1960s list, which included, in order of preference, Dr. Suess' classic Green Eggs and Ham, Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever and Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. While not passing judgement on the 1995 rankings, I had to wonder why or when the 1960s choices fell from favor. Where the Wild Things are is a timeless tribute to childhood imagination, a story as meaningful to kids today as it was 30 years ago.
Children simply can't help identifying with Sendak's hero Max, the type of kid who amuses himself by dressing in a wolf suit and chasing his hapless dog with a giant fork. Max's frazzled mother calls him a wild thing and sends him to bed without supper. "Wild thing?" As Max broods over the appelation, his imagination takes over. He soon finds himself on a boat to a strange land where he's named king of a herd of wild things all much larger, hairier, and meaner-looking than he ever pretended to be. The whole experience is fun, sure, who wouldn't like all the attention, all the swinging from trees and royal treatment? Still, the boat awaits, and eventually Max takes it back home, to where his mother (now calm) has thoughtfully kept his supper hot.
I've read some recent children's books that stand up to the classics, but Pocahontas and Lion King don't quite make the grade. If you haven't already, introduce your child to Max. It will seem like they've known each other forever.