Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
|
List Price: Our Price: $10.25 You Save: $7.70 (43%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $5.49 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Where the Wild Things Are
Book Review: Max's increasing imagination
Summary: 5 Stars
Maurice Sendak's beautiful tale, "Where the Wild Things Are," is about a young boy, Max. Max, who is being a little monster in his wolf suit, is sent to his room without supper. It is in his room that he enters his own little wonderful world of imagination. Max's imagination takes him through the forest where the wild things are. The monsters make Max, King and listen to his every demand. Max has his fun in his world of imagination, until he grows tired of his adventure and he returns back to reality. When he returns to his bedroom, he finds his dinner waiting for him, as he begins to pull of his wolf suit. The best artistic element Maurice Sendak used was the increasing size of the pictures. I have never noticed this in the past, when I have seen or read this book. Now, that I can see that the artist used increasing pictures to represent Max's imagination, I am thoroughly amazed. I think Sendak's idea of getting further and further into Max's imagination was brilliant, and truly serves its purpose in this story. The pictures increase as the story gets more and more unrealistic, more magical, or becomes more of a fantasy. I can imagine this is how children really do start their fantasies. Although, I do not think that most children would understand the use of the increasing pictures, but I think they can relate to it more than we think. So, I would definitely use this story in my classroom, and once the children are old enough, I would share, "the little secret."
Book Review: Children must learn to conquer anger
Summary: 4 Stars
I read "Where the Wild Things Are" to my first child, a calm, obedient, and quiet child because it was supposed to be a classic. While we both enjoyed the brilliant illustrations and the storyline, I must admit that I -- also having been a calm, obedient child -- just didn't get it. Then I had my second child, a little girl who is a "wild thing."
Over-active children will probably relate to this story more. My little girl is intelligent, imaginative, rarely obedient and brings melodrama to the entire family, just like Max in the book. I began to see the book in a different light. It's the story of a boy who is lonely and angry, and the only way he can appropriately channel his anger is through imagination. The Wild Things are symbols of his wild emotions, which Max tames "with the magic trick of staring into their yellow eyes without blinking once," and he's made king of all wild things. After rollicking wildly in the forest, Max conquers his anger and becomes lonely, only wanting to go back where "someone loved him best of all."
Children who experience these strong - albeit brief - emotions often have difficulty understanding them at first and learn to conquer them to "re-enter" the adult world where they must behave. If you have a child like this, you'll appreciate Sendak's ability to illustrate the imagination and feelings of a child who does not yet have the maturity to express emotions verbally.
I can't wait for the movie release!
Book Review: A lifetime favorite
Summary: 5 Stars
This story is about imagination and reality and maintaining a healthy balance between them. The understanding that was intended to be brought from reading it is that imagination is good but remember that make-believe is make-believe and reality is reality.
The story has remained popular with children because of it's simplicity, because of the element of adventure. The pictures of course draw the children in. When teaching high school English I brought my copy to school and had a student that was enjoying reading my Dr. Seuss Sneeches book, and I showed him Where the Wild Things Are (he is a senior! And 18 years old) and he had never seen the story before! I was amazed.
What part do the pictures play in it's popularity? It is a big facet of it! The pictures are soft, they give a humorous twist to big hairy monsters... It is appropriate for the age group it was written but also a great blast of the past for us adults. The book is adventurous and jovial. It has a happy ending. I've remembered this story all of my life. I used to have a copy of this story as a child... I purchased a copy for myself as and adult and it remains in my collection. I remember this story because my parents read it to me - it was one of my favorites. I think it is the artwork, the muted colors of the story and the warmth of the book that makes it a classic. The overall message of the book: Daydreaming can be fun. (even as adults!)
Book Review: One of the great grandaddys of inspiration and imagination!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ever wake up mid life and trace some of the earliest inspirations that have shaped who you have grown to become? As I pondered this in recent months, I realized that perhaps this book was one of the core reasons for who I became.
Maurice Sendak created this timeless masterpiece about Max who melts his bedroom walls and journeys to the land where the wild things are. As with the very best of children's literature, this story drives home a core message and through that innate discovery, the root of all of the imaginative world that Sendak surrounds his protagonist in serves to mirror the transformation that his character has journeyed through.
An absolutely timeless allegory, Where The Wild Things Are was perhaps my first exposure to a vibrant imagination that chose to visage the world through very fresh eyes. As I would later found The Illusion Factory and then commence upon creating empowering children's literature with vibrant characters...I looked back and realized that Maurice Sendak and Dr. Seuss were the two men who made an indelible impact on my young mind.
If you are one of the five people on this planet who have never read this book, you should grab the other four and sit down for a mandatory read. Where The Wild Things Are is the benchmark by which all children's illustrated books are measured.
Brian Weiner
CEO
The Illusion Factory
Author, Toad Catchers' Creek
Book Review: The illustrations make the book!
Summary: 5 Stars
According to the characteristics of picture storybooks, this is a high quality book. The text and illustrations equally convey with the storyline. The shape and size of the book is rectangular and does not have page numbers. It includes all of the literary elements. The book's strength is its illustrations. The book received a Caldecott Medal for its illustrations. The author does a nice job of telling the story through the illustrations. The illustrations get larger as Max's imagination grows and start to decrease in size as he returns home. The colors in the beginning of the book are duller than the end of the book. As Max's feelings and mood change, the pictures get brighter. The book's reading level is 3.4 and geared toward a lower grade interest level, however, can be enjoyed by older ages. One concern is that there are monsters in the story even though it is a children's book. Introducing this book to primary students may lead to questions and misconceptions. One instructional activity to handle this situation would be to talk about the monsters. Ask Were they scary? Did they change? Show the pictures of Max being carried by the monsters and the way they dance and play. Talk about feelings and emotions (the monsters and Max were not sure about each other at first, but then they grew to like each other and play together). The students can then draw monster faces depicting an emotion.