Week Two: Classic picture books: Where The Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
(Book cover image from amazon.com)

Bibliography: Sendak. M. (1988) Where the wild things are. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN: 978-0060254926

SUMMARY
A naughty boy, cloaked in his favorite wolf costume, escapes with his imagination to a fantastical land where wild things are celebrated rather than punished. Hailed as king, Max and the monsters howl, leap and swing from the trees. When the lure of a missed supper calls to his belly, Max returns to the safety and love of his home.

MY IMPRESSIONS
Like The Giving Tree, I loved Where The Wild Things Are but was more affected by the animated version than the book. I never had many time outs as a kid, though I could relate to Max's outbursts. I remember wishing my bedroom would dissolve into a moonlit forest where I didn't have to behave like a good girl. Growing up was difficult and annoying with all of the rules and boring expectations that went along with it (inside voices, sharing, proper behavior). Sendak's drawings capture the vibrant, mischievous energy of children and the seemingly real fantasies conjured by their imaginations. Now and then, I find the monsters both nightmare-inducing and fascinating. The detail and colors are suburb, and the illustrations heighten the danger of Max's strange land of wild things. I particularly love the full page wild rumpus with Max and posse screaming and dancing in the night. Few words are written on each page and the text expresses the frustration and excitement of the boy with the use of capitalization and exclamation points.

As an adult, I realize how well Sendak understood child psychology. Max, after becoming king of the wild things, uses normative behavior when he sends the monsters to bed without supper, just as his tired mother did to him. Even when faced with a herd of terrifying, sharp-toothed creatures, he found a way to control them, much like children navigate the dangers of the world.

Everyone I know either loves or remembers Where The Wild Things Are, mostly due to its powerful imagery and universal topic. I am SO PUMPED for the movie release on October 16. The trailer looks phenomenal.

ACTIVITIES
This book would be a great story time read as well as a way to create music with children. More fitting for a home environment or school rather than a library, I would encourage the kids to be "wild things" for a few minutes, making as much noise as possible with their voices, bodies, pots, pans, instruments or whatever else was handy. They could make costumes or masks with construction paper, or instruments out of beans, cardboard tubes, bells and other materials.

Discuss ways to express angry feelings without resorting to inappropriate behaviors. Brainstorm ways to handle a stressful situation. This could segue into talking about nightmares and ways to cope with them.

Talk about childrens' favorite fantasy places. Where do they go in their imaginations when they want to escape? Who is there? What do they do?

Winner 1964 Caldecott Medal for Most Distinguished Book of the Year
Notable Children's Books of 1940, 1970 (ALA)
1981 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Illustration
1963, 1982 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
Best Illustrated Children's books of 1963, 1982 (NYT)
A Reading Rainbow Selection
1964 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Children's Books of 1981 (Library of Congress)
1981 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1988 (NY Public Library)

REVIEWS
"Each word has been carefully chosen and the simplicity of the language is quite deceptive." School Library Journal

"In the forty years since Max first cried 'Let the wild rumpus start,' Maurice Sendak's classic picture book has become one of the most highly acclaimed and best-loved children's books of all time."
Powell's Books website

"This simply written but subtle book became a classic not only because it legitimized children's angry feelings--and their ability to use their imaginations to deal with those feelings--but also because it showed punishment and love coexisting in a parent-child relationship. When mischievous Max, wearing his wolf suit, romps around the house and drives his mother to distraction, she calls him 'Wild Thing' and sends him to bed without his supper. But in the quiet of his room, a forest grows, where claw-footed monsters with horns, Wild Things just like Max, lurk and leap. Max joins their 'wild rumpus' and is made 'king of all wild things,' but still he misses home. When he finally returns, he discovers his supper waiting, and it is still hot."
BookList