Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are	Harper & Row, Publishing
Written and Illustrated by Maurice Sendak	1988
Fiction	48 pages
Reading Level age 4-8	Caldecott Award

Summary

Max is a boy who was sent to bed without supper. He was creating mischief until his mother called him Wild Thing and he said he’d eat her up. In his bedroom, he paces as his bed grew into a forest with vines crawling up the walls and along the ceiling. He came to a vast ocean and sailed for a year and a day. He reaches the shore where the wild things are. He tames them with his unblinking stare. They crown him the king of the wild things. They roared and howled at the moon and swung from trees. He paraded around waving his scepter. After all the adventures were over, he sends the wild things to bed without supper. He sat in his tent, lonely for someone to love him. On the slight breeze he could smell his supper. So he bids goodbye to the wild things, who roar and plead for him to stay, but he sails onward. He sails on the ocean back home where his mother had his supper waiting.

Response

I remember reading this book as a child and jumping and howling around my room being the queen of the wild things. I would have my dad be a wild thing and carry me around the house. I love this book. The pictures are amazing; they cover the entire page while Max is with the wild things. The colors are muted with greens and blues and the texture and depth coming from short pen strokes. It looks as if I could reach in and feel the fur and claws of the wild things and hear their ferocious roars.

Potential Problems

This could be too wild for younger children, but I think it would be alright is it was read by the parent. This is a unique children’s book in that it embraces the wild and crazy side of children’s imagination that many stories shy away from.

Recommendations

I would recommend this to all children, especially those who have big imaginations and full of wonderful adventures.