Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Sendak, M. (2013). Where the wild things are. Harper Collins. (M. Sendak, Illustrator) ISBN 9780064431781
Where The Wild Things Are follows the main character, Max, a young child dressed in his wolf costume and creating chaos in his house. After being sent to his room, he visits the vast and magical place where the Wild Things live.
Reading Where The Wild Things Are was a quick read, though it did leave me with more questions than answers. At the beginning of the book, Max is sent to his room after causing mischief for multiple days. In his room, it transforms into this magical place that transports him to where the Wild Things live. After ruling the Wild Things for a bit, Max longs for home, and returns where his family and supper are waiting for him. I was left with questions such as how his room was transformed? Was everything Max experienced real or a part of his imagination? Did Max see parallels between him ruling the Wild Things and his parent's parenting, and that's what reminded him of home? Max was described as a wild character, going as far as having his mother describe him as a "Wild Thing," which could be used to describe how some children behave when they are young, so there are parallels between his behaviors and real life. In most of the other children's picture books that I have read, the underlying theme was very easy and recognizable for me to find, but with Where The Wild Things Are, I found it difficult to find a theme off the top of my head. If I had to say there was an underlying theme, it would be that a parent's love is infinite for their child(ren), and they will always have a place at home.
It was very easy to see why Where The Wild Things Are won the Caldecott Medal in 1964. The illustrations in the book are very intricate, and anyone, young or old, could spend an indefinite amount of time admiring each page and character for its art style. In the pages where Max and the Wild Things are having a rumpus, the reader is very clearly able to see the details of each Wild Things and see how vastly different each Wild Things is from each other. My favorite detail was Max getting a crown to represent that he was the King of the Wild Things. One other feature I liked about the illustrations was that they described the forest growing in Max's room. The illustrations start small with more white on the page, and as the forest grows, there is less white space on each page until the forest truly takes over, and the entire page is left with no more white. Small details like that make it more understandable why this title remains ageless.
Readers will also enjoy watching the 2009 movie adaptations of Where The Wild Things Are. After reading the book, one activity that could be done is having a template of a "Wild Thing" and having the child(ren) design their own Wild Thing! Additionally, a template could be drawn of Max's wolf costume, and in place of where his face is, a picture of the child's face could be put instead! Other titles that remind the reader of a timeless read could read "Good Night Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown, or "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein.
What Readers Have to Say:
Vicky Smith from Kirkus Reviews says that Maurice Sendak "led generations through the joys and nightmares of childhood. Beyond his mastery of both image and word, his fearlessness in confronting those visceral terrors and showing children that they are not alone was perhaps his greatest gift" (Smith, 2012).
Awards:
- Caldecott Award (1964)
Smith, V. (2012, May 8). Maurice Sendak, 1928-2012. Kirkus Reviews. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/maurice-sendak-1928-2012/
Where the wild things are. Where the Wild Things Are | Awards & Grants. (n.d.). https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/content/where-wild-things-are
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