Where the Wild Things Are

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Summary: Max versus Disney. For Bedtime Reading, it's no Contest
Review: 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.

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Summary: "LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!"
Review: I remember this from childhood. I went through hundreds, I just always loved books. Time passes quickly and suddenly you are a parent. You naturally want to share your favorite childhood books with your child, only to realize you don't remember them! Well, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE isn't one of those forgotten books.

It is a story of Max who was a bit too "wild" for his mom to handle one night. She called him, "WILD THING!" and Max said, "I'LL EAT YOU UP!" He shouldn't have said that because his mother promptly sent him to bed without supper. But Max's room transformed into a magical place. With trees and vines that "grew and grew," it became "the world all around." His very own private boat sailed him off "to where the WILD THINGS are.

The reader is pulled into the story with the amazing illustrations, (chiaroscuro in top form) and the interesting, succinct story. The child BECOMES Max and enjoys ruling over the wild things and doing wild things like dancing and howling under the moon. Each wild thing is very expressive and interesting to look at--so much so, that now there are collectibles of each one in toy stores! I think that the way they are rendered--not scary, not cute, but so wonderfully ambiguous, is what brings the reader back again and again. Bravo, Mr. Sendak!

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is, in my opinion, a must-own book for children of all ages. It earns the highest recommendation for a children's book. No wonder everyone gives it 5 stars; it's a true classic and winner of the Caldecott Medal for the "Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year." Get a copy today to share with your "wild things."

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Summary: Wonderful alternative to the usually sappy bedtime story
Review: Where the Wild Things Are was my favorite bedtime story as a child. It opened up a world of imagination that isn't all fluff and nicety. Imagination can lead to adventures and even nightmares can become adventures. I think every little kid has been sent to his or her room at one time and had to rely on imaginatin to wile the time away.

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Summary: Roar!
Review: The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind..and another

So starts one of the most perfect and wonderful illustrated children's books of all time. Max like many children has been engaged in a bit of mischief and is sent to bed without supper. While in his room he imagines an imaginary place where the "beasts" are wild and he is ruler. Max learns that this is not the kind of place he wants to live and even though he has made mischief, he is still loved by his parents. Both are important lessons for a child.

As a preschool teacher, I have read this book countless times to many children and can attest to its appeal. The children are delighted to roll their eyes, show their claws and roar their roars along with the wild things when the wild rumpus starts. For new parents this is one book I would say to include in your child's library. I'm sure that you will read it enough times to memorize it.

Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are was first published in 1963 so stands the test of time having served generations of children. The story and illustrations are as appealing today as they were nearly 40 years ago.

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Summary: Perfect for the young imagination!
Review: My oldest son, now 15, still knows the words by heart. My four-year-old daughter is learning them. Max is the not-so-bad monster in every little one; the one who is brave and wild and tender and imaginative all at once. He is the King of all wild things--and they love him, but not quite as much as his mother (who couldn't bring herself to REALLY send him to bed without anything to eat at all).

Enough with the PC rants about this book. Another reviewer said he was "snotty" and rude. Give me a break-what child isn't just a tiny bit too lippy on some days. It's life. The thing about the book is that while Max may be a little "snotty," he's imaginative, alive, and still knows that even after being punished, his mother loves him 'best of all.'

The illustrations are beautiful. The story is terrific. And I'm glad to say it was the perfect snuggle-at-bedtime book for every one of my children.

And I have the words retained in memory forever. I'll someday chant them to my grandchildren.

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Summary: The Review
Review: This book was very interesting and creative. Also this was a fun book to read for young and old because it had action, adventure, and drama. I liked this book alot when I was a kid because it was short, fun, clever. When you are a child you mostly like action or adventure. This book had it all. Very fun to read aloud and to yourself. My opinion on this book is that it was a great fun book.

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Summary: So he sailed away for a year and a day
Review: I haven't a clue how one goes about reviewing the book that is perhaps the most beloved, respected, and widely enjoyed American picture book of the last 100 years. Maurice Sendak could never have imagined that his canny "Where the Wild Things Are" would not only capture the Caldecott Award of 1963, but go on to be hailed by critics, loved by librarians, and considered by parents to be one of the finest works of picture book art ever concocted. Is the book deserving of its praise? I suppose. But honestly, it is very difficult to read it today without getting caught up in its publicity and hype. On the whole, though, it is an enjoyable read and few can resist its charms.

We begin the book with two small vignettes of the naughty things Max does that get him sent to bed. Max is a boy outfitted in a wolf suit, and after being sent to his room he finds his boudoire changed completely into a wild forest. After hopping a nearby boat and traveling, "In and out of weeks and almost over a year to where the wild things are" he is in a land of monsters. Taming them by staring them down, the Wild Things make Max their king and celebrate his crowning. Max proclaims that a wild rumpus should start, and start it does. When it ends, however, Max decides that he needs to be near someone who loves him. He leaves his beloved Wild Things, sails back into his room, and goes down to dinner where, on a single white page, we are told, "it was still hot".

Simultaneously combining the wish to be a wild naughty creature uninhibited by love, or rules, or society and at the same time revealing the human need for comfort, the book is a success. In its illustrations, those wild crazy creatures with their too large eyes and sharp razor-like claws, it is a success. In its text, the elegantly presented last line or the repetition of wild things saying "I'll eat you up", it is a success. Heck, the book is good. And really, what more is there to say? Reviewing classics like this one is a pointless job. I'm not going to be shocking and say that every reviewer since the 1960s is wrong about this book, cause they're not. They're right, it's great. Does it deserve the huge publicity and love its garnered? Maybe. Maybe not. But the adults like it and the kids like it, and that is (as they say) enough. So take it home and love it yourself. It is a great book.

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Summary: A true classic
Review: "Where the Wild Things Are" was one of the first books to depict children as less than cherubic, but still completely loveable and forgivable. The imagery is dark, but appealling. The language is simple, but the meaning complex. The message is timeless: we all can be naughty sometimes, but most of us are lucky enough to have a place where we are "loved best of all". It's a terrific book.

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Summary: one of my favorite children's books
Review: "Where the Wild Things Are" was one of my favorite picture books when I was a child. I loved the story of Max, a boy who is sent to bed without his supper (he was being wild), and imagines himself into a fantasy world where he meets real Wild Things with claws and scary Yellow eyes. Max is able to tame these Wild Things by commanding them to be still and so they think that Max is the Wildest Wild Thing of them all. While I loved this story, the pictures were also somewhat scary and areis capable of frightening a child. If there really were monsters under my bed when I was a kid, I always imagined that they looked liked the Wild Things. It is hard to believe that this book has been around for forty years, but when I read it again when I was 25 I think I enjoyed it just as much as when I was 6. This is a great story, though parents should consider what sort of things frighten their children.

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Summary: Not my favorite as a kid, but it still ranks up there.
Review: There are quite a few reviews listed that claim that this book glorifies being a snot-nosed brat. While yes, Max is every parent's nightmare at the beginning, and yes, he gets whisked off to this fantasy land with monsters, being bad is not glorified at all. Once he's "Where the Wild Things are," he uses the tried-and-true parent move of having a stearn staring contest (my mom did this w/ me, so that's why I assume it's a common parent move) w/ the other "wilds" to prove that he's boss. Then, as King (parent?), he has to control the wilds, which proves to be too much for Max to handle. Instead of sticking with them, the wilds that "love" him, Max leaves so he can go back to the "someone that loves him very much." The point: After being put in the role of leader and "parent," he realizes that even though he's been a total Crap to his mom, she has always been there for him and has never left him, unlike how he left the wilds. Also, he had to deal first hand with beings that acted the same way he acted towards his mother. Instead of being able to just leave Max, she has to stay with him (well...she's his mom...she should stay w/ him), and he realizes in the end that he's acted unfairly to his mom and decides to clean up his act. At least that's what I saw in the story the first time I read it when I was 5, and that's what I continue to see today, 15 years later.