3.5 Stars

Small fry was utterly enchanted, and I think we both loved Max’s unbridled excitement. The whole story reads like a love-letter to childish imagination.

But Max was also a mean little snoot who threatened to eat his mother and was a little tyrant to the Wild Things... jussaying

Kid Lit Experiment 2018 #7

Yeah, I never really did get all the hype on this one. Even as a child I didn't really like it, and now as an adult I read it and think, "Is this supposed to make it seem okay to be a little tyrant?" I would hope that most kids would see what a brat the kid is, and strive not to be such a horrible little turd, but with the prospect of going to a cool magical new land? I don't know, I may have tried it out just to see. Kind of like when I didn't tell my parents I lost a tooth, just to make sure the tooth fairy really wasn't real.

Since when do children's books portray an evil hero and a bully?! What surprises me is that this book is very famous and has received an award!

love this story. so simple, and the kids used to ask to read it again and again.

Through a Child’s Eye
(A Book Review of Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are)

I’m glad that I recently scored a vintage 1963 edition (pictures here) of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are in Booksale during one of the mini Meet Ups with my Goodreads-The Filipino Group friends. I breeze through the book in a matter of minutes while waiting for them, and right there and then something just hit me. Without a doubt, it certainly earns its place as a classic storybook of Children’s Literature.

Where the Wild Things Are tells the story of the rascal Max, who dresses up in his wolf suit and causes trouble enough to make his mother order him to go to bed without supper at all. As the title alludes, the picture book shows a child’s unbound and limitless wild rumpus of an imagination exhibited when Max reaches deeper within his imagining and sees his room transformed into a forest inhabited by the Wild Things — roaring and gnashing monsters with yellow eyes, sharp teeth and horns — where he, by a mere stare, can tame and be the king of them all.

I think what endears every child who reads Sendak’s picture book is that most of them can identify with Max’s feeling of resentment, that though he had had his share of fun out of it, he eventually grows weary and lonely, permitting him later on to go back to the place where he most wants to be and appreciate the most important thing he left behind: the need to feel loved.

At home, after a tiring yet fun-filled day with friends and before hitting the sack, I’m still at it, staring mesmerized by Sendak’s impressive work of art with its muted colors and cross-hatchings, that looks like sketches, add further magic, energy and excitement to every kid who reads it they would love to be in the shoes of Max, playing with the Wild Things on their “wild rumpus” where they can howl at the moon and swing from tree to tree in bold celebration of all the wildness they possess.

I rue the fact that I stumbled upon this picture book well into my manhood, but it definitely touched something in me — the book has this uncanny ability to enchant itself to the nostalgic memory of childhood, rekindling its innermost emotions. It’s as if I’m seeing the world again through a child’s eye.

Nevertheless, this is a book worth keeping — for every reading always brings a new perspective, a nuanced view of the book’s message — which I will one day read to my future children and let them discover for themselves a world of their own creation; a world where the wild things are, where only they has the power to tame.


_________________________
Book Details: Book #24 for 2011
Published by Harper & Row, Publishers
(Hardcover, 1963 First Edition)
42 pages
Read on: June 15, 2011
My Rating: ★★★★★

[See this review on my book blog n  Dark Chest of Wondersn and for many others.]

This beautiful book has been in the family for nearly 40 years and has been enjoyed by three generations (so far), including me!

n  "And Max, the king of all wild things, was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all."n

Where the Wild Things Are is iconic. Whether you've grown up with it or not, there is no way you have never come across it at one point or another in your life. Not many books consisting of just ten sentences have inspired as many adaptions, nightmares and dreams alike.



The story is simply told: Max is pretending to be a wolf and messing with his mom, for which he is sent off to bed without supper. There, he finds his room turn into a forest and he is taken away to a far-away land where the wild things live, of whom he becomes the ruler - until he realises how all he wants is being at home.

More Than Meets the Eye

One of the book's greatest strengths is the fact that it works in multiple ways: as a powerful narrative that is relatable to children and adult's alike - who hasn't experienced that feeling of missing the security provided by your family and own safe home? The more you dig, the more layers of the narrative you uncover. It makes you think of how the child is not able to articulate these feelings yet, and how you forget them when you grow older.

Becoming King of Yourself

And then there's the fact that our protagonist Max tames the wild things. I love the ambiguity of the setting - when Max is sent to his room, which turns into a magical place, we do not know if it's a different world he is entering, whether he is just dreaming or imagining things - or maybe fighting his inner demons. Maybe it's not the outside world's threats he conquers, but his own hidden fears.



A Bond Like No Other

And then there's the relationship between Max and his mother. She sends him off without supper and manages to become the evil one without even visually appearing. But as Max returns to her, he finds food in his bed - and it's still hot. That last little detail puts aside all worries of his mother being emotionally detached from her son, as she provides him the security he wishes for, despite all worries. This is a strong message by itself, but gains power when looking at Sendak's biography, whose mother suffered from depression and who Sendak described as disturbed. So while his own story might not have come to that conclusion, Where the Wild Things Are makes you remember those ancient feelings of wanting to be safe. And who would deny that kind of love.

10 stars!
Amazing illustrations and unique fantasy elements.
One of the favourite books for both my children (5 and 7 years old)

"Mom. Mom. Mo-om. Mom. MOM!"

My mom whips around. "WHAT??!"

"CanIgetabook?"

"What?"

"Can... I... get... a... book...?"

"How much is it?"

"$8.50."

"What is it?"

I brandish a copy of Where The Wild Things Are from behind my back.

"Don't you already have that?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Aren't you a little... old for a book like that?"

I pout. "But Mo-om..."

"Okay," she sighs. "Put it in the cart."

--ten minutes later--

My mom leaves the car to go put the cart back.

I look around suspiciously, making sure the coast is clear.

I lean over the back seat and start digging through the bags.

Finding the book, I crawl back into the front seat with it.

My mom returns.

"Couldn't you wait until we got home?"

"Nope." I'm turning the first pages, reading everything slowly.

My mom starts the car. "Sometimes I can't tell if I have a twenty-four- or a four-year-old daughter."

I'm still immersed in the book. "At least I no longer pull up my skirt in the grocery aisle and show everyone my Barbie underwear."

"I certainly hope not!"

I grin mischievously.

All This little Bratty jerk needed was a flying chappal

I am NOT joking!! He was a total brat..and all his mother did was send him without supper!!
If I behaved that way with my mom..you won't be reading this review today

My son and I love this book! So much so that our poor little copy is falling apart and we need a new one.

Esperaba algo más por los comentarios y por su calificación en Goodreads, pero es un cuento para niños y no mucho más que eso.