A Book Review of: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak

Bibliography:

Sendak,Maurice. 1963. Where the Wild Things Are. 25 ed. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 9780060254926

Plot Summary:

Where The Wild Things Are is a tale set in the bedroom of a young boy named Max. Max dresses as a wolf and behaves in such a dissatisfactory manner his mother banishes him to his room without dinner, calling him a “Wild Thing.” Alone in his room, Max paces until his mind takes him on an imaginary year-long journey across an ocean to another land full of creatures deemed "wild things", just like him. He is declared king of the land of wild things, having been declared the wildest thing of all. After indulging in wild behavior and displaying bad manners to his heart’s content, Max smells the scent of a homemade meal and decides to leave the land of wild things and return home for dinner.

Critical Analysis:

This Caldecott Award winning picture storybook written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak is a tale of magical realism. Young Max takes a mental journey to a self-created place where his unsavory behavior is acceptable and he is revered for his ability to make mischief and display bad manners. The wild things he encounters are personifications of his punishable behavior that he can exert control over as he feels his mother exerts control over him. He embodies his mother while he is king of the wild things and sends them to bed without dinner, the same punishment he received from his mother for the behaviors they display. After he has punished the wild things for their mischief, the illustration on the next page displays a contemplative Max. He seems to be reconsidering his misbehavior and maybe even feeling remorse, and this is when he smells dinner. He decides to leave the land where bad behavior is acceptable and return to a place where he is expected to display good behavior. He removes the head of his wolf costume. Since his dinner is in his room waiting for him, his mother seems to have forgiven him and revoked his punishment. Though, she never physically appears in the story, the mother’s presence is felt. The appearance of dinner symbolizes that not only has Max thought about his behavior, but he is repentant.

The illustrations are two-dimensional and child-like, looking more cartoonish than realistic, which captures the young eye and accentuates the humor and fantastic elements of the story. The colors used are dark with strong definitive lines, the painting style: oil. Max begins his imaginary journey during the day, but arrives in the land of wild things during the night. The mischief Max wreaks with the wild things happens at night, but as the boy begins to contemplate his behavior and come to a realization, dawn light penetrates the dark, thick forest of Where the Wild Things Are. The dark artwork of the story, the darkness in the recesses of the jungle and the nighttime setting symbolize Max’s mindset at the beginning of the story when he feels his unruly behavior is justified and his mother is wrong. The dawn lights show the beginning of his acceptance that being thought of as a wild thing by authority figures in his life is not as desirable as he initially thought.

The moral of the story to me seems to be about the effectiveness of punishments. A child must be given a punishment that allows them to consider their behavior and come to the right decisions on their own, or else punishment is useless. Had Max simply been stripped of a toy or given a spanking, he would not have been given the chance to ponder why he was punished and why his behavior was wrong. Also, the story explores the imagination and the fantastic things a child can create within the recesses of his or her own mind.

This is a book that can be read by elementary school teachers and librarians when teaching children lessons about manners, behavior and obedience. Maurice Sendak is known for his stories and artwork that feature grotesque creatures and children who display undesired behavior going on journeys to the lands of these creatures and return ready to conform.

Review Except(s)

"Each word has been carefully chosen and the simplicity of the language is quite deceptive." -- SLJ.
Winner of the Caldecott Medal (1964)ALA: Notable Children's Books of 1940–1970Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Illustration (1981)Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book, 1936, 1982)Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1963, 1982 (NYT)A Reading Rainbow SelectionLewis Carroll Shelf Award (1964)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)

Connections:

Another book that children might like when delving into the concepts of imagination is

Johnson, Crockett. Harold and the Purple Crayon. ISBN: 978-0064430227