Picture Book: Where the Wild Things Are

Image:

Evaluation of the book:

Where the Wild Things Are, the story of a child named Max who is sent to his room with no supper and then goes on an imaginary journey to the land of the “Wild Things,” is a childhood classic. A whimsical story, Where the Wild Things Are contains simple written language; each page has only a few words to accompany the illustrations. However, the words that are used are melodic and help the illustrations truly sing the story. Several phrases throughout the book stick with the reader for a very long time. Specifically: “They roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws,” is repeated twice and has become the theme song of this beloved book because in its repetition of the word “terrible” it represents everything that the book depicts: a child’s anger can make anything seem terrible.

In addition to its melodic language, Where the Wild Things Are is filled with stunning illustrations depicting Max’s odyssey into his own anger and imagination. By partnering Max’s story with such visually appealing and imaginative illustrations, the author, Maurice Sendak, celebrates Max’s imagination and encourages the book’s young readers to explore their own. Most importantly, the story is told from the perspective of its illustrations, rather than its words. The words guide the reader through the illustrations, but the illustrations do the storytelling.

Building off of this, Maurice Sendak uses the size of his images to illustrate the size of Max’s anger. In the beginning, while Max is still at home, the images are small and do not take up a whole page. As he gets closer and closer to the land of the Wild Things, however, the images grow in size until, when he has arrived in the Wild Things’ domain, the images take up a full two-page spread. At the climax, when Max declares it is time for the “wild rumpus” to begin, the images take over completely and there is no more white page left for words (p.44). When Max smells his supper and begins his journey home, the images shrink in size again. The last page, when Max is calmly eating his still-hot supper, contains no illustrations at all.

Response:

Reading this book again, as an adult, gave me a severe flashback to my childhood sitting on the couch with my siblings listening to my mother read to us. Where the Wild Things Are was a childhood favorite, but now, reading it again as an adult, I can clearly see that I enjoyed it so much because in Max I saw a kindred spirit. Every child, myself included, goes through what Max went through - the cycle of anger. Not only is it personally relevant to its readers, but Where the Wild Things Are is also simply a very entertaining and beautiful book. The combination of the melodic language and gorgeous illustrations makes it very enjoyable to read. I love everything about this book and will definitely be reading it to my future children someday.

Conclusion:

Stunning illustrations, melodic language, relatable childhood experiences make Where the Wild Things Are an enduring childhood classic. Although children’s literature is filled with excellent books, I believe that this one is one of the genre’s greatest. I recommend that adults re-read this book for themselves, that parents make sure it’s on their shelves, and that children feel the connection to Max, his anger, and his Wild Things.

APA Style Reference:

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.