Book Review: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak


 A young, rambunctious boy goes on a magical adventure where he realizes that sometimes coming home is the best adventure of all.

The text is simple and bold making it easy to read within the margins of the page. The way the text is punctuated from page to page encourages readers to follow that action of plot of the story.

As the story progresses, the illustration occupy more of the page to help show the progression of the story and lend movement to the pages and the story. Max has a welcoming childness to him and his expressions lend to the mood of the story through various points in the story allowing young children to relate the emotions they see to the text of the page. The realistic illustrations lend to the textures of different surface with a clever use of line and color. The Wild Things are fun and mischievous without being overly frightening.

"It’s strange and exciting how brave and fearless Max is when encountering monstrous wild things. Between the simplicity of words and the page-filling evocative pictures that are so captivating, readers are quickly swept into this story of emotions that also offers a thought-provoking look at time." -The Children's Book Review

"This simply written but subtle book became a classic not only because it legitimized children’s angry feelings—and their ability to use their imaginations to deal with those feelings—but also because it showed punishment and love coexisting in a parent-child relationship." - Booklist Review

The book was adapted to a movie in 2009 but should use caution as the real life adaptation of the monsters could be frightening for some children. 

See below for some fun extension activities:

Book Information: 

Sendak, M. (1963). WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. Harper & Row.
IBSN: 0-06-025492-0

If you like this book, try reading Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst next!

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