Sendak, Maurice. 1963. Where the wild things are. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0060254920
Plot Summary
This is the story of a young trouble maker named Max. One night, Max finds himself sent to his room without dinner after talking back to his mother. While in his room, Max imagined that his surroundings turned into a forest where wild creatures lived who made him their king. Max and the wild creatures spent their time having a party in the forest until Max came to the conclusion that he was lonely and wanted to be back home where his family was. Max said goodbye to the wild things and wound up back in his room where his dinner was waiting for him still hot and ready to eat.
Critical Analysis
Maurice Sendak's story about Max takes the reader on a fun and exciting adventure without even leaving the comfort of Max's room. Max is a very relatable character in that like most of us, we just want to feel like someone out there appreciates us even when we're in trouble. Max's story has the underlying theme of the fact that in the end, our family is who we belong with and will always be there for us.
The illustrations in this book help the story immensely by showing the reader just what Max is imagining up in his room. The forest creatures have big, sharp teeth and bodies covered in hair. The forest is full of tall trees, starry skies, and colorful scenery. Sendak does an amazing job illustrating Max's smug expressions throughout the story and other emotions such as his relief to find that his dinner was waiting for him in his room.
Review Excerpts
- 1964 Caldecott Award Winner
- From the HornBook: "Arguably one of the greatest Caldecott Medal winners ever".
Connections
*After reading the book, watch the film adaptation. Make notes of the differences between the two.
*Have students share a dream they might have had where they found themselves in a world much like Max's and then draw what that dream looked like.
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