Where the Wild Things Are

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

Max, a young boy who loves to get into mischief, gets sent up to bed one night without eating dinner as punishment.  Feeling disgruntled, Max then dreams of leaving his bedroom to go to the place where the wild things are.  While there, Max is crowned king and continues being mischievous with the wild things, but soon realizes that he is lonely and wants to be where he is loved.  After making the trek back to his bedroom, Max is happy to see his mother left a hot supper waiting for him.  Sendak’s illustrations are colorfully detailed and textured, giving the characters an almost life-like appearance.  These illustrations also depict the wild imaginations a young boy can have – the bigger the imagination, the more creative the illustration on the page.  And though the wild things are said to be terrible with their claws and eyes, they appear to be innocently harmless creatures.  A definite read for elementary kids to show them themes of parental love and forgiveness, as well as older kids that need practice in analyzing character.  This is a 1964 Caldecott Medal Winner and has been in publication for 53 years.