Where+The+Wild+Things+Are


 * Where The Wild Things Are **

** Summary/Review: **
The book tells the story of Max, who one evening plays around his home making "mischief" in a wolf costume. As punishment, his mother sends him to bed without supper. In his room, a mysterious, wild forest and sea grows out of his imagination, and Max sails to the land of the Wild Things. The Wild Things are fearsome-looking monsters, but Max proves to be the fiercest, conquering them by "staring into all their yellow eyes without blinking once", and he is made "the king of all wild things", dancing with the monsters in a "wild rumpus". However, he soon finds himself lonely and homesick and returns home to his bedroom where he finds his supper waiting for him still hot.

Where the Wild Things Are is a book that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. The monsters manage to be scary without actually being scary. Sendak's run-on sentences give the perfect childish touch of stream of consciousness to the tale, which floats between the land of dreams and a child's imagination.



** Author Biogra **** phy: **
Maurice Sendak was born on June 10, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York. Much of his extended family died during the Holocaust. His love of books came at an early age when he developed health problems and was confined to his bed.One of his first professional commissions was to create window displays for the toy store F.A.O. Schwarz. His illustrations were first published in 1947 in a textbook titled //Atomics for the Millions// by Dr. Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff. He spent much of the 1950s working as an artist for children's books, before beginning to write his own stories. Maurice Sendak is known for drawing inspiration and influences from a vast number of painters, musicians and authors. Going back to his childhood, one of his earliest memorable influences was actually his father, Philip Sendak. Sendak also told New York Times that he was gay, and had a life partner for 50 years.

** Other Works: **
Kenny's Window (1956) Very Far Away (1957) The Sign on Rosie's Door (1960) The Nutshell Library (1962) Alligators All Around (An Alphabet) Chicken Soup with Rice (A Book of Months) One Was Johnny (A Counting Book) Pierre (A Cautionary Tale) Ten Little Rabbits: A Counting Book with Mino the Magician (1970) Some Swell Pup or Are You Sure You Want a Dog? (1976) Fantasy Sketches (1981) Outside Over There (1981) We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy (1993) Mommy? (2006) Bumble-Ardy (2011)

*Illustrator for countless other children’s books

** Awards: **
Caldcott Medal, 1964. Hans Christian Anderson Awards Illustrators Medal, 1970. American Book Award, 1982 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, 1983 National Medal of Arts, 1996 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, 2003

** Historical Context: **
Genre: Children’s Literature. Published in 1963 by Harper & Row.

** Major Themes: **
Dark emotion, consequences, home is where the heart is, coming of age, managing relationships.

** Citations: **
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