Where+the+Wild+Things+Are+-+Maurice+Sendak

=**__Where the Wild things are__**=

__**Bibliographical Information**__ ISBN: 9780064431781 Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books Publication Year: 1963 One night Max was sent to bed without dinner for making mischief in his wolf costume and speaking disrespectfully to his mother. Angry, Max goes to his room and imagines a sea that he sails on to a big wild forest. Upon reaching the forest he meets the “Wild Things,” big terrible monsters, but Max, still in his wolf costume, is not scared of them. He tames the wild monsters with his magic trick and becomes their king. Max eventually becomes lonely, missing his mother, who loved him best of all, and decides to sail back home. After a long “journey home”, Max finds his supper waiting, still hot.
 * __Summary:__**

//Where the Wild Things Are// is a well-known, well-loved children’s book. The illustrations help children connect to their feelings through Max’s feelings. The monsters are big and sometimes scary looking, just like anger can be a big, scary emotion. The story uses descriptive words that are easy for children to understand and can even be used to build vocabulary and word choice for students. I think the best part of the book, however, is the fact that children can connect to the book on a personal level – they have all “made mischief”, been punished for it, and experienced the same emotions as Max when they didn’t get the desired reaction. It is an excellent tool to use to talk about emotions and behavior with children.
 * __Review:__**

//Where the Wild Things Are// is an excellent book to use when discussing emotions with children, and, although the theme is a little abstract, the author still does an exceptional job of developing the theme of dealing with anger and not letting it separate us from those we love – or from those who “love us best”. When Max is sent to his room without supper for causing mischief, he becomes angry. His wild journey becomes a metaphor for his journey through anger - the process of allowing his anger free reign, then coming to terms with it and actually processing the emotion. The forest grows in his room – just as his anger grows while he is sitting there stewing. The long journey “through the night and a day and in and out of weeks and almost over a year” show the separation that anger can cause between a person and their loved ones. The monsters become the manifestation of his anger, “roar[ing] their terrible roars and gnash[ing] their terrible teeth […] and show[ing] their terrible claws”. He takes control of his anger when he becomes their king, and he allows the anger to take over as they throw their “wild rumpus” party. In the end, Max realizes the enjoyment of his anger isn’t worth being separated from his mom – the one who “loved him best of all.” I remember reading this book when I was little, but I don’t remember making the connection between Max’s emotions and what was actually happening in the story, though the connection is very evident; if a child didn’t make the connection themselves, it would be easily visible with some discussion. Every student could easily make text to self connections once the theme of the story had been discussed. Every child has felt as Max feels and some don’t know what to do with the emotions. Learning the lesson through Max’s story is a great way of incorporating school health into the curriculum and teaching children healthy ways of dealing with their emotions.
 * __Literary Analysis:__**

Maurice Sendak is a well-known children’s author and illustrator, recognized nationally as well as internationally. He is best known for his book, //Where the Wild Things Are//. His difficult childhood led him to his love of books and a deep understanding of human emotions. Disney’s //Fantasia// inspired Sendak to take his first step toward his writing career – he illustrated various books throughout the 50’s before finally writing his own book. Several of his books were controversial because they dealt with children’s emotions – a topic often avoided back then. Along with being an author and illustrator, Sendak was also active in the beginning stages of Sesame Street, wrote and designed, or helped to design various animated series, and produced an animated series. He also was a set and costume designer for various operas and ballets. His book, //where the wild things// Are, won the Coldcott medal in 1964. In 1970, He became the first American illustrator to win the international Hans Christian Anderson award. And in 1997, Sendak received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton.
 * __Author Biography:__**

[]
 * __Related Links:__**