Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

            Picture Book—Fantasy/Adventure

            Grades PreK-3

            Rating: 5 Stars

            Summary: When Max is sent to bed without dinner, he sails off to a distant land where he becomes king of the wild things. They all play and cause a ruckus together until Max becomes lonely and decides to return home.

            Where the Wild Things Are is a classic, but I don’t remember reading it when I was younger, although I’m sure someone must have read it to me at some point. I love how Max’s experience is something that almost every kid can relate to—being sent to your room and escaping the moment by dashing off into a wild fantasy world. Playing with my Barbie dolls as a kid was a way for me to escape similar to how Max did in the story. His imagination is so playful and child-like that it is nearly impossible not to smile at the way that he tames the wild things and then proceeds to play with them freely as he chooses. This expression of choice and control is an essential piece to understanding Max, as it shows how he copes with being reprimanded by his mother for causing mischief and adds depth to his character (Peterson & Eeds, p. 40). I think the ending is very fitting as Max realizes that despite his role as king of the wild things, he is still lonely. When a warm dinner is waiting for him upon his return home, I experienced a feeling of belonging and contentment in the fact that like Max’s mother, our parents will love us even when we act crazy. Finally, this Caldecott Medal winner is worth the read just for its amazingly intricate illustrations.

            I would love to use this book as a classroom read-aloud, although it is one that a lot of children will probably have already read or heard. It could be a great conversation starter to get kids to think about the tension that Max experiences and how this helps us to better understand the emotions that he is experiencing, especially as the tension shifts toward the end of the story (Peterson & Eeds, p. 36-37). I would be interested to hear students talk about their own similar experiences, as I’m sure that kids all relate to Max on some level. Instead of reading this book to the entire class, it would also be a great recommendation to make for individual students who are into fantasy and adventure stories and will benefit from this simple read, or those who have wild imaginations and would enjoy Max’s own created world.