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Hector Protector and As I Went Over the Water
Join Maurice Sendak in his mischievous retellings of Hector Protector and As I Went Over The Water.
This hilarious little book is packed with the charm and humour of the great Maurice Sendak, creator of Where The Wild Things Are.
This hilarious little book is packed with the charm and humour of the great Maurice Sendak, creator of Where The Wild Things Are.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1965
2 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Maurice Sendak
400 books2,375 followersMaurice Sendak was a visionary American illustrator and writer best known for transforming the landscape of children's literature through his emotionally resonant stories and distinctive artistic style. He gained international acclaim with Where the Wild Things Are, a groundbreaking picture book that captured the emotional intensity of childhood through its honest portrayal of anger, imagination, and longing. Widely recognized for his ability to blend the whimsical with the profound, Sendak created works that resonated with both children and adults, challenging conventional notions of what children's books could be.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sendak was a sickly child who spent much of his early life indoors, nurturing a love for books, drawing, and storytelling. The son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, he was deeply affected by the losses of the Holocaust, which shaped the darker emotional undercurrents in his work. His art was influenced by a range of sources, from comic strips and Mickey Mouse to Mozart, Blake, and German Romanticism. Though he began his career illustrating other writers’ books, he soon transitioned to authoring his own, beginning with Kenny’s Window and then The Sign on Rosie’s Door.
It was Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, that solidified Sendak’s reputation as a master of children’s literature. The book, which won the Caldecott Medal, was initially controversial due to its depiction of unruly behavior and ambiguous emotional tone. However, it was later recognized as a revolutionary work that respected children’s inner lives and psychological complexity. This theme continued in his later works, including In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There, which formed a loose trilogy exploring the emotional and imaginative experiences of childhood. These books, celebrated for their dreamlike narratives and lush illustrations, often tackled fears, fantasies, and the challenges of growing up.
Throughout his career, Sendak illustrated more than a hundred books, working with authors such as Ruth Krauss and Else Holmelund Minarik. His visual style—characterized by its intricate detail, dynamic line work, and expressive characters—evolved over the decades, but always retained an unmistakable emotional intensity. He also designed sets and costumes for operas and ballets, bringing his imaginative worlds to the stage. Notably, he created productions for works by Mozart and Prokofiev, combining his love of classical music with theatrical design.
Sendak was known for his sharp wit, fierce independence, and deep empathy for children. He openly criticized the sanitized and moralistic tone of much of children's publishing, insisting instead that young readers deserved stories that acknowledged their full emotional range, including fear, grief, anger, and wonder. He was also an openly gay man in a long-term relationship, though he only spoke publicly about his sexuality later in life.
Later in his career, Sendak continued to produce new work, collaborate with artists and institutions, and advocate for intellectual freedom. His final books, including Bumble-Ardy and My Brother’s Book, reflected both a return to his childhood memories and a meditation on aging, love, and mortality. Though his stories often ventured into the dark or surreal, they remained rooted in a deep respect for the emotional reality of children and a belief in the power of imagination to confront life's challenges.
Maurice Sendak’s legacy endures in the countless writers and illustrators he inspired, the cultural impact of his stories, and the enduring affection readers of all ages hold for his wild things, mischievous children, and tender monsters. Through his work, he redefined what children’s literature could be: rich, honest, haunting, and, above all, deeply human.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sendak was a sickly child who spent much of his early life indoors, nurturing a love for books, drawing, and storytelling. The son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, he was deeply affected by the losses of the Holocaust, which shaped the darker emotional undercurrents in his work. His art was influenced by a range of sources, from comic strips and Mickey Mouse to Mozart, Blake, and German Romanticism. Though he began his career illustrating other writers’ books, he soon transitioned to authoring his own, beginning with Kenny’s Window and then The Sign on Rosie’s Door.
It was Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, that solidified Sendak’s reputation as a master of children’s literature. The book, which won the Caldecott Medal, was initially controversial due to its depiction of unruly behavior and ambiguous emotional tone. However, it was later recognized as a revolutionary work that respected children’s inner lives and psychological complexity. This theme continued in his later works, including In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There, which formed a loose trilogy exploring the emotional and imaginative experiences of childhood. These books, celebrated for their dreamlike narratives and lush illustrations, often tackled fears, fantasies, and the challenges of growing up.
Throughout his career, Sendak illustrated more than a hundred books, working with authors such as Ruth Krauss and Else Holmelund Minarik. His visual style—characterized by its intricate detail, dynamic line work, and expressive characters—evolved over the decades, but always retained an unmistakable emotional intensity. He also designed sets and costumes for operas and ballets, bringing his imaginative worlds to the stage. Notably, he created productions for works by Mozart and Prokofiev, combining his love of classical music with theatrical design.
Sendak was known for his sharp wit, fierce independence, and deep empathy for children. He openly criticized the sanitized and moralistic tone of much of children's publishing, insisting instead that young readers deserved stories that acknowledged their full emotional range, including fear, grief, anger, and wonder. He was also an openly gay man in a long-term relationship, though he only spoke publicly about his sexuality later in life.
Later in his career, Sendak continued to produce new work, collaborate with artists and institutions, and advocate for intellectual freedom. His final books, including Bumble-Ardy and My Brother’s Book, reflected both a return to his childhood memories and a meditation on aging, love, and mortality. Though his stories often ventured into the dark or surreal, they remained rooted in a deep respect for the emotional reality of children and a belief in the power of imagination to confront life's challenges.
Maurice Sendak’s legacy endures in the countless writers and illustrators he inspired, the cultural impact of his stories, and the enduring affection readers of all ages hold for his wild things, mischievous children, and tender monsters. Through his work, he redefined what children’s literature could be: rich, honest, haunting, and, above all, deeply human.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 10, 2018
Maurice uses to obscure nursery rhymes that I never heard of. They are short rhymes. He almost turns this into a wordless story. He uses the sentences to craft a much bigger story. I love the art here. Maurice is amazing at creating unusual characters that are unique. Maurice has a wonderful voice. He is a man who has a strange point of view. He gave the world something great. I enjoy this little story. It was a lot of fun.
The kids laughed at this book too. They thought it was fun. They gave it 4 stars. This went over well in our home.
The kids laughed at this book too. They thought it was fun. They gave it 4 stars. This went over well in our home.
July 19, 2018
2.5 stars. Two nursery rhymes have been illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Some of the drawings are lovely, the rhymes aren't very interesting. They are nonsense rhymes but not much fun either. I wonder what made him choose these two? I can think of loads that would be more fun to read and illustrate in my opinion. My daughter said she liked the illustrations but didn't understand what's going on. Personally I wouldn't read this to small children as there's lots of shouting no, hitting, punching and knocking out of teeth! The dragon in it is lovely.
November 21, 2017
Two stories in one book, with a wallpaper page inside front and back covers ( see where the wild things are ) two boys, one character. Both fight but with different results. Great blackbird as a taunting devil-on-shoulder type, ends up with the cake. There is lots here to talk about, opportunities to raise or resolve issues, for both parents and children.
Hector rages when forced to wear green and take cake to the queen, bunking off with his subjugated friends (toys?), Lion and Snake - courage and cunning? - who accompany him to the unimpressed king and queen. End result bed with no tea!
The second boy ( victor ) only plays, there is no parental conflict. Its playfighting with the team who all end up on his boat wearing the crew hat. Safe rough and tumble with friends.
Sendak gets our attention with wonderful, sometimes grotesque drawings, and surprising, unusual stories with animals both awe-inspiring and friendly, telling some hard truths. So they invite you to read them again, looking for meanings you know are there but which don't come easily.
Hector rages when forced to wear green and take cake to the queen, bunking off with his subjugated friends (toys?), Lion and Snake - courage and cunning? - who accompany him to the unimpressed king and queen. End result bed with no tea!
The second boy ( victor ) only plays, there is no parental conflict. Its playfighting with the team who all end up on his boat wearing the crew hat. Safe rough and tumble with friends.
Sendak gets our attention with wonderful, sometimes grotesque drawings, and surprising, unusual stories with animals both awe-inspiring and friendly, telling some hard truths. So they invite you to read them again, looking for meanings you know are there but which don't come easily.
April 26, 2018
This one was a bit more confusing, for an adult---for whom these are not written, yet, I am entirely unsure how I'd feel as a youth reading these.
I see a spoiled boy, in both stories.
The first is a boy sent to give the queen a cake--he said No NO No for several panels while he is being dressed, then sent off, says he hates the queen, finally throwing down the cake.
On the way, he meets a lion and a snake that join him on the journey, sans cake. Once to the palace he charges in, so the queen, and the king do not like him, and sent back. Again, saying NO NO the entire time he undresses. Then, in the night, he asks the crow eating the discarded cake for a piece, and he says, "no".
The second boy is a captain on his vessel which a sea creature swallows. Through the panels the creature expels the ship. Meanwhile, on land, the boy beats the teeth out of two crows, for calling him a thief, and a rascal. He returns to the boat to sail away, joined by the sea creature, and the crows.
I see a spoiled boy, in both stories.
The first is a boy sent to give the queen a cake--he said No NO No for several panels while he is being dressed, then sent off, says he hates the queen, finally throwing down the cake.
On the way, he meets a lion and a snake that join him on the journey, sans cake. Once to the palace he charges in, so the queen, and the king do not like him, and sent back. Again, saying NO NO the entire time he undresses. Then, in the night, he asks the crow eating the discarded cake for a piece, and he says, "no".
The second boy is a captain on his vessel which a sea creature swallows. Through the panels the creature expels the ship. Meanwhile, on land, the boy beats the teeth out of two crows, for calling him a thief, and a rascal. He returns to the boat to sail away, joined by the sea creature, and the crows.
July 7, 2017
Dark Rhymes, not well suited to young kids.
November 12, 2017
all the things one wants in a book to be read aloud (including plenty of wordless pages to improv over)
April 12, 2010
“Hector Protector and As I Went over the Water” is another set of nursery rhymes from the famous children’s author, Maurice Sendak. This book contains two nursery rhymes detailing the adventures of two boys where one of the boys gives his mother and the queen a hard time and the other boy where he encounters various creatures around the water. This book is a pure delight for anyone who loves nursery rhymes and is a fan of Maurice Sendak’s books.
Maurice Sendak has done a great job at both the illustrations and in interpreting these old Mother Goose rhymes. The nursery rhymes themselves are extremely creative in a lyrical sense as they detail both the main characters’ adventures in rhymes. Maurice Sendak’s illustrations are beautiful and creative as he illustrates all characters being colorful and original. I love the way that he illustrates both the Lion in “Hector Protector” and the sea monster in “As I Went over the Water” as being somewhat threatening towards the characters, even though both main characters attempted to stand up to these threatening creatures. The image that probably stood out the most would be the recurring images of the sea monster from “As I Went over the Water” coughing up the boat since I found it funny that the sailor was so busy with the blackbirds that he did not notice his boat coming out of the monster.
“Hector Protector and As I Went over the Water” is a wonderful nursery rhyme book from the creative mind of Maurice Sendak and anyone who is a fan of nursery rhymes will surely find this book extremely funny and interesting to read. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since the format is simple enough for children to read, but parents may need to discuss about Hector Protector’s behavior and the violent image of the blackbirds getting their teeth knocked out to their children so that they could understand that these acts are not suitable for children to imitate.
From my Epinions Review:
http://www0.epinions.com/review/Hecto...
Maurice Sendak has done a great job at both the illustrations and in interpreting these old Mother Goose rhymes. The nursery rhymes themselves are extremely creative in a lyrical sense as they detail both the main characters’ adventures in rhymes. Maurice Sendak’s illustrations are beautiful and creative as he illustrates all characters being colorful and original. I love the way that he illustrates both the Lion in “Hector Protector” and the sea monster in “As I Went over the Water” as being somewhat threatening towards the characters, even though both main characters attempted to stand up to these threatening creatures. The image that probably stood out the most would be the recurring images of the sea monster from “As I Went over the Water” coughing up the boat since I found it funny that the sailor was so busy with the blackbirds that he did not notice his boat coming out of the monster.
“Hector Protector and As I Went over the Water” is a wonderful nursery rhyme book from the creative mind of Maurice Sendak and anyone who is a fan of nursery rhymes will surely find this book extremely funny and interesting to read. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since the format is simple enough for children to read, but parents may need to discuss about Hector Protector’s behavior and the violent image of the blackbirds getting their teeth knocked out to their children so that they could understand that these acts are not suitable for children to imitate.
From my Epinions Review:
http://www0.epinions.com/review/Hecto...
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October 12, 2016
Hector Protector and As I Went Over the Water
Grade Level: Preschool
Summary:
This book contains two nursery rhymes. Both of these nursery rhymes are about a boy and his adventures. In hector protector it is about a boy who is sent to the queen to give her a cake. Along the way he comes across scary animals and befriends them. He eventually gets to the queen and king just to get kicked out them he goes back home and gets sent to bed. In As he Went Over the Water a boy falls off his ship into the water and meets a sea monster. As the story goes on the boy makes it to land and finds two birds who are very annoying. So he decides to knock their teeth out. Apparently these birds were maybe teasing the sea monster and he was grateful. The boy was very proud and made all the animals crew members of his ship.
Review:
This book is an interesting twist on nursery rhymes. I do not know exactly what rhymes they were based off of but none the less they were cute. Tommie dePaola gives this book some spunk with his illustrations and words. I enjoyed it very much.
In Class Uses:
In the classroom you can use this book as a way to show how nursery rhymes can be adapted into many different ways. Another way this book can be used is to show an example of some of the works the author and illustrator Tomie dePaola has done as part of an author themed week. One more way you can use this in the classroom is by using it as an example to have kids make their own nursery rhymes. You can look up the structure for how to make one and help the kids make their own nursery rhymes with pictures as well as words.
June 4, 2018
Gorgeous illustrations, but thin to non-existent stories for both parts, and terrible to non-existent rhyme structure for what are ostensibly nursery rhymes.
May 13, 2008
A delightful rendition of Mother Goose rhymes with illustrations only Sendak could dream up. As the rhymes are short, Sendak makes up for them by suppling wonderful illustrations which invite the reader to explore their own imaginations and enhance the story with their own thoughts. Pre-K - 1st grade.
From Publisher's Weekly:
"Sendak conveys as much plot through the artist's wordless spreads as with the minimal text. For collectors and budding readers alike."
From NY Times Book Review:
"Since Caldecott and Lesley Brooke, nobody has illustrated nursery rhymes this well. . . These wonderfully funny, charming drawings are just as good as those Mr. Sendak did for Where the Wild Things Are."
From Publisher's Weekly:
"Sendak conveys as much plot through the artist's wordless spreads as with the minimal text. For collectors and budding readers alike."
From NY Times Book Review:
"Since Caldecott and Lesley Brooke, nobody has illustrated nursery rhymes this well. . . These wonderfully funny, charming drawings are just as good as those Mr. Sendak did for Where the Wild Things Are."
May 13, 2011
Maurice Sendak is pure gold. I figure he's one of the best children's illustrators in existence. I'm not sure if he's still alive, but if he's dead then I bet God has him illustrating stuff up in heaven. Hector Protector was/is one of my favorites of Sendak's. An excellent children's book should be enjoyable for adults as well. If you're and adult and have a decent sense of humor, then you'll probably enjoy this one, as well as pretty much any of Sendak's books. Higgledy Piggledy Pop is another classic. Everyone should enjoy an edible mop now and then.
March 16, 2017
another great little title for fans of Maurice Sendak. once again its the animals and monsters that really shine for me. there is an almost medieval sensibility to some of the designs; which of course i love. these are short but very fun. there is lots to look at on each individual page and each one carries the story forward almost like a limited animation. after over fifty years this has lost none of its glorious weirdness and charm :)
January 17, 2010
Using two (somewhat obscure) Mother Goose rhymes, Sendak creates a book to showcase his wonderful and imaginative illustrations. The pictures are quite enjoyable as he tells a story in both words and illustration.
October 26, 2017
The only reason is because getting three stars is because the art is amazing. But honestly the stories confused me. I mean I know that the idea is for The reader to see him using his imagination but I just felt like it wasn't executed very well.
March 12, 2009
Sendak's humorous illustrations give new life to these lesser known tales.
August 25, 2009
Destructive little boy goes on a rampage or two.
July 14, 2013
Hector Protector says "no!" Reminds me of that kid who says "I don't care!"
March 11, 2014
My 7 year old grandson rates this as a 5 star read!
March 29, 2014
Two nursery rhymes with awesome illustrations by one of the greatest Maurice Sendak.
October 2, 2017
Diappointed.Found illustrations strange .I would worry some children might find it hard to enjoy .
November 6, 2017
Was cheering for Hector all the way
April 20, 2018
Of course the illustrations are wonderful (if some are a little much for kids now), but the text still baffles me. Working on understanding it!
May 7, 2018
really enjoyed the illustrations - they added a lot of depth to the rhymes.
November 8, 2018
Maurice Sendak interprets two nursery rhymes with illustrations.
Hmm, a 2.2 for this. I kinda found the first one amusing (especially the royalty armed with kitchen pans). The second one is just plain weird. I think this book would best be used to prompt kids to research the historical meaning of nursery rhymes. They have to make more sense if you do (because I don't think it's possible to make less sense).
Hmm, a 2.2 for this. I kinda found the first one amusing (especially the royalty armed with kitchen pans). The second one is just plain weird. I think this book would best be used to prompt kids to research the historical meaning of nursery rhymes. They have to make more sense if you do (because I don't think it's possible to make less sense).
October 20, 2019
I love how Sendak shows the naughty side of kids, but also balances it with panels showing their tender loving side. Here it's the booping of the lion on his head and then the sweet pat good bye. I think kids love the humor and rebellion that are in his stories and there is enough consequence shown that it's not encouraging bad behavior.
January 17, 2025
This exemplifies the genius of Sendak. He took two rather innocuous nursery rhymes, applied his vivid and humorous imagination and supplied pictures that broadened and deepened the verse. Because of Sendak, the book is highly entertaining. My only nitpick would be that the artwork feels a tad like a hangover from Where the Wild Things Are.
August 26, 2023
I've loved much by Sendak, including some of the more obscure works. This just didn't work for me, except in bits that just flashed by. The birds, in both rhymes, were the most interesting elements.
July 1, 2025
I love Sendak but God this book is awful. The stories are boring and nonsensical. Even the art is nothing mind blowing. I'm seriously debating removing this from my son's library because no one wants to read it ever.
November 15, 2018
Classic Maurice: obscure nursery rhyme, a bit dark and weird, and strange monster-y things happening on the sidelines of the pictures. This guy- love him.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews