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Where the Wild Things Are

Maurice Sendak

4.22 · Rating details · 839,688 ratings · 12,048 reviews

Max, a wild and naughty boy, is sent to bed without his supper by his exhausted mother. In his room, he imagines sailing far away to a land of Wild Things. Instead of eating him, the Wild Things make Max their king.

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Paperback, 37 pages

Published 2000 by Red Fox (first published April 19th 1963)

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· 839,688 ratings · 12,048 reviews

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Nov 03, 2007 Nathan rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Delusional miscreants.

Shelves: fiction

I have no doubt that this book damaged me, psychologically, as a small child. It is one of the earliest books I vividly remember reading aloud to myself, and I remember the first time my mother read it to me before she put me to bed. Here's the gist of the plot: A little boy named Max dresses up in a wolf costume, plays with a hammer, chases his dog with a fork, then threatens to cannibalize his mother. His mother, a master of irony, then puts him to bed with no dinner. Already, this story shoul I have no doubt that this book damaged me, psychologically, as a small child. It is one of the earliest books I vividly remember reading aloud to myself, and I remember the first time my mother read it to me before she put me to bed. Here's the gist of the plot: A little boy named Max dresses up in a wolf costume, plays with a hammer, chases his dog with a fork, then threatens to cannibalize his mother. His mother, a master of irony, then puts him to bed with no dinner. Already, this story should start creeping you out. Then a forest starts to grow in Max's bedroom. And no, no chemicals have been ingested anywhere in the story. Though the bit about chasing the dog with the fork does imply a delusional state. Regardless, a fucking forest grows in the kids bedroom. So naturally he gets in a boat and sails off to the other side of the world, to where all these "wild things" are. And promptly subjugates everyone he sees. I'm a damn toddler, and my mom is reading me a book about a sociopath. So Max has a ball with this gang he's conquered and converted, and they howl at the moon and hop through trees. Then he gets hungry and goes home, where his mother, no doubt terrified of his new army of foreign creatures, has left his food for him, still warm. I thought, "This woman aims to do me harm." Yes, please, mother. Read me a story about my bedroom becoming a forest inhabited by monsters, then put me to bed. Think I slept that night? No, I hid out under my bed with a plastic baseball bat, a water gun and flashlight, hoping to God that if this was the night it all went wrong, I had the courage to look those monsters in the eye and pretend I wasn't wetting myself. I made a nest with a giant teddy bear and two pillows and didn't come out until the next morning, when I heard my mom coming down the hall. All day long I pretended nothing was different. But I asked her to read me Where The Wild Things Are again that night. And the next night. For months. I would ask her questions like "Do you think I will have my monsters get you if you don't make me supper?" And she'd smile, and say "Go to bed, Nathan." Spooky shit, I'm telling you. I learned to read through fear and intimidation. A subversive masterpiece.

NC ...more

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Aug 16, 2007 fleegan rated it did not like it

Shelves: uttercrap

This book is crap, and let me tell you why. The kid is a jerk and is sent to his room without supper. He proceeds to go to some magical place where these monsters live and he bosses them around and is mean to them. Then he gets back home...having not learned that being a mean jerk is wrong...and there on his table in his room is dinner...and it's still warm. What's the lesson here exactly?
Hate the book. ...more

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Sep 11, 2009 Angie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, childrens

"Mom. Mom. Mo-om. Mom. MOM!"

My mom whips around. "WHAT??!"

"CanIgetabook?"

"What?"

"Can... I... get... a... book...?"

"How much is it?"

"$8.50."

"What is it?"

I brandish a copy of Where The Wild Things Are from behind my back.

"Don't you already have that?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Aren't you a little... old for a book like that?"

I pout. "But Mo-om..."

"Okay," she sighs. "Put it in the cart."

--ten minutes later--

My mom leaves the car to go put the cart back.

I look around suspiciously, making sure the coast is clear.

I le ...more

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Dec 20, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

‘‘and now,’ max cried, ‘let the wild rumpus start!’’

i babysat the other night and, i swear, i read this book at least 30 times within a 4 hour time span (kids, eh?). i never read this story as a child and i cant help but feel like i missed out on something special.

but luckily, this is one of those timeless classics that still has something for everyone, no matter the age.

this story is for everyone who yearns for wild adventure, for the lovers and attendees of every wild rumpus, for each pers ...more

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May 16, 2017 Mark Lawrence added it

My copy of this book is over fifty years old. It was read to me when I was tiny and I read it to my children when they were small.

When we lived in the States I discovered the play figures in a bargain bin in a toy store and bought them for my kids too. This guy was always my favourite!

He looks as if he's up to no good.

There are several key elements to the book's power.

1. The artwork is special.

2. It shows, graphically the power of imagination.

That very night in Max's room a forest grew
and grew ...more

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Oct 02, 2016 Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing

Shelves: american-20th-c, classics, kids, favorites

I have read the story of Max about 1,000,000 times and my kids love it too. The illustrations are magical and the text is beyond wonderful. It is one of the most fun and rewarding books for a parent to read to a kid (lots of fun making dancing sounds and monster sounds!) and features joyful plot. A must!

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Aug 07, 2016 James rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2-fic-childrens, 1-fiction

I loved this so much, I begged to star in it in an elementary school play. I won the lead role but had to share it with another classmate as we were doing 8 performances and couldn't be out of classes for rehearsals that often! I got to be rowdy... even though I was the quietest child possible. And who doesn't love to act like an animal, parade through the jungle and revisit their roots! But what do we love even more... our family and those who love us. Sometimes we can be too much and need to d ...more

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Dec 10, 2016 Mischenko rated it it was amazing

Please visit our blog www.twogalsandabook.com for this review and others!

I can still remember reading this for the first time in my grade school library. The pictures and illustrations can be a little scary at times, but they still remain incredible to me. I love children's books that are adventurous and take you places. This is one of them.

5***** ...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Manybooks rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Everyone!!

Shelves: fairy-tales-fantasy, magical-creatures, emotions, childrens-literature, translations, favourites-read, picture-books, book-reviews

It is often difficult to review a book that was and still is one of my favorite all-time picture books. I adore everything about Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, from the brilliant text to the expressive accompanying illustrations. And I also with all my heart appreciate the message the author promotes here, a message of unconditional love, a message that even if one misbehaves, there will be supper waiting on the table (Max does get sent to his room, but no matter how much he has mis It is often difficult to review a book that was and still is one of my favorite all-time picture books. I adore everything about Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, from the brilliant text to the expressive accompanying illustrations. And I also with all my heart appreciate the message the author promotes here, a message of unconditional love, a message that even if one misbehaves, there will be supper waiting on the table (Max does get sent to his room, but no matter how much he has misbehaved, his mother will always love him and cherish him). Of course, that particular message is only one of many. As essential as the concept of universal love is the philosophy, is the attitude that children's emotions and tantrums are to be taken seriously and not ever simply dismissed. Max might be seen and chastised as a "wild thing" by his mother, but his emotions, his actions are described as an integral part of his being, maybe not quite appropriate, but also not completely inappropriate, rather as a living, breathing part of Max's being. And it is these emotions, these feelings that are the impetus to Max's adventures in the realm of the Wild Things. However, once Max's emotions have been allowed and have flourished to the maximum, he retreats from the realm of the Wild Things and is happy to return home to his room, his waiting supper and his mother's love.

I guess I should really mention that one of my more recent rereads of Where the Wild Things Are (in 2011 for the Picture Book Club in the Children's Literature Group) was the first time I had actually read this book in English. Prior to 2011, I had only ever read it in German translation, and I have to admit that I actually like the translated German version somewhat better than the original English. For those who know me, this is quite a contrary attitude, as I am as a rule very much in favour of original texts and keeping any translated narratives as close to the original as possible. In this particular case, I think that I appreciate the German translation more because it is the narrative that I had repeatedly read to me when I was a child, that I later read for myself (and in 2005 read to my young nieces). The German translation of Where the Wild Things Are therefore has a nostalgic hold on me that the Maurice Sendak's original text, no matter how ingenious, not matter that it is the master, the primordial, will simply never have (and for me, the ultimate version of this book will always, always be the German translation, Wo Die Wilden Kerle Wohnen. ...more

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Aug 30, 2015 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: picture-books, fiction, animals, united-states, classics, 20th-century, childrens-young-readers, fantasy

Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
Where the Wild Things Are is a 1963 children's picture book by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak. This story of only 338 words, focuses on a young boy, named: Max who. after dressing in his wolf costume, wreaks such havoc through his household that he is sent to bed without his supper. Max's bedroom undergoes a mysterious transformation into a jungle environment, and he winds up sailing to an island inhabited by malicious beasts known as the Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
Where the Wild Things Are is a 1963 children's picture book by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak. This story of only 338 words, focuses on a young boy, named: Max who. after dressing in his wolf costume, wreaks such havoc through his household that he is sent to bed without his supper. Max's bedroom undergoes a mysterious transformation into a jungle environment, and he winds up sailing to an island inhabited by malicious beasts known as the "Wild Things." After successfully intimidating the creatures, Max is hailed as the king of the Wild Things and enjoys a playful romp with his subjects.

تاریخ نخستین نگرش: روز سی و یکم ماه آگوست سال 2005 میلادی

عنوان: سفر به سرزمین وحشی‌ها؛ نویسنده و تصویرگر: موریس سنداک؛ مترجم: طاهره آدینه پور؛ تهران، انتشارات علمی و فرهنگی؛ 1383، در 48 ص، مصور، رنگی، داستانهای تخیلی برای گروه ب و ج؛ 9786001212413؛ موضوع: کتابهای تصویری از نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20 م

عنوان اصلی کتاب «جایی که وحشی‌ها هستند»، که با عنوان: «سفر به سرزمین وحشی‌ها»؛ ترجمه و منتشر شده است. کتاب مصور کودکان که داستان آن هم در مورد رویاهای کودکی بود، که بدون خوردن شام به رختخواب فرستاده شده بود، در چهار دهه ی اخیر این کتاب مصور به عنوان یکی از بهترین، و دوست داشتنی‌ترین کتاب‌های مصور کودکان، در تمام دوران‌ها ستایش شده است. نقل از پشت جلد: «شاید بتوان گفت که سفر به سرزمین وحشی‌ها مشهورترین کتاب تصویری سده بیستم میلادی، در سراسر دنیای غرب است. سنداک برای نشان دادن روانشناسی پسرک نافرما،ن در داستان خود، از صفحه آرایی کتاب سود می‌برد؛ هم‌چنین صفحه‌ آرایی او به منظور نشان دادن بازگشت این کودک از نافرمانی به خانه و محیطی امن است. (پیتر هانت)»؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Aug 30, 2016 Alex rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children

I didn't realize this was The Odyssey for so long. It seems so obvious now! It's the Cyclops part. Polyphemus.

wild_things

Which makes Max's mom a stand-in for Penelope, keeping his dinner hot for him as he sails "in and out of weeks and almost over a year," and that's a little weird but there's always something a little weird about Maurice Sendak, isn't there? Have you read In the Night Kitchen? It's fuckin' weird, man. None of this knocks Where the Wild Things Are any lower on the list of Great Children's ...more

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Oct 27, 2020 daph pink ♡ rated it did not like it

Shelves: genre-children-fiction, genre-fantasy, genre-classics, 1-star, short-stories

So what was the moral of the story?
Anyone?
Explain me?

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Jun 25, 2014 Lisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: children

May I suggest this little cherished gem as a perfect inspiration for all of you who are locked away in private isolation somewhere on this globe? (Wow, by the way: we all share this experience, across towns and countries and continents - or does anyone need a reminder what I am referring to?)

With our imagination, we can travel from our claustrophobic reality to Where the Wild Things Are. And my guess is that those wild things will be quite a comfort and relief from news and coughs and worries... ...more

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Nov 01, 2020 Mrinmayi rated it it was ok

Shelves: i-am-traumatized, boring, fantasy, give-my-money-back, hateu4ever, kinda-disappointed, what-did-i-just-read, bleach-my-mind, regretting-you, special-snowflake-syndrome

All This little Bratty jerk needed was a flying chappal

I am NOT joking!! He was a total brat..and all his mother did was send him without supper!!
If I behaved that way with my mom..you won't be reading this review today😂

Been there, done that dude!! Thank you very much!!😒
[image error]
EVER BEEN IN THIS SITUATION??!
I am sorry but my little brown heart just can't RELATE!!!
The most " lenient " parents can get is this way..

BUT even that comes with a side effect!!

I pity this☝ kid😂
So you mean to say... ...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Jason Koivu rated it it was amazing

Like a gremlin crouched in the back of a dim cave, Where the Wild Things Are lay on my cousin's bedroom floor. My cousin was in kindergarden and I was being babysat by my aunt, busy in the kitchen downstairs - might as well have been miles away. The bedroom shades were drawn, the house quiet, the room empty. That book with its-its things in it called to me. I'd never seen anything like it. My books had colorful, happy animals that didn't make me feel this way....what was this feeling? Was this w ...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Kirk rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: Satanists and Hippies

Recommended to Kirk by: An evil librarian who used to ply us with candy bars to make us read

Where the Wild Things Are

What's the moral of this story? Some might say Sendack's work is a testament to the unbridled powers of a child's imagination. Others would posit that the true virtue of Where the Wild Things Are stems from the reversal of a timeless power dynamic in which monsters frighten children. In Sendack's carefully rendered world, monsters submit to the whims of children, which appears to suit Max well enough. I assume it works well for other children as well. If you can't convi Where the Wild Things Are

What's the moral of this story? Some might say Sendack's work is a testament to the unbridled powers of a child's imagination. Others would posit that the true virtue of Where the Wild Things Are stems from the reversal of a timeless power dynamic in which monsters frighten children. In Sendack's carefully rendered world, monsters submit to the whims of children, which appears to suit Max well enough. I assume it works well for other children as well. If you can't convince snot-nosed brats that monsters don't exist, at least you can convince them that monsters are friendly. Children, after all, are like neo-conservatives. You can only reason with them on their own delusional terms.

Here's the summary:

Max is an asshole. His mother calls him a monster, so he flies into a cannibalistic rage. She sends him to his room without dinner, which doesn't seem to be the best of ideas since he just threatened to eat her f*&% face off, but whatever. This book isn't heralded as a classic because of its promotion of high-quality parenting techniques. I'll get to that in a moment.

I couldn't help but notice the parallels between the story of Max and the early years of Siddhartha. Both starve themselves until they hallucinate. But the similarities end there. Siddhartha realizes that his approach to transcendentalism is misguided, and he eats once more. Max, on the other hand, starves himself for a night and trees grow in his room. Then he proceeds to get on a boat and fast for an entire year, at which point he starts seeing giant monsters.

The fact that these monsters cater to his delusions of grandeur--cowering in his presence and sharing his flesh-eating inclinations--lets us know that Max has externalized his fantasy world through strict fasting. On one hand, I respect this kid. I can rarely push through four days without wheat before the weekend starts and I pack in 80lbs of corporate-grown meat and bleached bread. On the other hand, what the hell is this book teaching our children? I'll tell you.

description

That middle finger means "I was raised on Sendak!"

Aside from self-imposed starvation, the book teaches children to give up on their aspirations as soon as the slightest temptation arises: "he smelled good things to eat so he gave up being king." It sends the message that those who love you would just as happily rip your entrails out and feast upon them as soon as you decide to leave: "Oh please don't go-we'll eat you up-we love you so!" And, finally, it shows them that parents' threats are temporally limited, and eventually love will cause them to cave in. At the end of the story, Max returns to his room "where he found his supper waiting for him." Way to be strong, mom. Pushover.

I bet Satan loves this book. ...more

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Feb 15, 2008 G rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kids-books-that-don-t-make-me-yawn

The classic. I would take this on a desert island. So much to explore and interpret in the words and the pictures. I'm afraid my girls don't like the book as much as I do. But sooner or later, they'll come around.

I see quite a few people complaining about Max being a little shit and not learning a lesson in "Where the Wild Things Are." Well, guess what, a lot of kids are little shits. And I believe Max did learn a few things on his journey. Sometimes it's not so good to be the king. Even with al ...more

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Sep 21, 2019 Reading_ Tam_ Ishly rated it really liked it

I just cannot believe what I just read!
Totally amazed me with the unusual illustrations!
I haven't read a children's book with such kind of illustration depicting the wild imagination of a kid with such innocence.
It is just suitable for very young kids.
Less words.
More pictures.
The sequential art is the highlight of this one.
But...
I just felt it was too short. Just too short!
I need more. ...more

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Apr 15, 2015 Calista rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1960s, z-maurice-sendak, award-caldecott, genre-fantasy, classic, bage-children, award-various, award-lewis-carroll-shelf, genre-beginner

Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!

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Aug 09, 2018 Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen) rated it really liked it

Shelves: with-dalton-kid-s-books

3.5 Stars

Small fry was utterly enchanted, and I think we both loved Max’s unbridled excitement. The whole story reads like a love-letter to childish imagination.

But Max was also a mean little snoot who threatened to eat his mother and was a little tyrant to the Wild Things... jussaying

Kid Lit Experiment 2018 #7

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Jun 08, 2008 Meg rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: EVERYONE (yes, even you adults)

Recommended to Meg by: my mommy... who read it every night

Another 5 star! Man, I'm getting generous. You guys just keep bringing up stories that KICK TRASH! This is the greatest children's book in the history of time as far as I'm concerned. And I'll tell you something WICKED AWESOME about it that I figured out when I researched it for a play adaptation I wrote. **GET OUT THE COPY OF YOUR CHILDREN'S BOOK RIGHT NOW**... Flip through the pages, and notice that on the first page the artwork is a small rectangle... then it grows larger and larger on every ...more

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Mar 17, 2016 SheReadsALot rated it really liked it

Shelves: clean-pg-read, classic, cookies-and-milk-kiddo-book

So not my normal choice of read. But it was a me and little one book, where I read and he listens or pretends to...hopefully we can nail down the 'pretend to listen' game with the kid. (But not with me, because I'm the favorite aunt--duh.)

Anyway, the story was...meh to me. I remember when I was younger and saw this book. I bypassed it then. Apparently, I was onto something because I totally would bypass it now, especially after reading.

I couldn't stand Max. Why would the awesome beasts/monsters ...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Apokripos rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Kidz at ♥!

Recommended to Apokripos by: Saw the movie

Shelves: 2011-reads, adventure, childrens-or-middle-grade-books, classics, dark-chest-of-wonders, award-winning-books, fantasy

Through a Child’s Eye
(A Book Review of Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are)

I’m glad that I recently scored a vintage 1963 edition (pictures here) of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are in Booksale during one of the mini Meet Ups with my Goodreads-The Filipino Group friends. I breeze through the book in a matter of minutes while waiting for them, and right there and then something just hit me. Without a doubt, it certainly earns its place as a classic storybook of Children’s Literat ...more

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Mar 26, 2008 Brad rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children, faves

Of all the books I read my kids, and there are many, this is my favourite to perform.

It is so easy to turn Where the Wild Things Are into a a big, rollicking tickle fest, and I am never able to resist the urge. When those Wild Things show up with their "terrible roars" and "terrible eyes" and "terrible claws," I attack my kids with everything I've got until they are reduced to quivering masses of giggled out jelly.

And Max, the King of the Wild Things, is one of the coolest kids in any kids book ...more

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Jun 05, 2020 peachygirl rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020

And the moral of the story is be a jerk to your mom??!
I don't get it. ...more

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Dec 27, 2006 Otis Chandler rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, isadora, childrensbooks

I didn't want to add any children's books - but this one was just too cool...

Update: Saw the movie - the book was much better! ...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Hayat rated it liked it

Shelves: award-winner, children-s-classics

My kids weren't so keen on this beloved children's story but I loved the illustrations, although, the story was a little bit disturbing if you pay close attention to what the little boy is doing or threatening to do. Hmmm?

...more

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Mar 16, 2016 Cyndi rated it it was amazing

My son's favorite book! Now it looks like it’s Mr. H’s favorite book, too. Excuse me, I’m being summoned for the tenth rereading...in a row. 😘 ...more

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Jul 15, 2011 K.D. Absolutely rated it it was ok

Recommended to K.D. by: 501 Must Read Books

Shelves: 501, childrens, borrowed

What kind of mother will send his child to bed without dinner?

Statistics say the many Filipinos go to bed with empty stomach. They just sleep so that they'll forget that they are hungry. Living in a Pacific island when I was a young boy, our family was poor too. However, my mother made sure that we ate something before going to bed. If my parents were hard up on cash because there were four of us young kids in the family and their only source of income were the coconut trees, there were times wh What kind of mother will send his child to bed without dinner?

Statistics say the many Filipinos go to bed with empty stomach. They just sleep so that they'll forget that they are hungry. Living in a Pacific island when I was a young boy, our family was poor too. However, my mother made sure that we ate something before going to bed. If my parents were hard up on cash because there were four of us young kids in the family and their only source of income were the coconut trees, there were times when we had to eat rice with a couple of fresh raw eggs with pinches of salt. But as small kids, we enjoyed it as we took turns eating from the same spoon and big plate while our mother was chasing each one of us while we ran around the house trying to have fun as we felt very happy with out mother chasing us. She ran after each of us with a spoonful of rice with egg and we keep on evading her until she got angry (you could tell this by the tone of her voice). Or its decibel depending on how long it took her to complete our feeding time which meants how long would it take for her to lose her patience. She called out our names according to our age: To!... Ningcoy!... Mon!... K.D.! (joke... I am only using this alias here in GR).

Chasing us. Wanting to feed us. However, this Max's mother called him "WILD THING" and Max said "I'LL EAT YOU UP" and he was sent to his room without dinner. Poor Max got hungry and started having delusions seeing forest, ocean, boat inside his bedroom then later all those scary-looking monsters with who he had a rumpus with.

And many of my friends are saying her in Goodreads that this is the best children's book ever. I came from another culture probably and I did not grow up with this book (no sweet memories attached to it). However, I do appreciate the uniqueness of the story. A mischievous child turns on his imagination similar to the boy in Dr. Seuss' 1937 children's book To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street which for me is a better book on how powerful children's imagination can be. I see and got amazed too at how imaginative Sendak's drawings that are becoming bigger and bigger as you turn the pages. Regarding the appearance of the characters, my problem is that I had seen the movie before reading the book and I found the moving pictures more interesting than the still pictures. However, of course the basic plot is the same. I just don't remember regarding the absence of food as punishment and the food showing up at the end of the movie. Which I think makes more sense being more rational.

Overall, it is nice to have finally read this classic work. Mo Twister of Good Times told us his listeners one morning last year that this is his favorite children's book. Mine is still Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince.

Thank you, Jzhun for lending me this book. 2 stars means "It's Okay!". Please please don't let your future children go to bed hungry. It is inhumane. ...more

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Oct 19, 2016 James rated it really liked it

‘Where the Wild Things Are’ is a very simple but very effectively told story of a journey through the imagination of a child’s mind. There are very few lines of narrative here as very few are needed – it is the wonderful illustrations (by author/illustrator Maurice Sendak) which have secured the books deserved reputation as a true classic.

I hadn’t realised until very recently that ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ was written more than 50 years ago and it’s a testament to the book that it feels so con ...more

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About Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak

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Maurice Bernard Sendak was an American writer and illustrator of children's literature who is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963. An elementary school (from kindergarten to grade five) in North Hollywood, California is named in his honor.

Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, and decided to become an illustrator after viewing Wa ...more