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Where the Wild Things Are
by
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.
Paperback, 37 pages
Published
2000
by Red Fox
(first published April 19th 1963)
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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
...more

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
Hate the book. ...more

"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
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

‘‘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
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

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
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

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!

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

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
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

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
...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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


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


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

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

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
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

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

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

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

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 ...more
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 ...more

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
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

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
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

Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!

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
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

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

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
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

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
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

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
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

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

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

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


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

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 ...more
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 ...more

‘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
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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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
Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, and decided to become an illustrator after viewing Wa ...more
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27 trivia questions
2 quizzes
More quizzes & trivia...
2 quizzes
“Let the wild rumpus start!”
—
1468 likes
“Oh, please don't go—we'll eat you up—we love you so!”
—
643 likes
More quotes…