I sit in the theater watching the trailer for the movie of Where the Wild Things Are. My friend, I suspect, knows whether the images on the screen are signs of a good or bad rendition of what I know is a classic book. I even know the whole story; I won’t repeat it here … Continue reading »
Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak’s drawings are filled with humor, sweetness, and hope. They have a quality that draws readers of all ages into the visual worlds he has created. I have watched very young children pore over his illustrations with as much attention as I have done as an adult. The “ferocity” of his creatures is, of … Continue reading »
On Sendak
There’s a line in a wonderful newish Norwegian novel (Out Stealing Horses) that I think applies to Where the Wild Things are: You decide when it hurts. In this case, you decide when it’s scary. And I think Bruno Bettelheim in The Uses of Enchantment would say that a book like this allows kids to … Continue reading »