Jacqueline Wilson, February 2012 Guest Editor: "The text is very minimal but perfect - and the illustrations are glorious. This isn't a scary book in the slightest, though the monsters are grotesque, equipped with very sharp teeth and pointy claws. Little Max in his wolf suit tames them instantly and they declare him king of all wild things. But Max is still a little boy and although he has uproarious fun in the land of the wild things he's clearly glad to be back home where his supper is waiting for him. I've read this story to countless children and they've all loved it, especially when they join in, roaring their terrible roars, gnashing their terrible teeth, rolling their terrible eyes and showing their terrible claws."
Julia Eccleshare: A classic story of the power of a childhood tantrum.
One night Max dresses up in his wolf suit and does all kinds of things he shouldn't, like chasing the dog with a fork. His mother scolds him and calls him a "WILD THING!" Max is so mad he shouts back, "I'LL EAT YOU UP!" As a result, his mother sends him to his bedroom without any supper.
Max's imagination transforms his bedroom into an extraordinary setting, with a forest and an ocean and a little boat that Max sails in until he comes to a land full of "wild things." Although they look and sound very fierce, Max is able to tame them with a single glance. They all realize Max is "..the most wild thing of all" and make him their king. Max and the wild things have a fine time creating a rumpus until Max begins to want to be "…where someone loved him best of all." Max's fantasy ends when he smells his dinner. Despite the wild things' protests, Max sails back to his own room where he finds his supper waiting for him.
'No child should miss this wonderful fantasy.' Kirkus UK
Author
About Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak received the 1964 Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are. In 1970 he received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal for illustration, and he remains the only American ever awarded this honor. In 1983 Sendak received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association, given in recognition of his entire body of work. He also received a 1996 National Medal of Arts in recognition of his contribution to the Arts in America. Maurice Sendak died in May 2012.
