“The night Max
wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind.
And another.
His mother
called him “WILD THING!”
And Max said:
“I’LL EAT YOU UP!”
So Max was sent
to bed without eating anything.
That very night
in Max’s room a forest grew
And grew–”
And so begins the magnificent Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. This wonderful romp
into the imagination has such special meaning for me. Published in 1963, it was
a controversial, rule- and ground- breaking book.
Though a child of the Sixties, Where the Wild Things Are isn’t part of my childhood memories. In
fact it wasn’t until I was a young teacher in the Eighties that I became aware
of it. And it was love at first sight.
Where the Wild
Things Are was the book that inspired many a lesson and spirited reading; the
book that I could recite from memory (and frequently did); the book that
terrified my own children (perhaps it was that spirited reading and my
over-enthusiastic gnashing of teeth!); the book that opened my eyes and heart
to the world of children’s literature; and ultimately the book that stirred in
me the desire to become a writer of children’s books myself.
One sizzling hot day on a trip to New York I
accidentally stumbled on a gallery in Soho that housed a collection of original drawings,
roughs and paintings from Where the Wild
Things Are. I was in a particularly grumpy mood this day: it was stinking
hot and we’d just missed the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. My husband ushered
me inside the gallery primarily because it was air-conditioned and we were
desperate. When we realised that is was a children book illustration gallery, I
can remember the wry smile that played on Pete’s lips. Pete is not a children’s
book enthusiast, but he knows his wife. And when we went down stairs and
discovered the Maurice Sendak drawings, he knew he’d struck gold. We stepped
back out onto the sweltering pavement an hour or so later, after a wonderful
discussion and tour with the curator, and my eyes were happy, my heart full.
Maurice Sendak passed away this week, aged 83. But his
books live on, and will continue to inspire and bring great joy to young (and
not so young) readers. .
Thank you, Mr Sendak. Rest in peace.
