Where the Wild Things Are

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This article is about the children's book. For other uses, see Where the Wild Things Are (disambiguation).

Where the Wild Things Are

Author	Maurice Sendak
Illustrator	Maurice Sendak
Country	United States
Genre(s)	Children's picture book
Publisher	Harper & Row
Publication date	1963

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a children's picture book originally published by Harper & Row. The book is about the imaginary adventures of a young boy named Max, who is punished for "making mischief" by being sent to his room without supper. Max wears a distinctive wolf suit during his adventures and encounters various mythical creatures, the wild things. Although just ten sentences long, the book is generally regarded as a classic of American illustrated children's literature.

Written in 1963, it was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1964. ^[1] It also won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and was an ALA Notable Book.

1 Story
2 Reception
3 Background
4 Adaptations
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Story

The book tells the story of Max, who one evening plays around his home, "making mischief" in a wolf costume (chasing the dog with a fork, etc.). As punishment, his mother sends him to bed without supper. In his room, a mysterious, wild forest grows out of his imagination, and Max journeys to the land of the Wild Things. They are fearsome-looking monsters, but Max conquers them with a scary look and he is made the King of all Wild Things. However, he soon finds himself lonely and homesick, and he returns home to his bedroom. He finds his supper waiting for him ... "And it was still hot."

[edit] Reception

The book became a best seller. In the book The Art of Maurice Sendak the following is noted in a conversation between a mother and Sendak:

Mother: "Every time I read the book to my daughter, she screams."

Sendak: "Then why did you continue reading it to her when she does not like it?"

Mother: "She ought to, it's a Caldecott book."

Sendak mentioned that he thought that was ridiculous and "if a child does not like a book, throw it in the trash."

[edit] Background

The original concept for the book featured horses instead of monsters. Sendak said he switched when he discovered that he could not draw horses. ^[2]

The Wild Things (except "Goat Boy", of course) were named after (and are presumably caricatures of) Maurice's aunts and uncles: ^[3]

Aaron, Bernard, Emil, Moishe and Tzippy.

[edit] Adaptations

The story also formed the basis of a children's opera of the same title by British composer Oliver Knussen. The first (incomplete) performance was in Brussels in 1980, with the first complete performance of the final version given by the Glyndebourne Touring Opera in London in 1984. This was followed the next year by its first U.S. performance in Saint Paul, Minnesota. A concert performance was given at The Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, London in 2002.
In 1983, Walt Disney Pictures tried to start a CGI make of this but never got past the preview/test.
A 1988 animated adaptation, directed by Gene Deitch, contains narration by Peter Schickele, who also composed the music.
Metallica recorded a song of the same name for their 1997 album release ReLoad, which is rumored to be inspired from the book.
In 1997, composer Randall Woolf and Maurice Sendak created a ballet version for the American Repertory Ballet, which subsequently toured the United States. Woolf's version employs electric guitar, digital audio processing, and drumset.
In 2004 Chicago company, Emerald City Theater Company produced a musical version of the book with appearances by other books by Sendak, Hector Protector and Very Far Away.
A live-action movie version is currently in post-production, with Spike Jonze directing, due in 2009. Featuring Catherine Keener, Forest Whitaker and Australian actor Angus Sampson. Adapted by Dave Eggers and Jonze.