My two children are well above the age when they'd sit still for their mother and father reading a book to them. It won't be that many years before they have their own children. They'll be doing the reading.
And I have no doubt that Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" will be among the books they crack open and recite. On Tuesday, we learned that the author of perhaps one of the most famous children's books of all time had died at the age of 83.
The New York Times' report said the author had died from complications after a recent stroke. Writers have lauded Sendak's worth, but in particular his ability to craft children's stories out of what might have been considered "untraditional" — monsters "roaring their terrible roars" and "gnashing their terrible teeth" in a book for children?
Reading first to my daughter, then later, my son, those were our favorite lines of the book. We would toss our heads back as we recited "ROAR their terrible roars." We would clench our jaws and flare our lips as we said "GNASH their terrible teeth." We would spread our eyelids and raise our brows, saying "ROLL their terrible eyes." And the story would go on...
Do you have fond memories of reading Sendak's books to your children—and his classic "Wild Things" in particular? Share them in the comments below.
Fred E. Miller
6:32 am on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
I remember reading Wild Things" to my daughter.
We both got so engrossed with the "Growled their Growls and Roared their Roars" that we walked up the front door and into the street chanting this phrase.
RIP - Maurice Sendak
Doug Miner
6:53 am on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
"A Hole is to Dig" was one of our favorites. It was illustrated by Sendak. It had such great lines as, "mashed potatoes are for everyone to have enough," with Sendak's drawing of tiny kids sitting around a heaping mound of mashed potatoes.
Mark Robertson
11:50 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Where the Wild Things Are was a bittersweet read for me as a child; I loved the mystery and the wonder. But the awkwardness, the uncomfortability of being just me resonated largely with my little mind. When I went to see the movie, I was brought right back into the world of my childhood, and experienced elation at great friendship and such pain at feeling teased or left out. Sendak captured it all well in this little book that I will never forget.
Gabrielle
1:44 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Loved to use this story in my KG classroom over the years; the children loved the idea of monsters who were manageable and fun:-) We also loved "Chicken Soup With Rice" and "Pierre." I remember I had the books AND the recordings to go with--we'd sing and sing!