Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are

by Maurice Sendak (Red Fox, $84)

Where The Wild Things Are is a classic storybook that fulfils the maxim that a picture is worth a thousand words. Although sparse sentences span the pages, author and illustrator Maurice Sendak's use of soft shades and detailed cross-hatched drawings mean that the readers - be they young or old - are treated to a magical feast.

The tale tells of a fearless, slightly rebellious boy called Max, who dreams about becoming the king of a forest, free from his mother's hold. When his mother scolds him for his antics, such as chasing the family dog with a fork, Max resorts to imagining a world that embraces his liking for fierce things.

One night, after being sent to bed without any supper, a forest complete with ocean and sailing boat grows in his room. Max braves the water, sails to where the Wild Things are, and is greeted by a ferocious band of sharp-toothed, wide-eyed creatures. Unimpressed, he commands them into a silent stupor by staring into their yellow eyes and frightening them in the process. The pictures of these horned giants meekly following a boy half their size are hilarious, endearing, and memorable.

Little Max is swiftly crowned king and a wild party soon follows. But all the hollering and dancing inevitably ends in sleep for the monsters and, left alone, Max reaches the conclusion that family and food are perhaps better than being king of the wild things. Although the creatures beg him to stay, Max sets sail again and returns to his room where he finds his dinner waiting for him - still hot.