You may not know the name Maurice Sendak, but to those who love children’s literature, it is a name that makes you smile. Mr. Sendak wrote one of my all time favorite books, Where the Wild Things Are. I just love that story. “Let the wild rumpus begin!!” What a line. The book was a little scary to me, yet it was also empowering. Max is punished by being sent to his room but he does not let the four walls of his room contain him. Instead, he ventures into a land of wild monsters who make him their king.
When I was young, I often checked this book out from the school library and spent hours staring at the beautiful drawings. I imagined that I was in the land of monsters and they had made me their queen. I didn’t own a copy of my own until I became an adult, however I always felt ownership of the one in the library.
June 10th is Maurice Sendak’s birthday. On that day I will remove my copy of Where the Wild Things Are from its shelf and spend some time reading the words, staring at the illustrations, and wandering around in the land of monsters. If you are nearby you might just feel the ground shake. Don’t worry, it’s just the monsters and me in the midst of a wild rumpus. Join me if you like — don’t let the four walls contain you… Let the wild rumpus begin!!!