"Let the wild rumpus start!", Book Review

 

I've always loved illustrated children's books, particularly looking at the pictures and seeing how they relate to the words, so after choosing Children's Literature as one of my modules for my degree next year, what better excuse is needed to review some books?! All for research of course...

I'm a big fan of the 2009 film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are; the cinematography is absolutely beautiful and the story is simultaneously heart warming and heart breaking, so I was curious to read the 1963 book that inspired it all.

For those unfamiliar with the story, it focuses on a little boy named Max who, after being sent to his room without dinner by his mum, imagines sailing away to a remote island - the home of "the wild things". 

The first thing that catches your eye about the book is, of course, Maurice Sendak's illustrations. Every picture is incredibly detailed with different textures and patterns, bursting to life with colours and movement. Following the typical structure for illustrated children's books, it is more visual than textual, with the story made up of a just a small amount of words per page in order to truly capture the reader's imagination.

It is fascinating to compare Spike Jonze's film adaptation with Sendak's original book. Both focus on the struggles of childhood within and outside of home, but while Sendak highlights the capabilities of the child's imagination, Jonze reviews the darker psychology behind it and it's relationship with reality.

Despite reading this at 20 years old instead of as a child, I absolutely love it. The illustrations are beautiful and the language is simple yet poetic. All in all, I'd highly recommend it for children, as well as for adults who'd like to reconnect with their inner child!

If anyone's read Where the Wild Things Are I'd love to know what you thought about it, so feel free to leave a comment below!

As always, thanks for reading :)

Love, Beth xxx