Where the Wild Things Are
The best book ever made about being furious at your mum.
Why they ask for it again
Max gets to be as wild as he feels, and supper is still waiting when he gets back. That is the whole of childhood in one sentence.
Our review
Max is sent to bed without supper, a forest grows in his room, and he sails away to be king of the monsters. Sendak never tells you the anger was wrong. He lets it run, then lets it burn out, and brings Max home to a meal that is still hot.
Watch the pictures. They grow page by page as the fantasy takes over, until the wild rumpus fills whole spreads with no words at all, then shrink again as Max comes back. Children feel that without being able to name it, and it is why this still reads like nothing else sixty years on.
How to read it aloud
Say nothing during the wordless rumpus spreads. Let your kid make the noise. Then drop to a whisper for the last line and stop dead.
The catch
It is quiet and odd. Children raised on bright, busy picture books sometimes need a second go before it lands.
Is it scary?
The monsters look genuinely strange, and that is the point. Most kids love them. A few under-fours do not.
Books like Where the Wild Things Are, and what to read next
The Rabbit ListenedAnother book that takes a child's big feeling completely seriously.
The GruffaloFor a kid who wants more monsters and a lot more jokes.
Moominland MidwinterYears later: the same strange, lonely, beautiful mood at chapter-book length.
Also good for
Quick answers
What age is Where the Wild Things Are for?
Ages 3–7. The sweet spot, in our opinion, is age 4 to 5.
How long does Where the Wild Things Are take to read aloud?
About 5 minutes at a calm bedtime pace, by our estimate. Allow longer if you do the voices.
Is Where the Wild Things Are scary?
The monsters look genuinely strange, and that is the point. Most kids love them. A few under-fours do not.
What should we read after Where the Wild Things Are?
We would suggest The Rabbit Listened, The Gruffalo, Moominland Midwinter.