Where the Wild Things Are is one of those truly rare books that can be enjoyed equally by a child and a grown-up. If you disagree, then it's been too long since you've attended a wild rumpus. Max dons his wolf suit in pursuit of some mischief and gets sent to bed without supper. Fortuitously, a forest grows in his room, allowing his wild rampage to continue unimpaired. Sendak's colour illustrations (perhaps his finest) are beautiful, and each turn of the page brings the discovery of a new wonder.

The wild things--with their mismatched parts and giant eyes--manage somehow to be scary-looking without ever really being scary; at times they're downright hilarious. Sendak's defiantly run-on sentences--one of his trademarks--lend the perfect touch of stream of consciousness to the tale, which floats between the land of dreams and a child's imagination.

This Sendak classic is more fun than you've ever had in a wolf's suit, giggle-stiflingly funny at times, and even manages to reaffirm the notion that there's no place like home.

2008-09-16 The renowned classic

A young mischievous boy called Max decides to seek out fun and dons his white wolf suit, but as a result of his ill behaviour gets sent to bed without supper. When in his room, it is unclear whether it his imagination, a dream or magic that send Max into adventure, but whatever the cause, a whole world grows from inside his bedroom, sending the young boy into the land of Where the Wild Things Are...

The pictures are unique and absolutely luscious; the text is simple but so very clever and the package as a whole is timeless. Everything about this book is awe-inspiring and memorable, so there is little reason to think that any child from Reception to Year 2 would not enjoy it and can easily lend itself to discussion and analysis within the class. Clear references to issue that affect children such as behaviour, imagination, friendship and cultures are all celebrated in this book in a style that Maurice Sendak is now renowned for. Additionally, there is a recent accompanying cartoon DVD, therefore creating the opportunity to look at the same story across different mediums.