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Wednesday 9 May 2012

A best seller in three hundred words...




A legendary children's book of little more than 300 words was the legacy of children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak who died yesterday in Connecticut aged 83. He will be particularly remembered for the award winning 'Where the Wild Thing Are,' which explores the young mind's ability to disappear into  an exciting but frightening fantasy land - and return back home in time for tea.  Unsurprisingly, this book was voted 'Most distinguished Picture Book of the Year' in 1969 and, much   later, made into feature film.

Several years ago my daughter taught a small  remedial group of young readers, all of whom were upset at being teased for their inability to read 'properly.' She and recalls having  a higher degree of success with  Where the Wild Things Are than with any other book..   As well as enjoying  the scary, but exciting  illustrations, the children were able to go home and say 'Look, Mummy, I've read a whole book today.' Self-esteem, at any age, is everything. And, after enduring an unhappy childhood, this was something Maurice Sendak knew only too well. He believed that children needed to address their anger, boredom, fear, frustration and jealousy if they were to grow into well-adjusted adults. Although initially criticised for his sometimes frightening images, Maurice Sendak  of course, was absolutely
right.

NB If you've never read any of his books - you should - adults love them too...





1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Love the book, children at my local beaver group use it for an imagination badge