Where the Wild Things Are is only one of Maurice Sendak’s books. Higglety Piggelty Pop! or There Must Be More To Life was published in 1967 by Harper Collins. In this picture “chapter” book, a dog, Jennie, is looking for “experience” so that she can join the theater, so she decides to become a baby’s (a real one) nurse. Baby won’t eat, and a Lion in the basement has, in true Where the Wild Things Are style, eaten previous nurses who failed to get the baby to eat.
We are not finished with the book, and I like surprises so much that I have not peeked at the ending. But this simile is one of the best I have read in a long time. And as it is NaNoWriMo month, and many of us are busy writing our novels, I thought I would share this brilliant one from Sendak:
“The butter-yellow windows had darkened to bean-soup black.”
The kids knew exactly what he meant.
Later, when the leaves speak, they “flutter.”
His description of cold:
“The wind blew cold and Jennie sneezed. But there was no thermometer to check her temperature and no red wool sweater to cover herself along the way.”
That makes me shiver, and want to pull Jennie up in my lap and pet her.
Huh – Where the Wild Things are is one of my childhood favorites. So much so that I’m not sure I ever want to see the movie… but I never got beyond that book. Looks like a trip to the children’s library is in store for me. Might be fun to share them with my mom! Thanks for opening my eyes to more Sendack!
I love that book. I bought a copy to hang onto for my kid – thanks for the reminder, she might be ready now.
So, have you seen the movie???
Love the description of the window btw………