When I was little I appreciated the abstract world that Max ventured off to and how he got along so well with the monsters. I thought it was cool that he could use his imagination to take him to such a place because I used my imagination to go places all the time too. Looking at the story from today's perspective (while also incorporating aspects from the Hollywood blockbuster), I am able to see the brilliance of Sendak in this book. He wrote it in a way that any child (and even adults who are still children at heart) could connect to Max in one way or another. The wild things each represented an issue that Max had, and living communally with them he was able to see his problems first hand. It took being away from home for him to finally realize his flaws and to exorcise his demons of childhood in order to end up back in the safety of his own bed with a supper that was still warm.
I believe this book is a classic coming of age story. It truly illustrates that we all have to grow up eventually. Max wanted to be a wild things with no rules or boundaries, but in the end he was able to see that rules help set standards and maintain a peaceful life. Although I'm still a kid at heart, I believe I still have a little bit of Max and all of the wild things inside of me. Even though society forces us to grow up, we're still able to hold on to certain aspects of our childhood no matter what, and that is why I still read children's books.
After talking to anyone for a few minutes, I usually have a book or two that I would like to recommend for them to read. That is just how my mind works. As a mathematician thinks in numbers, I think in authors, books, and literacy devices. I will go up to someone looking at a book in a bookstore to tell them that they just have to purchase the book in their hands. I will discuss with a toddler why they should read the books I read when I was little, and I'll offer suggestions to my students, based on their interests, of what they should read during their leisure time.
I think every reader out there is also a guide in a way. By reading books and participating in the larger literary community, we're constantly influencing others to read, read, read. There is nothing I like better than recommending and talking about a book that I love, and that is why I decided to enter the world of education. Each day I'm in the classroom, I can guide my students to new worlds through the portal of books.
