With Papa off to sea and Mama despondent, Ida must go outside over there to rescue her baby sister from goblins who steal her to be a goblin's bride.
With Papa off to sea and Mama despondent, Ida must go outside over there to rescue her baby sister from goblins who steal her to be a goblin's bride.
Sendak first honed his art as an illustrator for writers like Ruth Krauss and Else Holmelund Minarek. He explored different styles of drawing and painting, influenced by sources as diverse as William Blake, Randolph Caldecott and Walt Disney.
In the '50s and early '60s, Sendak began to write his own books, and to forge his own distinctive visual style. The most popular of the works produced in what he later called his "apprenticeship period" was The Nutshell Library, a collection of four tiny books (2 1/2 by 4 inches wide) that was instantly and enduringly popular.
His first mature work, Where the Wild Things Are (1963), was a watershed both in Sendak's career and the history of children's literature. It tells the story of a boy named Max, whose mother sends him to his room without supper, calling him a "wild thing." Max makes an imaginary journey to a land of monsters, where he's crowned King of All Wild Things. But his longing for comfort and security return him at last to his room, where he finds his supper waiting for him. Some adults were dismayed by the book's ferocious-looking monsters and its belligerent young hero. "It is not a book to be left where a sensitive child may come upon it at twilight," one librarian cautioned.
Despite the warnings, Where the Wild Things Are was a huge commercial success, and was awarded the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1964. In his acceptance speech, Sendak seemed to address his critics when he said that despite adults' desires to protect children from "painful experiences," the fact is "that from their earliest years children live on familiar terms with disrupting emotions, that fear and anxiety are an intrinsic part of their everyday lives, that they continually cope with frustration as best they can. And it is through fantasy that children achieve catharsis. It is the best means they have for taming Wild Things."
In the following years, Sendak illustrated dozens of books, and wrote and illustrated several more of his own, including In the Night Kitchen (1970) and Outside Over There (1981), which he considered to be the second and third parts of a trilogy that began with Where the Wild Things Are. A lover of theatre, he has also designed and produced numerous operas, plays and ballets.
Though his work has sometimes been controversial, Sendak is now renowned for his ability to recall, depict and transform the painful realities of childhood into what John Gardner, reviewing one of Sendak's books, called "not an ordinary children's book done extraordinarily well, but something different in kind from an ordinary children's book: a profound work of art for children."
Sendak wrote Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or, There Must Be More to Life, in tribute to his beloved dog. The book's protagonist, like Sendak's pet, is a Sealyham terrier named Jennie. Years later, Sendak got a German shepherd, who already had a name when he adopted it. The dog was named Max, just like Sendak's most famous character.
Cayla
Posted May 16, 2011
This illustrations in this book are amazing. This author/illustrator is best known for his award winning Where the Wild Things Are- but this drawings in this book are truely beautiful. You can really tell that a great amount of thought, patience and precision. While I love the illustrations I thought the story itself was a little weird. It is intriguing though and keeps you on your toes wondering what is going to happen and if she will be able to get her sister back.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 18, 2008
Wonderful artwork. Get hardcover as these books are meant to be passed down.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 27, 2007
Maurice is known as the Picasso of children¿s books. Maurice says ''They are all variations on the same theme: how children master various feelings - danger, boredom, fear, frustration, jealousy - and manage to come to grips with the realities of their lives.'' During Maurice¿s career, he has illustrated more than six dozen children¿s books. He is known for some of his picture books especially Where The Wild Things Are. The theme of the book is about a sister¿s feelings toward her younger sibling, and expressing them efficiently instead of an selfish love. Papa was at sea and mama was at the arbor, so Ida played her horn to help her sister fall asleep. However, she never kept a close eye on her so the goblins came and took her sister away. The book states ¿So the goblins came. They pushed their way in and pulled baby out, leaving another all made of ice. Will she ever see her sister again and what happens when papa sends his letter? Outside Over There I would recommend readers to read it because it is good to read different books by the same author. The book was good, but it was not one of my favorites. The reading level of the book is third year, sixth month.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 1, 2013
Outside Over There is a Sendak classic. I bought this for my grandson, because I didn't want to give up the copy I had bought for my children. A beautiful story of a sister who rescues her baby sister from a land far away, the illustrations bring such life to the story. Sendak's illustrations never fail to please & this is a must have book for any child's library
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I didn't enjoy this book as much his other classic "Where The Wild Things Are." It was difficult to follow at times and the story is a little bizarre.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The story was so spellbinding, it was a bit suspenseful, it kept me wondering how the girl was going to get her baby sister back from the goblins (especially since the goblins looked just like her baby sister).
The illustrations are gorgeous and so realistic looking (in a classic way), it's truly beautiful. My kids have read this book numerous times, the writing is large and simple enough for early-learning readers, too.
Anonymous
Posted October 3, 2002
This is one of my favorite childhood books. It's a wonderful story, with beautifully illustrated pictures.
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Posted March 1, 2010
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Anonymous
Posted January 8, 2011
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Overview
With Papa off to sea and Mama despondent, Ida must go outside over there to rescue her baby sister from goblins who steal her to be a goblin's bride.
With Papa off to sea and Mama despondent, Ida must go outside over there to rescue her baby sister from goblins who steal her to be a goblin's bride.