Where the Wild Things Are

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York, NY: Harper.

A dynamic character and illustrations draw the reader in this book. Max’s mischief caused him to land in trouble. All alone in his room, Max’s imagination takes him on a wild ride where he discovers being in charge isn’t what its cracked up to be. Max’s misbehavior and consequences create an identifiable plot in which children are able to make text-to-self connections. The illustrations slowly become dominant over the written text, and they increase in size, which adds to the rising action during the climax of the story. In addition, the texture of the pictures helps to give depth and dimension making the reader visualize him/herself in the story. All of these elements working together create a book that lends itself as a multi-lesson instructional tool as well as a favorite bedtime story.