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The book "Where the Wild Things Are" inspires readers of all ages to explore their imagination
By Katie Marren
Posted: 10/21/09, 12:28 AM EST Section: Feature
Earlier this year, A.J. Abraham got a tattoo on his ribs, depicting a scene from the book, "Where the Wild Things Are." When he told the tattoo artist, he said had given someone else a tattoo from the book some years earlier. At first Abraham was a little offended, but then realized someone else, perhaps decades ago, thought it was special enough to have on his body forever, he said.
"It took me back to when I was a kid and reminds me of the simple times," said Abraham, whose parents read the book to him. Abraham said his family is not as close as it once was and the book reminds him of the times when it was.
Abraham, a junior majoring in communications and rhetorical studies said it's one of those books that he would pick up again and again when he saw it on the shelf.
"I'm not the only person the book has affected - that's not something you can say too often," Abraham said.
"Where the Wild Things Are," a Caldecott-winning children's picture book written and illustrated in 1963 by Maurice Sendak, recently joined the list of children's books adapted for the big screen. Now over 45 years old, the film adaptation topped the box office during its opening weekend, reminding college students of their love for the book.
The plot centers around a 6-year-old boy whose imagination takes him on a boat to a fantasy land where beasts rule.
The book appeals to college students, particularly undergraduates, because they can identify with Max in a way they were not able to as young children, said Heidi Beverine-Curry, a doctoral student in her final year of the reading education program who teaches a class on children's literature at Syracuse University.
"When students move away from home and make the transition to college life, it often signals the start of their 'wild rumpus' on a larger scale," said Beverine-Curry. "Also, they often struggle with their shift to a position of relative independence and power, and they want to know that they can still go home be taken care of, like Max at the end of the book."
"It took me back to when I was a kid and reminds me of the simple times," said Abraham, whose parents read the book to him. Abraham said his family is not as close as it once was and the book reminds him of the times when it was.
Abraham, a junior majoring in communications and rhetorical studies said it's one of those books that he would pick up again and again when he saw it on the shelf.
"I'm not the only person the book has affected - that's not something you can say too often," Abraham said.
"Where the Wild Things Are," a Caldecott-winning children's picture book written and illustrated in 1963 by Maurice Sendak, recently joined the list of children's books adapted for the big screen. Now over 45 years old, the film adaptation topped the box office during its opening weekend, reminding college students of their love for the book.
The plot centers around a 6-year-old boy whose imagination takes him on a boat to a fantasy land where beasts rule.
The book appeals to college students, particularly undergraduates, because they can identify with Max in a way they were not able to as young children, said Heidi Beverine-Curry, a doctoral student in her final year of the reading education program who teaches a class on children's literature at Syracuse University.
"When students move away from home and make the transition to college life, it often signals the start of their 'wild rumpus' on a larger scale," said Beverine-Curry. "Also, they often struggle with their shift to a position of relative independence and power, and they want to know that they can still go home be taken care of, like Max at the end of the book."
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