"That very night in Max's room a forest grew
and grew--
and grew until his ceiling hung with vines
and the walls became the world all around"
--Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are
I had this book as a kid--didn't most of us? We got it for my son for Christmas the year he turned two. When I read it to him for the first time, I thought, "Maybe I didn't have this book after all. I don't remember the text like this."
It's not the first time I've felt that way about a book. One day I realized that I had, in fact, owned all those books. The difference was that I was now in the position of reader. I wasn't just staring at the art. I was staring at the words. Very different experience.
Either way, this book is fantastic, and Maurice, you will be missed. This book is beloved by nearly 50 years of children and the parents who read to them. Thank you.
I know what you mean. Several books we had as kids were kept by my Mom, and I don't remember it all. Some of it is almost cringe worthy, although I can't remember which ones. (Not this one, I love Where the Wild Thins Are.) I tend to hide the ones that didn't keep up with the years.
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