Where the Wild Things Are

Why It's On Our Shelf

Max gets sent to his room for being wild, and instead of accepting punishment, he imagines a whole world where wildness is celebrated. The Wild Things are scary-looking but ultimately harmless, which captures something about childhood fears and power. When Max becomes king and leads the wild rumpus, it's pure wish fulfillment - the fantasy of being in charge and letting loose without consequences. But then he gets lonely and comes home, where dinner is waiting. The illustrations by Maurice Sendak are iconic for a reason - they're detailed and slightly unsettling in a way that respects children's capacity for complex emotions. It's been challenged for being too scary, which misses the point that kids need stories that acknowledge their wild sides.