Get the feedBOOKS: Where the Wild Things Are
Monday, Oct 25th 2010
C.S. Lewis in his essay, “On Three Ways of Writing for Children,” makes a helpful contribution to the discussion of exposing our children to things that may frighten them.
“Those who say that children must not be frightened may mean two things. They may mean (1) that we must not do anything likely to give the child those haunting, disabling, pathological fears against which ordinary courage is helpless: in fact, phobias. His mind must, if possible, be kept clear of things he can’t bear to think of. Or they may mean (2) that we must try to keep out of his mind the knowledge that he is born into a world of death, violence, wounds, adventure, heroism and cowardice, good and evil. If they mean the first I agree with them: but not if they mean the second. The second would indeed be to give children a false impression and feed them on escapism in the bad sense. There is something ludicrous in the idea of so educating a generation which is born to the…atomic bomb. Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”
How do you decide what books (or movies) are too scary for the kiddos?
Does fear ever serve good purposes for our kids? If so, when?
We would love to hear from you!
“Those who say that children must not be frightened may mean two things. They may mean (1) that we must not do anything likely to give the child those haunting, disabling, pathological fears against which ordinary courage is helpless: in fact, phobias. His mind must, if possible, be kept clear of things he can’t bear to think of. Or they may mean (2) that we must try to keep out of his mind the knowledge that he is born into a world of death, violence, wounds, adventure, heroism and cowardice, good and evil. If they mean the first I agree with them: but not if they mean the second. The second would indeed be to give children a false impression and feed them on escapism in the bad sense. There is something ludicrous in the idea of so educating a generation which is born to the…atomic bomb. Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”
How do you decide what books (or movies) are too scary for the kiddos?
Does fear ever serve good purposes for our kids? If so, when?
We would love to hear from you!
At SixSeeds, we believe in the power of a good story. The books our children are hearing and reading will move, inspire, and sometimes even shape their lives... even young lives. This week, we take a popular kids' book and examine it. Hopefully, the next time you're browsing though a crowded bookstore, our reviews will help you sort through the thousands of titles… and you can choose wisely!
Title: Where The Wild Things Are
Author and Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Publisher: Harper & Row, Publishers
Age: 6 – 9 years
Cost: $17.95
Buy it: here
Rating: 6 seeds out of 6
It’s that time of the year when ghouls and goblins lurk on every street corner. Sure, they are carrying bags of candy and flashlights. But even if it’s not truly terrifying, parents and kids think about – and even dress up in costumes approximating – the dark side.
We are all familiar with it.
Some of us were introduced to this wild darkness on our mothers’ knees, as Max, the main character in the iconic “Where The Wild Things Are” book (first published in 1963) took a rebellious walk that ended up in a very scary place. In this economy, why not find it on your bookshelf and snuggle up with the kids – they’ll share their candy -- instead of rushing out to find the newest Halloween story.
Do you remember the story? Mischievous Max runs his mouth to his mom (who calls him “Wild Thing!”) by yelling, “I'll Eat You Up!” and is promptly sent to bed without dinner. In his room, still dressed in his wolf costume, Max imagines himself as King of the Jungle. Most people are familiar with the pictures (the ones some parental critics find too scary) which show Max’s room transformed from a forest into an ocean. On it, he braves dragons to reach the island of the wild things.
And when he came to the place where the wild things are they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws” til Max said “Be Still.”
Through the simple sound of his voice, the monsters not only obeyed, but deemed Max their King. He then decrees, “And now, let the wild rumpus start.”
The next few pages hold a picture of every child’s dream, right? Not only does Max hold complete dominion, he’s organized every mom’s nightmare-of-a-play date with unsupervised boys. After Max exerts one last bit of power in ordering the wild things to “Now Stop!”, he sends them to bed without their supper. And then the book takes a powerfully redemptive turn,
“And Max the king of all the wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all. Then all around from far away across the world he smelled good things to eat so he gave up being king of where the wild things are.”
What Max then discovers is that the yummy smell is from the dinner sitting on his bedside table. The home (or better yet, the parent) to which he ultimately chose to return, the same one who had disciplined him earlier, had graciously left him dinner.
To Talk to Your Kids About, As You Dig for the Kit Kats:
Max made a powerful choice: even though the story is all in his mind, he chose to return home. He turned away from his self-built kingdom and turned toward the wise and loving hands of his parent. How important is remembering what is true when you get discouraged or mad? Max, in the process of doing all he thought he’d love, remembered the value of his parents and where real love comes from.
Notice the downcast sad look on Max’s face after he has done all that he thought would make him happy? Did it? Even though He is still in his room being punished, what look is on his face when he is walking back into his room? Why? What do you think he learned? (This would be a great time to possibly share an honest time with your child when you had a similar experience.)
For Mom and Dad to Consider, After the Kids Conk Out in Their Sugar Coma:
Many adults and children have expressed sadness after reading this book, perhaps because it is so true to the human experience. People are inclined to chase autonomy, power, and self-reliance only to find themselves lonely and stuck on self created islands. But do we, as adults, turn away as quickly and as completely from these things as young Max?
Or perhaps we wish for a fuller picture at the end of the story? The simple image of dinner sitting on the bedside table is evidence of a gracious and loving mom, but it isn’t sufficient. Some readers want to see the mother sitting with her son in full embrace in complete forgiveness and restoration.
The Bottom Line:
Either way, this classic book will surely entertain – and create good conversation – between you and your little Maxes.
Jill Joiner
Jill Joiner is a married mom of two elementary age kids. She spends the majority of her time doing the things that moms do. She has her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education from Middle Tennessee State University.
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C.S. Lewis in his essay, “On Three Ways of Writing for Children,” makes a helpful contribution to the discussion of exposing our children to things that may frighten them.
“Those who say that children must not be frightened may mean two things. They may mean (1) that we must not do anything likely to give the child those haunting, disabling, pathological fears against which ordinary courage is helpless: in fact, phobias. His mind must, if possible, be kept clear of things he can’t bear to think of. Or they may mean (2) that we must try to keep out of his mind the knowledge that he is born into a world of death, violence, wounds, adventure, heroism and cowardice, good and evil. If they mean the first I agree with them: but not if they mean the second. The second would indeed be to give children a false impression and feed them on escapism in the bad sense. There is something ludicrous in the idea of so educating a generation which is born to the…atomic bomb. Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”
How do you decide what books (or movies) are too scary for the kiddos?
Does fear ever serve good purposes for our kids? If so, when?
We would love to hear from you!
“Those who say that children must not be frightened may mean two things. They may mean (1) that we must not do anything likely to give the child those haunting, disabling, pathological fears against which ordinary courage is helpless: in fact, phobias. His mind must, if possible, be kept clear of things he can’t bear to think of. Or they may mean (2) that we must try to keep out of his mind the knowledge that he is born into a world of death, violence, wounds, adventure, heroism and cowardice, good and evil. If they mean the first I agree with them: but not if they mean the second. The second would indeed be to give children a false impression and feed them on escapism in the bad sense. There is something ludicrous in the idea of so educating a generation which is born to the…atomic bomb. Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”
How do you decide what books (or movies) are too scary for the kiddos?
Does fear ever serve good purposes for our kids? If so, when?
We would love to hear from you!