Guest Author - Diane Claus

June 10th is Maurice Sendak’s birthday. I am a big fan of “Where the Wild Things Are” and ‘In the Night Kitchen”. The stories are vivid and draw children in. Many adults find the darker themes to be to disturbing for children, I disagree. I think these books are wonderful for preschoolers. The stories draw children in and appeal to them in a way most books written for 3-5 year olds do not.


“Where the Wild Things Are”
“Where the Wild Things Are” is one of my all time favorite books, I still have the copy I was given when I was young and it was the first book I read to my son. In the story Max is sent to bed without any supper and while he is there his room is transformed into a jungle and Max sails away on a boat to the place of the Wild Things. His is made the king of the wild things but soon grows tired and longs for someone who loves him.

*Ask the children what other kind of mischief Max could have gotten into.
*After reading “Where the Wild Things Are” have the children draw or create their own Wild Thing.


“We are all in the Dumps”
I enjoyed this book. The pictures tell more of a story as it relates to poverty and homelessness today and perfectly compliment the two unrelated nursery rhymes. This is a great book if you are willing to discuss social injustice with a child and the child will read and understand the pictures. I recommend having this book on the shelves, just not in a preschool. I would not recommend reading this to a preschooler and explaining the pictures and then just leaving it at that. This is a book that requires you the teacher/parent to follow up and discuss a sensitive subject and answer questions that are typically ignored. Every library should have this book.


“In the Night Kitchen”
Mickey wakes up to a noise downstairs and flies off to the night kitchen and is mixed into the batter as the milk. He tells the bakers that he is not the milk and makes a plane out bread dough. He flies out over the Milky Way to get the milk. He jumps into a giant milk bottle and gets the milk, saving the morning cake.

*Make two breakfast cakes one with milk and one with a little boy plastic doll (add doll AFTER cake has been baked) and ask the kids which tastes better.


“Chicken Soup with Rice”
Book of months

I haven’t found many short books that I like that are about the months. This book is short and is repetitive enough so the kids can easily remember and participate when you read it to them. Each month has a different activity with chicken soup with rice. Example in September he rides a crocodile and paddles down the Nile in Egypt the refrain is:

“Paddle Once
Paddle Twice
Paddle chicken soup with rice”

*Encourage the children to say the refrain with you as you read.
*Serve chicken with rice soup for lunch


“Outside Over There”
Ida doesn’t pay attention and goblins steal her sister. She is looking back and until she turns around she can’t find her sister. When she finally looks forward she is able to rescue her sister. It’s amazing what happens when you aren’t watching.

Other books by Maurice Sendak
“Alligators all Around”
*Alphabet book
“Pierre”
“One was Johnny”
*Number Book
“Hector Protector and As I Went Over the Water”

There is a lot of controversy around the work of Maurice Sendak. I think a lot of the controversy stems from the fear of anything that challenges the perfect world ideal. I enjoy authors that aren't afraid to write about topics that make people think and these books are some of the first I would share with my son.