Reviewed Pack 10: Wild Things (age: 4 to 8 years)

Maurice Sendak. Published by HarperCollins. ISBN0064431789. Age 4-8. 37 pages. 252mm X 226mm (10.0in X 9.0in). 1963. Paperback.

The night Max wore his wolf suit and was soon up to a lot of mischief. His mother called him "Wild Thing!" and he answered back. For that, he was sent to bed without any supper.

But it didn't matter... His room soon grew into a forest with vines in the ceiling and the world all around replaced the walls. Then, he sailed off to where the wild things are. Despite their terrible roars and teeth, Max tamed them and was made king. Max led them on a wild rumpus all night long.

Then, Max started to feel lonely and long for someone to love him. From far away across the world, he smelled food! He abdicated and sailed home, over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day. In his room, he found his supper waiting for him.

Maurice Sendak depicted the essence of childhood accurately. Children at this age tend to answer back as they master their speech and discover the fun of making the adults angry. They focus on themselves and are concerned with the present, not with what will happen couple of hours later. So, when Max was sent to bed without supper, it didn't worry him for it meant he could play instead.

His imagination sprang into action and in no time at all, he was sailing off to the place where wild things lived, a sort of continuation of plot from his stand-off with his mother. The wild things were terrible, most with their upper teeth jutting out. But when tamed, they look rather huggable with their big, furry body. As all children need love and security, Max soon felt lonely and longed for his mom who loved him best. He sailed home across the ocean for months and when he reached his room, the sight of soup and bread assured him that his mother loves him, always.

Crockett Johnson. Published by HarperCollins. ISBN0064430227.  Age 4-8. 61 pages. 150mm X 189mm (5.90in X 7.44in). 1955. Paperback.

One evening Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight. But there wasn't any moon, and Harold needed a moon for a walk in the moonlight. Fortunately, he had brought his purple crayon. So, he drew a moon. He also needed something to walk on. So, he drew a path.

Before long, he was on an adventure of a lifetime - going into a forest with just one apple tree, coming face to face with a dragon, falling into the sea and falling from a mountain. How did he get out of such sticky situation? With his purple crayon, of course, plus a little bit of ingenuity.

After an exhilarating adventure, Harold dropped off to sleep on a purple bed and the purple crayon dropped on the floor.

What can a cute toddler do with a purple crayon? Plenty! Never mind that there is no television, video games nor battery-powered toys. Harold shows you how your life can be enriched with just a simple traditional crayon.

You follow him on his enchanting adventure, turning the pages with bated breath as he comes across one danger after another. You'll even be alarmed that no adult is accompanying him on this exciting yet perilous journey. However, being solely in-charge of the situation with no adult to dish out I-know-better advice, has enabled Harold to prevail on his own effort.

Margaret Wise Brown and Leonard Weisgard.  Published by HarperCollins. ISBN0064432270. Age 4-8. 20 pages. 181mm X 251mm (7.13in X 9.88 in). 1949. Paperback.

'The important thing about a spoon is that you eat with it.
It's like a shovel,
You hold it in your hand,
You can put it in your mouth,
It isn't flat, it's hollow,
And it spoons things up.
But the important thing about a spoon is that you eat with it.'

The book continues with what's important about a daisy, the rain, the grass, the snow, an apple, the wind, the sky, a shoe and finally you! Pictures of objects being discussed accompany the rhythmic words.

The important thing about The Important Book is that it highlights what is important about the things around us, things that we take for granted and are oblivious to their existence until they are gone. It does not occur to us that the humble spoon we use everyday can be described in so many ways. What's more important is that amidst the numerous features lies one important fact - that you eat with it.

Page after page, we are made aware of the things around us and each has one important feature that we should remember. It builds up slowly to provide the perfect setting to impress upon your child that you love her for who she is. It also teaches her to accept herself and to love herself with her short hair, large round eyes and chubby hands and legs. This would go a long way in building her self esteem which is especially necessary when she has to face up to teasing by her peers later in life.