Originally published in 1962
Source: we own it
"Pierre" is the story of young Pierre who refuses to do anything his parents tell tell him to do and never says anything more than "I don't care." It's just that attitude that gets him into trouble when he meets a lion. As he always does, Sendak blends dark (Pierre is eaten by the lion) with light and his poetry with his delightful artwork, all combined to teach the reader a moral.
First Published in 1963
Source: a gift for my son when he was born
One night Max puts on his wolf suit a creates mischief of one kind and another, earning a trip to his room without supper. While there Max forest grows in Max's room and a private boat comes by and takes Max away to where the wild things are. Max soon tames the wild things and becomes their king but after a time he is forced to send them off to bed without their supper and decides he wants to be "where someone loved him best of all."
My favorite part of our copy of this book is the inscription our friend wrote in it when they gave it to my son:
"Always remember..., even when you are a "Wild Thing" you can always go back to be where someone loves you best of all."It's a simply story with a wonderful lesson and I'm so happy that our friend made it a personal message, one all children need to know.
I re-read both of these books for the "You've Got Mail" Challenge.
What a beautiful inscription! I wish I could think up some wonderful things to write when I give books to kids. sweet.
ReplyDeleteI love Pierre! I wish it were as well known as Where the Wild Things Are! But I always wonder with Sendak, how kids must react to these stories versus how adults do!
ReplyDeleteI am one of the strange people who has never read Where the Wild Things Are. Of course I have flipped through the book and checked it out, it's just that it was never a book of my childhood, or my children's childhood. I am going to have to give it a read through though, as I have heard that the book is fantastic. I have also heard the movie version is absolutely terrible!
ReplyDeleteWe had a recording of "Pierre" and "Chicken Soup with Rice" when I was a kid, and we listened to it over and over again. I'd completely forgotten about it -- I wonder if I can find it? Where the Wild Things Are has always been one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteMy sons loved Where the Wild Things Are..it was a book that we read every night straight for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteI had been meaning to read Where the Wild Things Are for a long while!
ReplyDeleteLove them both!
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