It's hard to put into words how much Maurice Sendak means to me.I know I'm not alone in this–
Where The Wild Things Are
touched a nerve from the moment it hit bookstore shelves in 1964,and even though he comes across as a crotchety old curmudgeon in interviews (we're talkingColbert Report),let's be serious: the Little Bear illustrations show someone with a deep,sensory memory of a mother's love.
A lot of people didn't like the movie version ofWhere The Wild Things Are.我害怕看到它——不是因为我害怕它不能公正地对待这本书，but because I felt instinctively that in the hands of Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers,the chord struck deep inside me would be played so loud that I might shatter.I was right.To me,很漂亮，mystifying,hallucinatory,是的——这证实了最好的儿童读物作者理解并记住了儿童时期舒适的一面和令人恐惧的一面。
听到最近一轮对sendak的采访（包括一个感人的，也许是告别的NPR's Fresh Airand a truly hilarious appearance onThe Colbert Report),I was alerted to the presence of his latest book,which I promptly ran out and acquired.
Little admission here: I pretend to buy Maurice Sendak books for my daughters,但它们真的是为我准备的。Penny went though a passionate devotion to most of them–she will shriek,"I'm not the milk and the milk's not me!我是米奇！”如果我给她一半的机会，她甚至会静静地着迷于
Higglety Pigglety Pop
,which is really not a children's bookat all.But in general,she will not pick the Sendak books on her own,even with the Mom-generated special wild rumpus song (I will sing it for you if you call me).
Anywho,so I get
Bumble-Ardy
and I'm reading it to Penelope and I panic.I totally freeze.Because when I get to the part where she shrieks,“走开！Vamoose!快滚！Before I slice you all into ham!" I suddenly remembered I had heard these words before… in a Sesame Street animation from my childhood.
I got so worried about Maurice Sendak.I worried that I was the only one who had made this connection,and worried that this terrible secret would harm him.That someone would notice that he'd involuntarily stolen the story.他在生命的最后几年会被羞辱和毁灭。I couldn't tell anyone–they might take it to the media.Wait,Iamthe media!我必须救我脱离我自己！
感谢上帝给谷歌。Yes,yes,Sendak made the original cartoon for Sesame Street and re-worked it for the book.Oh,it's classic Sendak–things going awry and askew in ways that are all too real,that make me worry like the fish inCat in the Hat,though things come out all right in the end… sort of.
Anyway,万一你没看见，这是原来的大黄蜂阿迪,which should inspire you for your ownbedtime-reading performance.（班布尔自己听起来熟悉吗？Like Ernie or Kermit the Frog?That's because he's Jim Henson,suckas!)
What do you like better– Bumble Ardy the animation,or the book?And why?Discuss.
