I was just reading an article about Maurice Sendak in the Times and learned that in 1948, he worked briefly building window displays at F. A. O. Schwartz. Last night, while reading Patti Smith's memoir, Just Kids, I learned that her partner, Robert Mapplethorpe also worked there, probably twenty or so years later, doing the same job. It's a strange coincidence, and yet it's not. Both were artists at the beginning of what would be long illustrious careers. Both experienced what it felt like to live in the margins based on their history, their sexuality, and their health. Perhaps there is something about creating imaginary worlds for children that helped fuel their own creative work.
Sendak became celebrated for celebrating the darker, more realistic side of childhood that most children's books at the time did not showcase. His characters had opinions, they got into trouble, they ran away. My daughter loves Where The Wild Things Are. She calls it "The Max Book." She doesn't understand yet what she loves about it, and perhaps she never will, but I think it's all of it- the story, the language, the illustrations...it's a well-told story that moves at the perfect pace for a young child. It's celebrates misbehaving, shunning the rules, dancing like an animal - but also coming home to a warm meal at the end of all that fun.
A few weeks ago I wrote about the "read-it-again" some books have for children, and Sendak's passing makes me think about revisiting books that may have booked to the back of the shelf. A few nights ago, my daughter pulled out Each Peach Pear Plum. It's a book I've written about here before, one she loved when she was eighteen months-old for the pictures of animals, then about a year later for the little Baby Bunting with her paci. Now a year or so later, she's rediscovered the book and actually understands that the fairy tale characters are hiding on each page. And, I might add - it's not necessarily that easy for a three-year-old to find the hidden characters. They are drawn very small and hidden in the far reaches of the page. It makes me think that this one will be a great book to revisit even a year or so from now when she understands that the story is actually made up of a number of other stories.
I think you could do this with the potty books as well (I was desperate; we have every one). I convinced her to give away Big Girls Use the Potty to a younger friend turning two in a couple of months (I told the mom, you never know- some kids get it early, right?) So my daughter insisted on revisiting Princess Potty. She loves when the Princess says: "Hear ye, hear, I have to pee pee." Now that she has this whole potty business figured out, I think she delights in revisiting the books that first introduced the idea to her. Now with confidence and maybe a little derision, she delights in these poor characters struggling to figure it out.
What we're reading now: Sendak, tonight
Why: In honor of
What I'm looking for: Does anyone know of any books that address gender differences and reading?
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