A Book Review of “We Are All In The Dumps” by Maurice Sendak
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The story book We Are All in the Dumps by Maurice Sendak illustrates a visual portrayal of two guys, Jack and Guy, who encounter several challenges and end up rescuing a rather poor little boy. The story itself makes you think about several issues and symbolisms.
First, the theme of “life is unfair” comes out strikingly when you see that Jack and Guy almost pounce the little boy with the black eye on the head. Then there is the whole issue of “bullying” that takes place throughout the story. We see bullying from the rats, then from Jack and Guy, and also from the cat and moon.
The symbolism of “nature” being a monster is awesome as well. It’s something none of us have any control over, and the idea of “helplessness” jumps out of the story when you see the moon carrying away Jack and Guy. I was a bit concerned by the half nakedness of some of the pictures in the story. Some characters only had diapers on with no shirt or pants. When you consider that these are ugly monsters and not real children, this may be scary or misread by children as well.
However, this story lends itself to identifying with kids at their level, and that could be used in my future classroom as a tool for discipline and following directions. How? Well, after a reading of the story in a small group, we could discuss the power of choices with the students.
In the end of the story, Jack and Guy make a decision to do the right thing, rather than letting the little boy with the black eye suffer and die. When they make that choice, it gives the children a visual representation of good versus evil, and the consequences of good choices. The look on the little boy with the black eye’s face at the end of the book says it all: “I am taken care of now and life is better for me.”
After reading this story a discussion about the power of good choices is definitely in order. Why did the boy say “I’m taken care of now and life is better for me.” Why did Jack and Guy save him? What have you done to save somebody before? These questions will illicit some outstanding answers from students.
The pictures in the story are too graphic for some students, and caution should be exercised. I don’t know what it is about some authors out there who want to draw the most horrid creatures, just to capture children’s attention, I suppose. What a shame.
Maurice Sendak is an excellent author and his books are funny, educational, and are just plain good stories. However, some students will not want to look at the pictures, and they shouldn’t be forced to do so. Parents have every right to ask teachers not to read Sendak if the pictures scare their children.
Watch the video related to children books
Help answer the question about children books
Can you recommend life lesson books for children?Hi !
I wanted to know if anyone has read or know of life lesson books for children.
I am looking for books for parents to read that has to do with what a child needs to know at different stages in their life.
Thank You.
Rasen-Sh: I was looking for books or links on what life lessons a parent should talk about with their child at certain ages. For example; lieing, puberty, sex, how to take care of your body, how to say no to drugs, ECT.
About Author
“Helping ALL to Succeed”
http://www.leading-online-business.com
Don Alexander, Published Writer & Online Business Mentor
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:37 am
dude, you own! this looks identical to a photograph
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:44 am
it’s almost like a photo
great painting 
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:23 pm
wich program he is for doing this ? beside a tablet ofc
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 am
How about weekly trips to your local library. Get a new pile of stories every week. It's a great outing that kids love.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:43 am
- A math or science book (not a workbook) geared for young preschool / Kindergarten aged girls or girls and boys. I'm looking for practical and simple, non-technical writing that my daughter could understand. She enjoys learning about volcanoes, plants and animals, the human body, physical science, basic math, word problems, etc. The books I find are usually too technical or geared for gradeschool or they seem geared for boys (i.e. getting dirty and gross with slime). I'm interested in finding something that is not so gender-specific either. For example, not looking for princess stuff. Just something that a preschooler/Kindergartener can grasp and remember. I think kids around this age ask a lot of "why" questions. My daughter can get pretty technical and can grasp things if I use simple language. Typical questions might be: "Why do hot things make steam?" and "Why are owls awake at night?" Today she told her grandma what nocturnal meant: Nocturnal means when animals are awake at night because that's when they hunt for their food and they sleep in the morning. Sorry if I'm going on and on, just trying to give you some ideas here.
I'd also like to see more Learn-To-Read series of books, something like the Biscuit dog series. I'd like to see basic sight words worked into an engaging story, more modern pictures. I don't mean abstract, I just mean something newer and more updated. The illustrations and basic story line play a big role in how much my daughter wants to read the series. The story line can be kept pretty simple with the holidays, basic play, manners, etc.
-Illustrations should have a simple, colorful but entertaining style. I see a lot of stuff that's either too stylized, too CG or animated looking, dated, or cluttered.
-Really enjoy books that have lift-up flaps and things to pull but they often get stuck or torn. Wish there was a way to make this work better and also that there were more books with these features that were not just meant for toddlers. One set of books that were terrific that were age appropriate were In The Country and At School by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais
You can actually see inside this book if you click on the picture of the cover here:
http://www.amazon.com/Country-Lift-Flap-Learning-Book/dp/2020694182/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241033751&sr=1-1#
Just some suggestions, hope this helps.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:15 am
Well I prefer to donate them to a public library because then everyone gets to read them but on the other hand I like a school because they have less books…I would do a public library because a school would only have 1-2 grades that are interested and a public library more people would read them and I think you get some money off of your taxes…ask for some tax form thingy.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:32 pm
awesome stuff man,….ama practice hard to get to yo level!
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:23 pm
The Curious George collection is good, Dr Suess of course, Where the Wild Things Are is classic, and don't be afraid to challenge them. Our eight year old read Harry Potter to our five year old. It was a wonderful experience for both.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:23 am
i use photoshop
July 4th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Awesome work Williamsshamir
Great video.
Much love Kat
July 4th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
véiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, que difuu
July 4th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
There's a book called How to Raise a Gentleman, it was actually published a few years ago by Brooks Brothers if you can believe that! As far as kids books I would check with the local Christian book store I bet they would have some.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
HOLY CRAP! Comparing this to the original picture, they’re identical!
July 5th, 2008 at 12:43 am
A-W-E-S-O-M-E your works is very awesome! cool!!!! very good
July 4th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
That long? I'd be willing to bet that it come up around 2010, just in time for the next election.
July 5th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Try amazon they have some good ones:
http://www.amazon.com/tag/pagan%20childrens%20book
July 5th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I think there are lots of them, but it's a little hard to identify them because they don't always state that they're "gifted."
Here are some I can think of that may apply:
Roxaboxen / Alice McLerran: A hill covered with rocks and wooden boxes becomes an imaginary town for Marian, her sisters, and their friends. Marian called it Roxaboxen. (She always knew the name of everything.) There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill — nothing but sand and rocks, some old wooden boxes, cactus and greasewood and thorny ocotillo — but it was a special place: a sparkling world of jeweled homes, streets edged with the whitest stones, and two ice cream shops….
Christina Katerina and the Box / Patricia Lee Gauch: Christina finds many uses for the large box that housed the new refrigerator.
The Big orange splot / Daniel Manus Pinkwater: When a seagull drops a can of orange paint on his neat house, Mr. Plumbean gets an idea that affects his entire neighborhood.
Meggie Moon / Elizabeth Baguley: Normally, no one dares to play in the yard where Digger and Tiger spend all their time, but when a girl invades, they soon realize that she has some brilliant ideas for playing with the junk found there.
The legend of the Indian paintbrush / Tomie De Paola: Little Gopher follows his destiny, as revealed in a Dream-Vision, of becoming an artist for his people and eventually is able to bring the colors of the sunset down to the earth.
The fossil girl : Mary Anning's dinosaur discovery / Catherine Brighton: In simple cartoon style, tells the story of a twelve-year-old English girl's discovery in 1811 of an ichthyosaurus skeleton.
Emma's rug / Allen Say: A young artist finds that her creativity comes from within when the rug that she had always relied upon for inspiration is destroyed.
Benny : an adventure story / Bob Graham: When Benny the dog steals the show from Brillo the magician, he is forced to look for a new home where his rare talents such as juggling and tap dancing will be appreciated.
My family plays music / Judy Cox: A musical family with talents for playing a variety of instruments enjoys getting together to celebrate.
Granite baby / Lynne Bertrand: Five talented New Hampshire sisters try to care for a baby that one of them has carved out of granite.
Looking for Daniela : a romantic adventure / Steven Kroll: Antonio, a street performer who admires a rich merchant's daughter, must use his talents in juggling, tightrope walking, and guitar playing when he rescues her from bandits and tries to get her home again.
The seven Chinese sisters / Kathy Tucker: When a dragon snatches the youngest of seven talented Chinese sisters, the other six come to her rescue. (And of course the Five Chinese Brothers by Clare Huchet Bishop, or the Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy)
213 valentines / Barbara Cohen: Wade has trouble adjusting when he is transferred to a special fourth grade class for the gifted and talented, so he plans to send himself 213 valentines signed by celebrities.
Amanda Bean's amazing dream : a mathematical story / Cindy Neuschwander: Amanda loves to count everything, but not until she has an amazing dream does she finally realize that being able to multiply will help her count things faster.
Frosted glass / Denys Cazet: Gregory the dog's vivid imagination gets him in trouble at school, leading him to draw cities and spaceships when he should be doing something else, but his artistic ability does not go unrecognized.
Painted dreams / Karen Lynn Williams: Because her Haitian family is too poor to be able to buy paints for her, eight-year-old Ti Marie finds her own way to create pictures that make the heart sing. Ti Marie dreams of being an artist. Whenever she gets some time away from watching her little sisters and helping Mama in their market stall, she finds a cement wall or a scrap of waste paper and lets her imagination soar….
Alistair and the alien invasion / Marilyn Sadler: When aliens invade from outer space, boy genius Alistair is the only person able to save the Earth.
This is the story of Archibald Frisby : who was as crazy for science as any kid could be / Michael Chesworth: Archibald Frisby, mad about science and wise beyond his years, is sent to camp to have fun and ends up broadening the horizons of his fellow campers.
Herbert Binns & the flying tricycle / Caroline Castle: Herbert Binns is such a clever mouse that some of the other animals are jealous of his talents and plot to sabotage his new invention, a flying tricycle.
Baby Brains superstar / Simon James: A musically gifted baby is invited to play the electric guitar at a star-studded rock concert.
Alphabet soup / Kate Banks: A boy's ability to spell words with his alphabet soup comes in handy during the magical journey he takes in his mind with a friendly bear.
Porkenstein / Kathryn Lasky: Lonely after his two brothers are eaten by the Big Bad Wolf, Dr. Smart Pig invents a wolf-proof friend to keep him company on Halloween.
M & M and the super child afternoon / Pat Ross: When best friends, Mimi and Mandy, turn out to be more talented at each other's special choice in a "Super Child" class, they decide to go their separate ways after school.
First graders from Mars. Episode 4, Tera, star student / Shana Corey: Although she is smart, Tera must learn the importance of working together on a group project. Tera is a star student. So when Pod 1 is assigned a group project to build the solar system, Tera is sure she has all the answers. But with her overzealous nature and her know-it-all ways, Tera ruffles a few tentacles. Why does being right sometimes feel so wrong?…
Regards to the man in the moon / Ezra Jack Keats: With the help of his imagination, his parents, and a few scraps of junk, Louie and his friends travel through space.
July 5th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Doctor Dan the Bandage Man- sexist and stereotypical. In my opinion he behaves in a condescending manner while interacting with his female playmate and treats her like she is inferior just because she is a girl.