I was raised by two people who both possess masters degrees in Education. As a result, I was read to constantly as a wee one. And as a result, I read constantly as a big one. Read to your kids, folks.

I had a lot of favorite books. But in my family, Where the Wild Things Are holds a special place in my sisters' and my hearts. My older sister used to make my mother read it to her every night, and my mother only stopped when her three year old started having violent dreams about giant monsters. Which makes sense, because that's what the book is about. It's about fear, and fear is only real if it's really scary. The world outside your house is scary. We teach children to fear things (crossing the road, strangers, the dark) to keep them safe. As a result, if you want keep your little one safe, you have to teach them fear.  And that's what I've always loved about WtWTA. Max looks his fears square in the face and says "STOP!" He faces his fears, and he rules over them as a result. It's a lesson I think some of us grown ups can benefit from.

Which is why this post, from LVHRD, makes me sad.

Because it made kids cry, Warner Bros has decided that Spike Jonze’sWhere the Wild Things Are needs to be taken back to the drawing board,not only to be re-shot but possibly re-written as well, without DaveEggers.

First of all, I was unaware that a live-action movie was being shot at all. Secondly: WTF? Ok, I suppose if it makes children burst into tears, it's probably not working as intended. But I want to see that version! And if they take Spike Jonze, possibly one of the delightfully strangest directors out there, off this project, I'll cry. If they put Tim Burton on it, I'll cry really loud. I might stomp my feet. It won't be pretty.

sidenote: next time you're flipping through your copy of WtWTA, note the design genius of Sendak — the pictures start out small, and gradually get bigger and bigger until the Wild Rumpus, where they encompass the entire page in a full-bleed illustration. Then when the Wild Rumpus stops, they begin to get smaller and smaller until the final page, which is text-only and reads  "and it was still hot."  Good design makes me happy.