Sometimes it becomes very clear that I was raised by foreigners. I’ve never even heard of this book. But well done sussing him out as a subversive just by the quality of his work.
Your article made me think that in some way this book must have actually been written for adults, not children. It seems to me to perhaps be part of the movement of infantilization as seen by the explosion of YA lit read by adults and the toys market now being wholly 50% dedicated to adults.
Agreed. My husband and I were just talking about the toy aisle mirroring the children's books.
That's amazing that you'd never heard of Harold and the Purple Crayon. I fully expected to lose subscribers with this one! We even had it on our shelf and I just had never given it much thought until the 3-year-old kept wanting to read it.
I’m so glad I found this Substack. I absolutely despise the stories of Harold and his purple crayon but because my children all love it and we have the one where he draws through the alphabet (educational?) I’ve never been brave enough to get rid of it. Off I go to purge it from my shelf!
Like another user mentioned here -- I'd never heard of this book, either, but I was raised by Mexican parents and in a household where children's books (other than nursery rhymes and the famous word-book) weren't very common. I'm glad this thing never made it into our collection. The drawings look innocent enough (well, Harold does -- not the horrible skyscrapers) but the meaning behind the story sent shivers down my spine. Another great article, Mrs. Finley!
Sendak also wrote “Pierre: A Cautionary Tale” in which a bratty kid gets eaten by a lion (he does get rescued). So he’s better than a lot of modern authors.
This book has some issues, but I don’t think it’s too bad. Max clearly comes to understand that it’s better to be with “someone who loves him best of all” than to be “king of the wild things”. The only thing really missing is any type of remorse or apology to his mother.
After learning that Sendak wrote a strange, quasi-pedophilic book called In The Night Kitchen (look it up!), I haven't been able to view his work in any other light. It is true that he illustrated Little Bear, but he was not the author. I tread carefully around all books authored by Sendak!
Sometimes it becomes very clear that I was raised by foreigners. I’ve never even heard of this book. But well done sussing him out as a subversive just by the quality of his work.
Your article made me think that in some way this book must have actually been written for adults, not children. It seems to me to perhaps be part of the movement of infantilization as seen by the explosion of YA lit read by adults and the toys market now being wholly 50% dedicated to adults.
Agreed. My husband and I were just talking about the toy aisle mirroring the children's books.
That's amazing that you'd never heard of Harold and the Purple Crayon. I fully expected to lose subscribers with this one! We even had it on our shelf and I just had never given it much thought until the 3-year-old kept wanting to read it.
My wife and I just debated this article for an hour this morning. Well done!
I got the idea for this article when my husband and I debated the story of Harold and the Purple Crayon! I’d love to hear more about your debate!
I’m so glad I found this Substack. I absolutely despise the stories of Harold and his purple crayon but because my children all love it and we have the one where he draws through the alphabet (educational?) I’ve never been brave enough to get rid of it. Off I go to purge it from my shelf!
Let this Substack empower you to cast all the garbage children’s books into the fire!!
This is a great analysis, Dr. Finley! Thank for taking on these icons of children’s literature. You certainly won’t lose me as a subscriber!
One of my absolute favorites.
Like another user mentioned here -- I'd never heard of this book, either, but I was raised by Mexican parents and in a household where children's books (other than nursery rhymes and the famous word-book) weren't very common. I'm glad this thing never made it into our collection. The drawings look innocent enough (well, Harold does -- not the horrible skyscrapers) but the meaning behind the story sent shivers down my spine. Another great article, Mrs. Finley!
Sendak also wrote “Pierre: A Cautionary Tale” in which a bratty kid gets eaten by a lion (he does get rescued). So he’s better than a lot of modern authors.
This book has some issues, but I don’t think it’s too bad. Max clearly comes to understand that it’s better to be with “someone who loves him best of all” than to be “king of the wild things”. The only thing really missing is any type of remorse or apology to his mother.
After learning that Sendak wrote a strange, quasi-pedophilic book called In The Night Kitchen (look it up!), I haven't been able to view his work in any other light. It is true that he illustrated Little Bear, but he was not the author. I tread carefully around all books authored by Sendak!
I just read the Wikipedia page for that book…truly disgusting! 😥
Wow that is disturbing. Hard to believe that’s the same guy that wrote Pierre.