Max makes mischief, is sent to bed without supper, and imagines sailing to where the Wild Things are. He tames them with a magic trick, becomes their king, and leads the wild rumpus until he grows lonely and returns home to find his supper waiting, still hot. Maurice Sendak's picture book is one of the most influential children's books ever published, and its genius lies in what it does not explain. The Wild Things are frightening but also fun; their terrible roars and gnashing teeth give way to celebration. Max's anger at being punished transforms into imaginative power that lets him rule over creatures bigger and fiercer than himself. Then he chooses to return, not from exhaustion but from love. The book validated children's aggression while showing that it need not be destructive. Sendak drew the Wild Things as shambling, horned creatures with human feet and kind eyes, monsters a child could love. The illustrations use crosshatching and careful composition to create depth within the book's small format. The text is spare, letting pictures carry most of the narrative weight. Sendak said he drew on his own Brooklyn childhood and his frightening immigrant relatives. The Wild Things are terrifying and familiar, like family. Parents who read this book to their children are passing on a classic that understands childhood from the inside.