Where the Wild Things Are

Author: Maurice Sendak

First line: The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another, his mother called him, "WILD THING!" and Max said, "I'll EAT YOU UP!" so he was sent to bed without eating anything.

Why you should read this book: One of the all-time great picture books, Where the Wild Things Are describes the strange nighttime voyage of a little boy with high self-esteem and a lot of aggressive energy. His sojourn to a monstrous society where he can express his atavistic alpha side is balanced by his ability to return, when he's lonely, to his own safe bedroom, where someone loves him best of all. Sendak's warm, fuzzy, menacing monsters have become cultural icons, and the rhythmic poetry of the story paints a timeless picture of the world of imagination.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You were raised by wolves and you never want to go back to the wild.