Childhood in a bottle
18-12-2008 Brooklyn, NY
Suddenly, the formidable oak tree of time had been gashed, peeled back like an onion, leaving an old feeling of comfort, invincibility, and wonder that hadn’t been felt in years. I was recently informed of a new development that almost brought me to tears with happiness. Upon hearing the news, a feeling that is only felt in certain situations rushed over me.
…Crawling under the covers on a cold winter night, having coffee and bagels in bed while reading the paper and listening to jazz music, watching Saturday morning cartoons, puddle jumping in the midst of a summer downpour, and gazing at the stars from a soft cushion of warm grass…
The wonderful announcement was that one of my favorite books, sometimes called the “Koran of childhood”, was being made into a movie. I remember reading it aloud to my class in second grade during story-telling time, trying my best to impersonate the monsters depicted within its pages. I’m not sure how an adult managed to encapsulate the imagination of a child in this book, but where the wild things are was a nearly perfect adaptation.
Most children you speak with have an irrational fear of monsters. They’re a genetic manifestation of the real horrors our distant ancestors had to deal with thousands of years ago. With our poor night vision and no fire to light the way, we had good reason to fear beasts lurking in the darkness, hunting humans with superior senses after the sun went down. I firmly believe that instilled within every human is an age-old fear of the what we cannot see when the lights go out. What Maurice Sendack, the author of the book, did was create a character that was able to tame these imaginary beasts and soften their edges. Even though they “roared their terrible roars” and “gnashed their terrible teeth”, deep down they were just like a family pet. They could suddenly become part of the family (albeit contrived) that lived in the closet and only came out when the lights went out. While it will be odd to see these imaginary creatures on the big screen, being able to revisit those warm feelings of childhood is an experience I’m wholeheartedly looking forward to.
December 19, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Advertising that–as a grown ass man–you still get all warm and fuzzy when thinking about children’s books probaly isn’t a good idea.
December 23, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Listen, Ms. Hicks, some of us still have an inner-child that is very much alive. Nothing wrong with getting excited about an event that brings it out! Merry Christmas!
January 6, 2009 at 10:15 pm
How about: you should be ashamed of yourself for advertising? If I wanted a commercial, I would have put on the boob tube.
What’s next, selling widgets and doo-dads?
January 26, 2009 at 8:49 pm
I think you were a mere seven years on this planet when you memorized the words of this children’s fantasy book. You practiced and practiced and I watched you become more alive and convincing in your role. Our lives are made of warm, fuzzy memories (if we are lucky). I am very excited to see the movie, although I doubt they’ll portray the characters as well as you did when seven!