She read. They listened, staring at the pages.
As her voice rose in a loud whisper, their eyes would widen. In the story, an adventure was about to unfold for young, mischievous Max, sent to bed without his supper.
“And he sailed off, through night and day, and in and out of weeks, and almost over a year, to where the wild things are!”
I can still picture my wife reading “Where the Wild Things Are” to our boys as they peered over her arms at the monsters drawn so vividly by author Maurice Sendak, who died last week at age 83. Those sons are adults now, but they remember, not just the book but the bedtime narrations by their mom.
Reflections by millions of fans on Sendak’s masterpiece of children’s literature dovetail neatly with today’s celebration of Mother’s Day. The comforting sound of a mom’s voice reading a story lets kids drift into sleep more gently. The ritual can be a labor of love. Usually, the mother is exhausted and in far greater need of rest than the child. Like Max in “Where the Wild Things Are,” the youngsters may have just put up a fight over undesired veggies on the dinner plate, a TV show coming up after bedtime, or toys scattered in the hallway.
Yet, a truce occurs. Pajamas happen. The story begins. And, more often than not, both the weary mother and disagreeable child end up snoozing as the book slips from her grasp, over the blanket and onto the floor. It’s a win-win.
Memories of those instances linger. Years — OK, decades — later, I’ve not forgotten the vocal inflections my mom used for the characters in “The Adventures of Brer Rabbit.” That tale, buried inside a thick, brightly illustrated compilation of Walt Disney movie adaptations, made me laugh as a kid. Actually, Mom made me laugh, and then fall asleep.
Fortunately for me, I got to witness the magic firsthand, watching my wife read to our sons and our daughter. Their favorites tested her theatrical skills, especially the tongue-twisters by Dr. Seuss and the British dialects in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The academy still owes her an Oscar for those efforts.
The ultimate challenge was reciting the lines by the character Hagrid in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Our youngest son was still honing his reading skills when that first installment of the bizillion-selling series was released in 1997. Hagrid was a burly, lovable giant, almost 12 feet tall, with a choppy accent that author J.K. Rowling said she patterned after the Welsh branch of the Hell’s Angels. Makes your eyelids heavy just thinking about it, right? Well, for a 7-year-old in Prairieton, it was a saga he eagerly anticipated his mom picking back up, night after night.
“Where the Wild Things Are” required a Shakespearean performance. As the story goes, young Max, having escaped the punishment of solitude inside his room, sailed deep into the imaginary forest where he became the “king of all wild things.” Those creatures were noisy and frightening (to all except Max, that is). To capture the drama, my wife narrated in an escalating, animated voice.
“And when [Max] came to the place where the wild things are, they roared their terrible roars! And gnashed their terrible teeth! And rolled their terrible eyes! And showed their terrible claws! Till Max said, ‘Be still.’”
Of course, Max eventually ends his getaway, deciding, “I’m lonely.” He “wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.” Saying goodbye to all the wild things, he sails back home to his room, where he finds his supper, still hot. That last line always earned a grin from the boys.
Other bedtime tales were more contemplative. Our daughter enjoyed reading “The Giving Tree” with her mom. That book, written by Shel Silverstein and published in 1964, follows the relationship between a boy and an apple tree. Unselfish to its core, the tree repeatedly provides for the boy. Its branches anchor his swing. Its shade cools him on a hot day. Its fruit gave him something to eat. The tree loves him, and the kid is happy.
As the boy grows up, the giving becomes greater. Finally, on the brink of adulthood, the tree sacrifices all by letting the young man cut it down, so he can build a boat to sail away, leaving behind just a stump. Decades later, the boy — now an old man — returns, but the tree — now a stump — sadly reminds him it has nothing left to give. The old man consoles the tree, saying he doesn’t need much, just a quiet place to sit.
And so he does.
Turns out, after all of the years of giving and receiving, it’s love that actually bonds the boy and the apple tree.
“And the tree was happy.”
Sometimes our daughter heard my wife read that closing line, and sometimes she was already asleep. Either way, her mom always smiled.
Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.
Mark Bennett B-Sides
MARK BENNETT: Read me to sleep, mom
Connections made through bedtime stories linger through many Mother’s Days
- Mark Bennett B-Sides
-
-
Banks of the Wabash Festival is more than just yearly entertainment
Pioneers think counterintuitively. Where others see widespread apathy, they focus on the possibility for progress. In a way, the 2013 Year of the River celebration began in the 1970s.
-
MARK BENNETT: After running for 28 hours straight, what’s another 5 miles?
Some phrases can only be uttered by a few people, or none at all.
-
MARK BENNETT: Glitches show limitations of high-stakes testing concept
The dog ate my homework. That age-old excuse — based on a shockingly unforeseen complication — rarely works for a kid who didn’t finish yesterday’s math assignment. Yet, in a role reversal, Indiana school children, along with their teachers and administrators, are left to accept an explanation for a disruption best described as the mother of all ironies.
-
MARK BENNETT: One step at a time to save lives
Joan Brown.
Remember that name. -
MARK BENNETT: Sometimes, the mere posing of questions is significant
The era seems quaint now, almost like a fable. When people left their house doors unlocked. When the sight of a police officer in a school meant it was Career Day.
-
MARK BENNETT: New reality steers Nashville singer to Crossroads for Historical Society concert
People pass through the Crossroads of America for lots of reasons.
Business trips. College campus events. Federal prison sentences. Visits with relatives. Gas pitstops.
Or maybe a career change and a twist of fate.
Ty Brown makes his first stop in downtown Terre Haute as the headliner of a multi-band Sweet Sensations Country Jam concert May 4 in the Ohio Building — a fundraiser for the Vigo County Historical Society. -
MARK BENNETT: Terre Haute barber ‘sharpens up’ customers for 50 years
People streamed through this section of downtown Terre Haute in those days.
“You could hardly walk by here,” John Hochhalter said, pointing toward the sidewalk outside the window.
The bustle has faded since the early 1960s. Hochhalter remains. He’s still barbering in the same shop he and late business partner Kenny Thomas opened a half-century ago this week. -
MARK BENNETT: Memories, emotions rush back with announcement of new pope
I saw a pope once.Read quickly, that sentence sounds too casual, almost as if we’d crossed paths at Home Depot. Say it slowly, though, and the significance comes through.
-
MARK BENNETT: Reflections of grid success stir with Brent Anderson’s passing
A few hundred miles away, and nearly 40 years gone by, a special game ball still occupies a fond place in Rudy Bohinc’s memories.
-
Lent meets ‘The Bucket List’ in Terre Haute
Initially, the concept might conjure images of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman jumping out of an airplane or sitting atop the Pyramids. Instead, think “Lent Meets ‘The Bucket List’ in Terre Haute.”
-
MARK BENNETT: Never truer: Knowledge vital to narrowing ‘skills gap’
The pillar at the gates of Faber College in the movie “Animal House” bore a wise motto, despite its tongue-in-cheek intent …
-
MARK BENNETT: Great-niece to re-enact Paul Dresser’s musical legacy in Terre Haute show
People can be forgotten. Their lives end, time passes and memories fade.
Often, the only keepers of their legacies are family and friends, who tell and retell their stories, generation to generation.
For Paul Dresser, his fame burned strong enough as a turn-of-the-century, million-seller songwriter to preserve bits of his public notoriety. -
MARK BENNETT: An Olympic takedown
Imagine an iconic image of American sports history erased.
-
MARK BENNETT: Indiana’s ‘skills gap’
A problem lasting decades ceases to be a “problem.” By then, the situation becomes “part of the culture.”
-
MARK BENNETT: America’s best quality of life? Indiana must address flaws, set priorities
Just as the job interview seems smooth, the interviewer drops the question.
“So, where do you see yourself in five years?” -
MARK BENNETT: Pondering what is meant by ‘quality of life’ to Hoosiers
Sometimes it’s sincere. Other times, it’s sarcasm.
You cross paths with a friend, ask how they’re doing, and they say, “Ah, just livin’ the dream.”
Livin’ the dream. What exactly does that involve? Can it be defined? -
MARK BENNETT: By whatever name, stomach virus still a sick story
It’s the ugly side of the cold-and-flu season.
-
MARK BENNETT: Living on the banks
We are the Wabash.
Really. -
MARK BENNETT: Rising young producer lands spot in Sundance Film Festival
When a project clicks, the moment is clear.
-
MARK BENNETT: Remember the 20 children lost
Their names were listed on the screen at the front of the church on Sunday.
Our pastor asked us to choose one and pray for their family. I selected Noah Pozner, just by chance. -
MARK BENNETT: Tasting panel to help find Champagne Velvet’s ‘million-dollar flavor’
Rounding up enough volunteers to serve on a committee can be a struggle.
-
MARK BENNETT: Thanksgiving’s feast can be defined by either the presence of family or the family’s quest for presents
The best gift deals will be gone by 12:01 a.m. Nov. 23.
-
MARK BENNETT: Salvation Army touches many lives
Sometimes, the unexpected happens.
-
MARK BENNETT: Election excellence: 30 out of 32 is pretty darn good
Detroit car makers unveil the latest Mustangs and Corvettes on Wabash Avenue.
-
MARK BENNETT: Climbing the rungs of Lincoln’s Ladder
One crucial quality helped Abraham Lincoln become America’s greatest president.
Courage? Political savvy? Wisdom? Moral character? -
MARK BENNETT: Drop the needle
Over time, excellence and nostalgia inappropriately merge in our minds.
-
No matter the age, voting’s a part of American fabric
The electoral karma seemed, well, unfair.
-
MARK BENNETT: A moment on the brink
Ominous, but distant.
-
MARK BENNETT: Valley-born filmmaker influenced by roots
Real-life stories inspire Laura Brownson.
Even those vastly unlike her own. -
MARK BENNETT: No debating it: Candidates have it easier than ‘forensics’ specialists
Nightmares can jolt us awake, just before we fall off a cliff or show up for work or school unprepared.
- More Mark Bennett B-Sides Headlines
-
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Raw: Heckler Interrupts Obama on Guantanamo
Boy Scouts Mom Supports Gay Inclusiveness
Obama Offers Drone Strike Defense
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
Obama Defends Drone Strikes, With Limits
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Obama Renews Call to Close Gitmo
A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
Chain-Reaction School Bus Crash Injures About 50
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Raw: 80-Year-Old Climbs Mount Everest
Oklahoma Family Reflects on Lost Son
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
