Maurice Sendak's New Book 'Bumble-Ardy' Scares Parents
Parents feel that Maurice Sendak's new book "Bumble-Ardy"- about a pig's wild birthday party - is not exactly suitable for young children because it features the Grim Reaper.
The famed author and illustrator, most known for his books "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In The Night Kitchen," just released his newest work titled "Bumble-Ardy." This release is the first book that Maurice Sendak has written and illustrated in over 30 years.
The tale of "Bumble-Ardy" deals with the plight of a 9-year old orphan pig named Bumble. Bumble has never had the pleasure of celebrating his birthday for the last eight years of his life due to his forgetful parents. But now he plans on having the biggest one ever since his aunt leaves him in the house alone.
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However, the newly published tale features a few instances that have some parents worried. An example of such an instance is the Grim Reaper's appearance in the book.
A reviewer on the website Amazon described the book as "disturbing in many ways."
In an interview with the New York Times, Maurice Sendak offered his opinion on the matter. He referred to the parents afraid of his books as nothing more than "scaredy cats, frightened to deal with the nightmarish fantasies and even murderous impulses with which children are familiar and which books such as "Alice in Wonderland” explore."
He also goes on to say that his books are designed to "keep [kids] calm, keep them happy, keep them snug and safe. It’s not a putdown of those earlier books. But basically, they went by the rules that children should be safe and that we adults should be their guardians. I got out of that, and I was considered outlandish. So be it."
Maurice has made attempts at toning down the book in order to cull parents' fears. In its original incarnation, "Bumble-Ardy" featured a scene where the pigs were drinking wine at Bumble's birthday party. The author retooled the scene in the finished version, changing the wine to a much safer brine.
Maurice Sendak is already hard at work on his next tale, which he promises to be a more light-hearted affair.
