Source: Philip Nel, 785-532-2165, philnel@k-state.edu
http://www.k-state.edu/media/mediaguide/bios/nelbio.html
News release prepared by: Kristin Hodges, 785-532-6415, khodges2@k-state.edu

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

'WHERE 1xbet sports betting ARE' IS CLASSIC BECAUSE OF STORYLINE THAT FOCUSES ON THE BASIC NEEDS OF CHILDREN, ACCORDING TO A K-STATE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE EXPERT

MANHATTAN -- While tales of monsters might typically frighten children, the story of a boy in a wolf suit among yellow-eyed creatures continues to be a classic children's book, now adapted into a movie.

Kansas State University's Philip Nel, children's literature expert and professor of English, said Maurice Sendak's &1xbet sports betting ;Where the Wild Things Are&1xbet sports betting ; is a classic because it centers on children's basic needs and desires while also pushing the boundaries of the picture book.

Spike Jonze's adaptation of &1xbet sports betting ;Where the Wild Things Are&1xbet sports betting ; is being released in theaters in October. Nel said that although some film adaptations of children's stories have been dumbed down, he thinks the movie looks promising, judging by the trailers.

&1xbet sports betting ;From what I've seen, the new movie seems to have a rawness and emotional edge that's absent from many children's movies,&1xbet sports betting ; he said. &1xbet sports betting ;It looks like a movie about childhood rather than a movie that panders to children.&1xbet sports betting ;

&1xbet sports betting ;Where the Wild Things Are&1xbet sports betting ; begins with a boy named Max who, dressed in a wolf suit, is sent to bed without eating anything after acting rebellious. He sails to the land of the wild things but then later decides to return home, where he finds supper waiting. Nel said the story addresses children's basic needs and desires – the need to be independent and the need to be loved.

&1xbet sports betting ;To be a child is to be at the mercy of others, and that can be very frustrating,&1xbet sports betting ; Nel said. &1xbet sports betting ;Max needs to express his independence and his anger, but he also needs to be loved. The book allows him to do both.&1xbet sports betting ;

Nel said there were issues when the book first came out because some worried that 1xbet sports betting would upset small children, give them nightmares or that children might emulate Max's rebellious behavior.

&1xbet sports betting ;However, the book did not frighten most children and went on to win a Caldecott Medal,&1xbet sports betting ; Nel said. &1xbet sports betting ;It's no longer as controversial as it once was.&1xbet sports betting ;

&1xbet sports betting ;Where the Wild Things Are&1xbet sports betting ; changed picture books because it was the first to carry part of its story with three wordless two-page spreads, which is where the wild rumpus scenes are depicted solely through illustrations, Nel said. As Max moves closer to the land of the wild things, the illustrations take up more space, and at the book's climax – the wild rumpus scene – words have disappeared. As Max returns home, illustrations take up less space, and text returns.

&1xbet sports betting ;Sendak's use of illustrations to convey this experience -- a journey to a land of wild things, imagination and free expression -- is very clever,&1xbet sports betting ; Nel said. &1xbet sports betting ;The imagination and wildness gets associated with the visual, with an experience beyond words.&1xbet sports betting ;

Not having seen the film, Nel doesn't know exactly how the filmmakers will translate this intense visual and emotional experience into a movie. But Nel said he's looking forward to meeting 1xbet sports betting on the big screen.