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outside over there
With Papa off to sea and Mama despondent, Ida must go outside over there to rescue her baby sister from goblins who steal her to be a goblin's bride.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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2561 people want to read
About the author
Maurice Sendak
402 books2,354 followersMaurice Sendak was a visionary American illustrator and writer best known for transforming the landscape of children's literature through his emotionally resonant stories and distinctive artistic style. He gained international acclaim with Where the Wild Things Are, a groundbreaking picture book that captured the emotional intensity of childhood through its honest portrayal of anger, imagination, and longing. Widely recognized for his ability to blend the whimsical with the profound, Sendak created works that resonated with both children and adults, challenging conventional notions of what children's books could be.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sendak was a sickly child who spent much of his early life indoors, nurturing a love for books, drawing, and storytelling. The son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, he was deeply affected by the losses of the Holocaust, which shaped the darker emotional undercurrents in his work. His art was influenced by a range of sources, from comic strips and Mickey Mouse to Mozart, Blake, and German Romanticism. Though he began his career illustrating other writers’ books, he soon transitioned to authoring his own, beginning with Kenny’s Window and then The Sign on Rosie’s Door.
It was Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, that solidified Sendak’s reputation as a master of children’s literature. The book, which won the Caldecott Medal, was initially controversial due to its depiction of unruly behavior and ambiguous emotional tone. However, it was later recognized as a revolutionary work that respected children’s inner lives and psychological complexity. This theme continued in his later works, including In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There, which formed a loose trilogy exploring the emotional and imaginative experiences of childhood. These books, celebrated for their dreamlike narratives and lush illustrations, often tackled fears, fantasies, and the challenges of growing up.
Throughout his career, Sendak illustrated more than a hundred books, working with authors such as Ruth Krauss and Else Holmelund Minarik. His visual style—characterized by its intricate detail, dynamic line work, and expressive characters—evolved over the decades, but always retained an unmistakable emotional intensity. He also designed sets and costumes for operas and ballets, bringing his imaginative worlds to the stage. Notably, he created productions for works by Mozart and Prokofiev, combining his love of classical music with theatrical design.
Sendak was known for his sharp wit, fierce independence, and deep empathy for children. He openly criticized the sanitized and moralistic tone of much of children's publishing, insisting instead that young readers deserved stories that acknowledged their full emotional range, including fear, grief, anger, and wonder. He was also an openly gay man in a long-term relationship, though he only spoke publicly about his sexuality later in life.
Later in his career, Sendak continued to produce new work, collaborate with artists and institutions, and advocate for intellectual freedom. His final books, including Bumble-Ardy and My Brother’s Book, reflected both a return to his childhood memories and a meditation on aging, love, and mortality. Though his stories often ventured into the dark or surreal, they remained rooted in a deep respect for the emotional reality of children and a belief in the power of imagination to confront life's challenges.
Maurice Sendak’s legacy endures in the countless writers and illustrators he inspired, the cultural impact of his stories, and the enduring affection readers of all ages hold for his wild things, mischievous children, and tender monsters. Through his work, he redefined what children’s literature could be: rich, honest, haunting, and, above all, deeply human.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sendak was a sickly child who spent much of his early life indoors, nurturing a love for books, drawing, and storytelling. The son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, he was deeply affected by the losses of the Holocaust, which shaped the darker emotional undercurrents in his work. His art was influenced by a range of sources, from comic strips and Mickey Mouse to Mozart, Blake, and German Romanticism. Though he began his career illustrating other writers’ books, he soon transitioned to authoring his own, beginning with Kenny’s Window and then The Sign on Rosie’s Door.
It was Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, that solidified Sendak’s reputation as a master of children’s literature. The book, which won the Caldecott Medal, was initially controversial due to its depiction of unruly behavior and ambiguous emotional tone. However, it was later recognized as a revolutionary work that respected children’s inner lives and psychological complexity. This theme continued in his later works, including In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There, which formed a loose trilogy exploring the emotional and imaginative experiences of childhood. These books, celebrated for their dreamlike narratives and lush illustrations, often tackled fears, fantasies, and the challenges of growing up.
Throughout his career, Sendak illustrated more than a hundred books, working with authors such as Ruth Krauss and Else Holmelund Minarik. His visual style—characterized by its intricate detail, dynamic line work, and expressive characters—evolved over the decades, but always retained an unmistakable emotional intensity. He also designed sets and costumes for operas and ballets, bringing his imaginative worlds to the stage. Notably, he created productions for works by Mozart and Prokofiev, combining his love of classical music with theatrical design.
Sendak was known for his sharp wit, fierce independence, and deep empathy for children. He openly criticized the sanitized and moralistic tone of much of children's publishing, insisting instead that young readers deserved stories that acknowledged their full emotional range, including fear, grief, anger, and wonder. He was also an openly gay man in a long-term relationship, though he only spoke publicly about his sexuality later in life.
Later in his career, Sendak continued to produce new work, collaborate with artists and institutions, and advocate for intellectual freedom. His final books, including Bumble-Ardy and My Brother’s Book, reflected both a return to his childhood memories and a meditation on aging, love, and mortality. Though his stories often ventured into the dark or surreal, they remained rooted in a deep respect for the emotional reality of children and a belief in the power of imagination to confront life's challenges.
Maurice Sendak’s legacy endures in the countless writers and illustrators he inspired, the cultural impact of his stories, and the enduring affection readers of all ages hold for his wild things, mischievous children, and tender monsters. Through his work, he redefined what children’s literature could be: rich, honest, haunting, and, above all, deeply human.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 521 reviews
June 18, 2020
this is the only thing my summer class was useful for: it tipped me off that this book existed. for future reference, if there are books that exist that were the source material for childhood favorite movies of mine, i need to be informed. in a timely manner. not twenty years later, that's just humiliating.
greg gave me this one years ago, so he is off the hook:
outside over there is terrifically creepy, and it may not have the purple spandex-clad david bowie that really makes labyrinth shine as a cinematic masterwork, but maybe sendak will make it up to me with where the wild things are. or maybe he will just make me cry, because every time i see that trailer, i leak. so embarrassing.
come to my blog!
greg gave me this one years ago, so he is off the hook:
outside over there is terrifically creepy, and it may not have the purple spandex-clad david bowie that really makes labyrinth shine as a cinematic masterwork, but maybe sendak will make it up to me with where the wild things are. or maybe he will just make me cry, because every time i see that trailer, i leak. so embarrassing.
come to my blog!
May 21, 2019
This is such a scary book, it could be seen as a fairytale perhaps for adults to read and the illustrations are so skillfully drawn. But as a children's book it's just too disturbing. I can remember picking this up in the children's picture book area of the library, I must have been under 5 yrs and I found it really scary. The illustrations are so realistic apart from some large out of scale feet and it's clear even just by the pictures that a baby/toddler is being stolen. I'm so glad I couldn't read because I would have found out that this little girl baby is being stolen for a bride for the goblins and not getting married when she grows up which would be bad enough but getting married as a baby. The text also mentions the honeymoon which I think is really disturbing considering we are talking about a baby. Not a book for children.
Outside Over There must refer to where children ask their parents to put this book after having it for a bedtime story.
Read on openlibrary.
Outside Over There must refer to where children ask their parents to put this book after having it for a bedtime story.
Read on openlibrary.
November 1, 2019
Although I do in many ways consider Maurice Sendak a personal favourite, I absolutely have not even remotely been able to enjoy (or even appreciate) especially the presented storyline (the written text) of his award winning Outside Over There (an original Kunstmärchen type of story, hearkening back to the many folktales of changelings left in the place of infants by goblins, fairies and the like, and where a family member, usually the mother, but in Outside Over There an older sister, must then journey forth to rescue the kidnapped baby). And while I at first did think that I would be granting a high two star rating to Outside Over There, sorry, but in particular the featured narrative, the way that young Ida is textually described and presented by the author just does so much and personally chafe and ache that I can and will only consider one star (but please also do note that I have absolutely no issue with Outside Over There being in print, that while I personally have not at all enjoyed the book, I also do not think that Outside Over There is inappropriate and needs to be censored or restricted).
Now I do recognise that my ultra-negative reaction is more than likely entirely personal and emotional, but be that as it may, I stand by the fact that Outside Over There really and majorly bothers me deep down inside (and that frankly, I am also glad not to have encountered Outside Over There as a young child). And no, it is actually NOT so much the creepiness of Outside Over There that makes me cringe and gnash my teeth with and in anger, but much more how Ida is presented and talked about by Maurice Sendak and that somehow, she, as a nine year old girl, is saddled with ALL of the responsibility for her baby sister, that basically even the entire household responsibilities seem to rest on poor young Ida's small shoulders rather than on her mother (who might indeed be depressed, but that she has seemingly totally abandoned her role as primary caregiver and that this is in my personal opinion even quite condoned and even justified by Maurice Sendak's words, by his story, his narrative and later, after Ida has indeed rescued her baby sister from the goblins and returned home, that the absent father's letter goes even further, telling Ida that it is up to her to watch over both her mother and her sister until he returns home from the sea, that Ida is forced to be the mother, the primary caregiver, and that being a child is not acceptable and an option anymore for her, this does truly make me at best feel both annoyed and sad).
And furthermore, but for and to me, most importantly, the rather constant negativity and blame cast at Ida, the often overt criticisms of ALL of her actions, that even when she goes forth to rescue her baby sister, Maurice Sendak is basically and continuously harping on her, labelling her foolish, sly, thoughtless and the like, well, as a person who as a child was often blamed for the peccadilloes of my younger siblings (and who hated having to baby-sit them, as they basically paid scant attention to me and always ended up getting me in trouble), I have (and I will make absolutely no excuse for this) totally and utterly despised how Ida is constantly being textually chastised in Outside Over There to the point that I have to even wonder whether Maurice Sendak might have had an older sister whom he intensely disliked (because to and for me, Ida is not at all described in any manner sympathetically in Outside Over There and is almost gleefully saddled by the author with responsibilities and tasks, with chores that should be an adult's and not a young child's duties).
Now as to the accompanying illustrations for Outside Over There, while I do admit that they are adept and evocatively rendered, personally, and although I usually and generally love love love Maurice Sendak's artwork, I have not really found the pictorial images of especially Ida all that aesthetically pleasing (her feet look huge, and her face, well, it makes her appear like a haggard old woman, not a young girl, and in fact, strangely, the depressed mother actually has a much more youthful countenance than Ida). And while I certainly have no issues with the fact that the goblin babies are depicted as being naked, I do find it a trifle unsettling how in one's proverbial face and at such close visual range this is always being depicted. I mean Outside Over There really has nothing even remotely to do with nakedness, with nudity per se, but yet, there are at least six large illustrative spreads of cavorting naked goblin babies and very close to the edge of the page at that (and as such much more visually and even physically closer for that matter than little Mickey in In the Night Kitchen and with him, there actually is a bona fide reason for him being in the buff, as he is dreaming and in his dream, he is naked, but in Outside Over There, the illustrated nakedness of the goblin babies, while it definitely has not really bothered me all that much as nudity is something entirely natural, definitely does feel gratuitous and unnecessary).
Now I do recognise that my ultra-negative reaction is more than likely entirely personal and emotional, but be that as it may, I stand by the fact that Outside Over There really and majorly bothers me deep down inside (and that frankly, I am also glad not to have encountered Outside Over There as a young child). And no, it is actually NOT so much the creepiness of Outside Over There that makes me cringe and gnash my teeth with and in anger, but much more how Ida is presented and talked about by Maurice Sendak and that somehow, she, as a nine year old girl, is saddled with ALL of the responsibility for her baby sister, that basically even the entire household responsibilities seem to rest on poor young Ida's small shoulders rather than on her mother (who might indeed be depressed, but that she has seemingly totally abandoned her role as primary caregiver and that this is in my personal opinion even quite condoned and even justified by Maurice Sendak's words, by his story, his narrative and later, after Ida has indeed rescued her baby sister from the goblins and returned home, that the absent father's letter goes even further, telling Ida that it is up to her to watch over both her mother and her sister until he returns home from the sea, that Ida is forced to be the mother, the primary caregiver, and that being a child is not acceptable and an option anymore for her, this does truly make me at best feel both annoyed and sad).
And furthermore, but for and to me, most importantly, the rather constant negativity and blame cast at Ida, the often overt criticisms of ALL of her actions, that even when she goes forth to rescue her baby sister, Maurice Sendak is basically and continuously harping on her, labelling her foolish, sly, thoughtless and the like, well, as a person who as a child was often blamed for the peccadilloes of my younger siblings (and who hated having to baby-sit them, as they basically paid scant attention to me and always ended up getting me in trouble), I have (and I will make absolutely no excuse for this) totally and utterly despised how Ida is constantly being textually chastised in Outside Over There to the point that I have to even wonder whether Maurice Sendak might have had an older sister whom he intensely disliked (because to and for me, Ida is not at all described in any manner sympathetically in Outside Over There and is almost gleefully saddled by the author with responsibilities and tasks, with chores that should be an adult's and not a young child's duties).
Now as to the accompanying illustrations for Outside Over There, while I do admit that they are adept and evocatively rendered, personally, and although I usually and generally love love love Maurice Sendak's artwork, I have not really found the pictorial images of especially Ida all that aesthetically pleasing (her feet look huge, and her face, well, it makes her appear like a haggard old woman, not a young girl, and in fact, strangely, the depressed mother actually has a much more youthful countenance than Ida). And while I certainly have no issues with the fact that the goblin babies are depicted as being naked, I do find it a trifle unsettling how in one's proverbial face and at such close visual range this is always being depicted. I mean Outside Over There really has nothing even remotely to do with nakedness, with nudity per se, but yet, there are at least six large illustrative spreads of cavorting naked goblin babies and very close to the edge of the page at that (and as such much more visually and even physically closer for that matter than little Mickey in In the Night Kitchen and with him, there actually is a bona fide reason for him being in the buff, as he is dreaming and in his dream, he is naked, but in Outside Over There, the illustrated nakedness of the goblin babies, while it definitely has not really bothered me all that much as nudity is something entirely natural, definitely does feel gratuitous and unnecessary).
June 26, 2011
I don't know why this lovely book has been challenged and/or banned. It is absolutely beautiful. In fact, so beautiful and appealing that it was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1982 (yay Maurice Sendak!!!!)
I LOVED reading this book to my children when they were smaller. Recently I gave them each their own copy for their Hope(less) Chests, so that they can read it to their own children.
My children are all in therapy and take strong psychiatric medicines due to their fear of being exchanged by goblins for an ice changling and being carried away. I am positive that the reading of this book in their formative years had nothing whatsoever to do with that, however.
By the way, I am drugged and in therapy too. Keeps the drooling at bay.
I LOVED reading this book to my children when they were smaller. Recently I gave them each their own copy for their Hope(less) Chests, so that they can read it to their own children.
My children are all in therapy and take strong psychiatric medicines due to their fear of being exchanged by goblins for an ice changling and being carried away. I am positive that the reading of this book in their formative years had nothing whatsoever to do with that, however.
By the way, I am drugged and in therapy too. Keeps the drooling at bay.
February 25, 2018
I really like this book. It was the inspiration for the movie 'the Labyrinth'. This is a book of art. Each page is so beautiful. It is stunning. The problem with the stunning art is the story. It is a scary story. My niece is still scared to go to sleep by herself. I can't let her read this story of people climbing in a window and stealing away a child. She is rescued, but this would be too much for her.
I know the child is unharmed and the girl saves the day and all, but it was disturbing for me in ways. This is a horror story for children. But the art is out of this world beautiful and safe. It's a mix of horror and beauty. So strange. I actually liked the story knowing the kidnappers were goblins, but I won't read this to the kids. It is intense. Maybe I'm overprotective, but I don't want the parents-my brother- to kill me once their children will no longer sleep alone. I wouldn't be allowed to read more books to them.
Wow, such a powerful story.
I know the child is unharmed and the girl saves the day and all, but it was disturbing for me in ways. This is a horror story for children. But the art is out of this world beautiful and safe. It's a mix of horror and beauty. So strange. I actually liked the story knowing the kidnappers were goblins, but I won't read this to the kids. It is intense. Maybe I'm overprotective, but I don't want the parents-my brother- to kill me once their children will no longer sleep alone. I wouldn't be allowed to read more books to them.
Wow, such a powerful story.
December 4, 2017
I was very familiar with Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen as these have been read many times over in my house. I was not, however, acquainted with this book until this summer. I was reading Victor LaValle’s The Changeling which continuously alluded to this book, so I purchased it from Amazon right away. Aside from winning numerous awards and inspiring LaValle’s The Changeling , this is the book that inspired the movie Labrynth.
This book is dark, mysterious, magical. The father is away at sea. The mother is depressed, aloof.. sitting alone in the arbor, most likely experiencing postpartum depression. Ida, the older sister, is the one who must watch over her baby sister, but turns away while playing her horn, neglectful. With her back turned, faceless goblins enter through the window stealing away the baby and leaving an ice version of a baby in its place. Ida scoops up the changeling that the goblins left behind which then melts in her arms. In pursuit of her sister, Ida goes out the window backwards to “outside over there,” off to a baby goblin wedding, where the only real baby is her sister. Ida is eventually successful in recovering her sister by putting the goblins into a dancing frenzy with her tune. When she safely returns home with the baby, her mother reads a letter from her father asking her to watch over her baby sister “which is just what Ida did.”
For me, this book invited so many questions. Was it Ida’s tune initially that invited the goblins? Was she jealous of the baby and that is why she wished her away? Why was going out the window a “serious mistake?” Was it because she was going out the window backwards?
The artwork in this book is not of the cartoonish quality found in In the Night Kitchen. The art is reminiscent of 19th century German paintings. Many have compared the image of Ida floating in the sky to Bernini’s “St. Theresa’s in Ecstasy,” which brings up many questions of what kind of ecstasy might Sendak be implying that Ida is experiencing. Other hidden or not so hidden references within this book include: Mozart’s Magic Flute, the kidnapping and murder of the Lindhbergh baby, and paintings of William Blake. There is something very Freudian about the book with it’s dreamlike quality. Ida’s name is strikingly similarly to Id. Do all the characters of the dream reflect the thoughts and feelings of the dreamer?
Sendak has said that the three children’s book (Outside Over There, Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen) are part of a trilogy. He has asserted in The Art of Maurice Sendak that: “They are all variations on the same theme: how children master various feelings – danger, boredom, fear, frustration, jealousy – and manage to come to grips with the realities of their lives.” Many adults find this story creepy and disturbing whereas children are intrigued. I read this to my daughter who had just turned 5. She was mesmerized and when we finished she turned back to the page where the goblins are stealing the baby and asked me to read it again. I did and she said, “that is my favorite part.”
I love this book for pushing boundaries, for exploring themes most children’s book authors are afraid to explore, for the amazingly beautiful artwork, and for the questions and mysteries the reader is left to ponder. I highly recommend this book for everyone! Maurice Sendak has also said he does not write for children, but simply writes. He has escaped this notion that we need to protect our children from the experience of loss and strangeness in life. I remember loving Grimm’s Fairy Tales as a chid, so I can fully relate to the intrigue of this genre to children. This is a children’s book with many layers of interest for all ages.
This book is dark, mysterious, magical. The father is away at sea. The mother is depressed, aloof.. sitting alone in the arbor, most likely experiencing postpartum depression. Ida, the older sister, is the one who must watch over her baby sister, but turns away while playing her horn, neglectful. With her back turned, faceless goblins enter through the window stealing away the baby and leaving an ice version of a baby in its place. Ida scoops up the changeling that the goblins left behind which then melts in her arms. In pursuit of her sister, Ida goes out the window backwards to “outside over there,” off to a baby goblin wedding, where the only real baby is her sister. Ida is eventually successful in recovering her sister by putting the goblins into a dancing frenzy with her tune. When she safely returns home with the baby, her mother reads a letter from her father asking her to watch over her baby sister “which is just what Ida did.”
For me, this book invited so many questions. Was it Ida’s tune initially that invited the goblins? Was she jealous of the baby and that is why she wished her away? Why was going out the window a “serious mistake?” Was it because she was going out the window backwards?
The artwork in this book is not of the cartoonish quality found in In the Night Kitchen. The art is reminiscent of 19th century German paintings. Many have compared the image of Ida floating in the sky to Bernini’s “St. Theresa’s in Ecstasy,” which brings up many questions of what kind of ecstasy might Sendak be implying that Ida is experiencing. Other hidden or not so hidden references within this book include: Mozart’s Magic Flute, the kidnapping and murder of the Lindhbergh baby, and paintings of William Blake. There is something very Freudian about the book with it’s dreamlike quality. Ida’s name is strikingly similarly to Id. Do all the characters of the dream reflect the thoughts and feelings of the dreamer?
Sendak has said that the three children’s book (Outside Over There, Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen) are part of a trilogy. He has asserted in The Art of Maurice Sendak that: “They are all variations on the same theme: how children master various feelings – danger, boredom, fear, frustration, jealousy – and manage to come to grips with the realities of their lives.” Many adults find this story creepy and disturbing whereas children are intrigued. I read this to my daughter who had just turned 5. She was mesmerized and when we finished she turned back to the page where the goblins are stealing the baby and asked me to read it again. I did and she said, “that is my favorite part.”
I love this book for pushing boundaries, for exploring themes most children’s book authors are afraid to explore, for the amazingly beautiful artwork, and for the questions and mysteries the reader is left to ponder. I highly recommend this book for everyone! Maurice Sendak has also said he does not write for children, but simply writes. He has escaped this notion that we need to protect our children from the experience of loss and strangeness in life. I remember loving Grimm’s Fairy Tales as a chid, so I can fully relate to the intrigue of this genre to children. This is a children’s book with many layers of interest for all ages.
February 9, 2020
Pretty much your average feminist magical realist changeling recovery picture book for children story. I'm told there's hundreds of them.
December 2, 2009
Much as I hate interpretations of artists based on their books, I've got to say - Sendak has got some serious problems with women. The other two books in this trilogy (Where The Wild Things Are & In The Night Kitchen) focus on boys, boys who are wild and crazy and mess things up and take chances and play, play, play! with no real consequence because boys will be boys and that is the way of the world. They fall in and out of their clothes and wander about with arrogant nakedness, they create violent, mythical worlds, they abandon their parents and are forgiven and return to dinner waiting for them, still hot. (Basically the theme of his many other books, as well.)
Here, we have Ida.
Poor Ida is a good girl. She takes care of her baby sister while Papa is at sea (and Mama sits under the arbor, in a catatonic state). And one day, while she is winding her horn to soothe the baby, the goblins come in and replace Sister with a baby made of ice. Dear baby, says Ida, I love you so. But the baby - oh, horror - melts in her arms and shatters on the floor. Ida puts on her cloak and takes her horn and goes to find her sister, hidden among goblins in a goblin wedding.
Typical children's book. But underneath it all, there is a current of real viciousness. The prose is clumsy, always seeming ready to rhyme, never succeeding - the one or two couplets are even more awkward than the rest. The illustrations are violent and disturbing. Here is Ida in a passion, eyes wide, on her tip-toes and her fist up in rage; here is Ida tumbling backwards out her window, through the mass of sunflowers grown by the tune of her wonder-horn, falling 'outside over there'. Here is Ida, wide-eyed and with a docile face, limbs akimbo, raincoat trailing, crawling among goblins. Here is wicked Ida, playing a captivating tune on her horn, making goblins dance fast and faster until they cannot breathe, until they beg for mercy, until the 'frenzied jig, a hornpipe that makes sailors wild' has churned the goblins into a rush of water passing by.
Here is Ida, smiling at her murders.
Sendak never describes his boys like this. They are wild, they are free. When they step out of bounds, an adventure begins.
But Ida makes "a serious mistake". (What mistake? Leaving through the window backwards? Going to find her sister? What mistake?) Ida is "foolish, never looking". Ida is careless. She "never watched" the goblins come. She did not notice the changeling until the water pooled on the floor and dripped water on her feet. Ida must be taught by her father's song (coming on from off the sea) where to search for the baby. Ida is "sly", Ida is "terrible", Ida is a girl and allowed only to "watch the baby and her Mama ... which is just what Ida did."
Huh.
Supposedly Jim Henson's Labyrinth is based on this book, and I see glimpses of Shyamalan's The Village, too.
I can't remember reading this as a child - which doesn't mean that I didn't - only that I don't remember. (But I didn't read it. I would have remembered.)
Here, we have Ida.
Poor Ida is a good girl. She takes care of her baby sister while Papa is at sea (and Mama sits under the arbor, in a catatonic state). And one day, while she is winding her horn to soothe the baby, the goblins come in and replace Sister with a baby made of ice. Dear baby, says Ida, I love you so. But the baby - oh, horror - melts in her arms and shatters on the floor. Ida puts on her cloak and takes her horn and goes to find her sister, hidden among goblins in a goblin wedding.
Typical children's book. But underneath it all, there is a current of real viciousness. The prose is clumsy, always seeming ready to rhyme, never succeeding - the one or two couplets are even more awkward than the rest. The illustrations are violent and disturbing. Here is Ida in a passion, eyes wide, on her tip-toes and her fist up in rage; here is Ida tumbling backwards out her window, through the mass of sunflowers grown by the tune of her wonder-horn, falling 'outside over there'. Here is Ida, wide-eyed and with a docile face, limbs akimbo, raincoat trailing, crawling among goblins. Here is wicked Ida, playing a captivating tune on her horn, making goblins dance fast and faster until they cannot breathe, until they beg for mercy, until the 'frenzied jig, a hornpipe that makes sailors wild' has churned the goblins into a rush of water passing by.
Here is Ida, smiling at her murders.
Sendak never describes his boys like this. They are wild, they are free. When they step out of bounds, an adventure begins.
But Ida makes "a serious mistake". (What mistake? Leaving through the window backwards? Going to find her sister? What mistake?) Ida is "foolish, never looking". Ida is careless. She "never watched" the goblins come. She did not notice the changeling until the water pooled on the floor and dripped water on her feet. Ida must be taught by her father's song (coming on from off the sea) where to search for the baby. Ida is "sly", Ida is "terrible", Ida is a girl and allowed only to "watch the baby and her Mama ... which is just what Ida did."
Huh.
Supposedly Jim Henson's Labyrinth is based on this book, and I see glimpses of Shyamalan's The Village, too.
I can't remember reading this as a child - which doesn't mean that I didn't - only that I don't remember. (But I didn't read it. I would have remembered.)
November 18, 2009
Oh, no no no no. Not for me. Well, I feel as though there is something the matter with me but I didn’t much like this story. I think I need to read this to some children and see their responses. I confess the only reason I gave Where the Wild Things Are four stars is because over the years, as an adolescent and as an adult, I’ve read it to many children, and their enthusiasm has been contagious. If I’d read it in a void I’d have also given it two stars only.
I think I’d have appreciated the illustrations in this book much more if the story had been different.
This story was way too creepy for me.
I think I’ll look for some children who want me to read this to them or who already know this book to possibly change my perspective. After all, I certainly enjoy many dark books, much darker than this one.
So, this is highly rated by many I know and trust and by most Goodreads’ members. Feel free to share with me what I may be missing about it.
I think I’d have appreciated the illustrations in this book much more if the story had been different.
This story was way too creepy for me.
I think I’ll look for some children who want me to read this to them or who already know this book to possibly change my perspective. After all, I certainly enjoy many dark books, much darker than this one.
So, this is highly rated by many I know and trust and by most Goodreads’ members. Feel free to share with me what I may be missing about it.
August 8, 2007
Dr. Mr. Sendak, Please seek therapy elsewhere and stop scaring the hell out of me!
May 1, 2008
This deceptively simple mythopoetic tale of a sister rescuing a baby from the goblins is powerful and disturbing in the manner of dreams.
July 14, 2008
I read this to my young daughter without previewing first, and regretted it shortly into it. "I don't think we'll read this one." "Why not?" "It's too scary." Always a bad word choice - then she definitely wants to read it...and read it we did. Before bed she expressed deep concern that the goblins would take her stuffed Pooh bear away. (Her baby brother, however, she was not concerned about for some reason.) The next day she spent an hour pretending to rescue her "babies" from the goblins.
The story is beautifully illustrated and uniquely told, and the truth is that kids do like to be scared for some strange reason...She quite liked it. I don't think I want to encourage her to dwell on goblins, however, so back to the library this one has gone...I'm not generally one to believe in kid gloves when it comes to children's literature...but this was just too creepy for a young child. It has the flavor of a Grimm's fairy tale. On the other hand, I often think back on the books that fascinated me as a child, and their creepiness and grimness, and I think perhaps we lose something in not allowing children to contemplate and confront their deepest fears...so perhaps I will check it out again after all.
The story is beautifully illustrated and uniquely told, and the truth is that kids do like to be scared for some strange reason...She quite liked it. I don't think I want to encourage her to dwell on goblins, however, so back to the library this one has gone...I'm not generally one to believe in kid gloves when it comes to children's literature...but this was just too creepy for a young child. It has the flavor of a Grimm's fairy tale. On the other hand, I often think back on the books that fascinated me as a child, and their creepiness and grimness, and I think perhaps we lose something in not allowing children to contemplate and confront their deepest fears...so perhaps I will check it out again after all.
December 31, 2011
I had decided that I must have a copy of this when I found it on a list of the "most disturbing children's books of all time." The reason? Goblins steal her baby sister and try to have a goblin wedding with her as the bride . . . And it's the basis for the movie LABYRINTH! You say disturbing, I say, Awesome!
Finally got a copy, and it did not disappoint. Aside from the gorgeous art, the story is delightfully strange, and left me not disturbed, but wanting more!
Finally got a copy, and it did not disappoint. Aside from the gorgeous art, the story is delightfully strange, and left me not disturbed, but wanting more!
May 9, 2012
“Outside Over There” is a Caldecott Honor Book from the creative mind of Maurice Sendak about how a young girl named Ida must save her sister from a band of goblins. “Outside Over There” may have some scary images and the theme of child kidnapping, but it is still an excellent book full of adventure that many children will love.
Maurice Sendak’s story about a young girl rescuing her little sister is highly creative as it is written in a wonderfully surreal way that makes the story highly interesting to read. Maurice Sendak’s writing is also full of excitement, especially during the scenes where Ida’s baby sister is stolen by the goblins and will keep kids interested in the story. Maurice Sendak’s illustrations are more beautiful in this book than in his other books as the characters are drawn in a very realistic way and even when Ida ends up in the surreal world of outside over there, the illustrations still look extremely beautiful in a surreal way.
Parents should know that there are some scary images in this book such as the image of the ice baby as it looked very blue and had a blank stare that would scare smaller children. Also, there is the theme of child kidnapping as the baby sister is kidnapped by a pack of goblins, similar to the storyline in Jim Henson’s classic movie, “Labyrinth.”
The issue of the child kidnapping and the scary images in this book might scare younger children, so parents might want to read this book before they read it to their children to see if they can handle the goblins in this book.
“Outside Over There” is Maurice Sendak’s most elegant book ever written since the illustrations are much more realistic than his other books. This book will be enjoyed by many children who love adventure and fantasy for many years. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up because the images of the goblins and the theme of child kidnapping might scare smaller children.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
Maurice Sendak’s story about a young girl rescuing her little sister is highly creative as it is written in a wonderfully surreal way that makes the story highly interesting to read. Maurice Sendak’s writing is also full of excitement, especially during the scenes where Ida’s baby sister is stolen by the goblins and will keep kids interested in the story. Maurice Sendak’s illustrations are more beautiful in this book than in his other books as the characters are drawn in a very realistic way and even when Ida ends up in the surreal world of outside over there, the illustrations still look extremely beautiful in a surreal way.
Parents should know that there are some scary images in this book such as the image of the ice baby as it looked very blue and had a blank stare that would scare smaller children. Also, there is the theme of child kidnapping as the baby sister is kidnapped by a pack of goblins, similar to the storyline in Jim Henson’s classic movie, “Labyrinth.”
The issue of the child kidnapping and the scary images in this book might scare younger children, so parents might want to read this book before they read it to their children to see if they can handle the goblins in this book.
“Outside Over There” is Maurice Sendak’s most elegant book ever written since the illustrations are much more realistic than his other books. This book will be enjoyed by many children who love adventure and fantasy for many years. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up because the images of the goblins and the theme of child kidnapping might scare smaller children.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
January 30, 2013
I rarely do a review on childrens books but I felt it necessary to write one on this book. This is APPALLING! Firstly, the pictures are revolting - they look like dead babies - when you're reading it to a pre-schooler, this is something that needs addressing as young people use visual clues to understand the text, and the illustrations in this book scared my son. Secondly, the writing is very poor - particularly disappointing when it's written by a world renowned author such as Maurice Sendak. It doesn't make sense in a few places and interrupts the reader's fluency... Thirdly, the story is horrible - it's a children's book for crying out loud. What an awful story for a child to be exposed to. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, and will be donating it back to charity (where I bought it!) tomorrow!
February 13, 2017
What a strange book.
This Sendak book inspired the movie "Labyrinth". I guess it would be perfect for bedtime if you want the kids to have nightmares :)
This Sendak book inspired the movie "Labyrinth". I guess it would be perfect for bedtime if you want the kids to have nightmares :)
February 27, 2018
A reader unfamiliar with this picture book is practically implored by Victor LaValle's marvelous The Changeling to rectify this oversight. This dreamy and grotesque fable warns both parents and older siblings of leaving a baby unattended: they will be burgled by goblins and replaced with an icy impostor that will melt and render a bassinet soggy. If this is first flipped through as an adult, then the reflective reader can curse their parents for how profoundly they have failed them once again.
April 21, 2009
SUMMARY
This is the story of how Ida’s little sister, who can’t hardly be two years old, is snatched up by goblins and taken away to Outside, Over There to be a goblin’s bride. They leave an ice changeling in her place, and when she melts, Ida realizes what has happened. However, Ida’s father is at sea, and her mother is pining away for missing him, so Ida climbs out her window backward to Outside, Over There, and rescues her sister from the goblins, who, without their hooded cloaks, look exactly like babies.
This is a story about fear and responsibility. Once again, Sendak challenges that scary place inside us all, and shines his light on it, revealing the truth.
EVALUATION
Many people think that children shouldn’t read this book, and I disagree. It is a beautiful story, both in words and in pictures. Sendak’s story here is charming, and the lessons of confronting fears and realizing responsibility, having courage and being brave are all important for children. Overcoming the goblins that exist in the shadows in our minds, especially as young children, only happens when we are exposed to literature and stories that show us the way, and this book is the map that shows us how to get Outside, Over There, and the guide that tells us how to Overcome.
We cannot shield children from having experiences with confronting fears and having adventures. Children interpret things through a different lens—the lens of Wonderment. This book inspires that enchanting feeling, and we have to let that inspiration and fascination grow.
This is the story of how Ida’s little sister, who can’t hardly be two years old, is snatched up by goblins and taken away to Outside, Over There to be a goblin’s bride. They leave an ice changeling in her place, and when she melts, Ida realizes what has happened. However, Ida’s father is at sea, and her mother is pining away for missing him, so Ida climbs out her window backward to Outside, Over There, and rescues her sister from the goblins, who, without their hooded cloaks, look exactly like babies.
This is a story about fear and responsibility. Once again, Sendak challenges that scary place inside us all, and shines his light on it, revealing the truth.
EVALUATION
Many people think that children shouldn’t read this book, and I disagree. It is a beautiful story, both in words and in pictures. Sendak’s story here is charming, and the lessons of confronting fears and realizing responsibility, having courage and being brave are all important for children. Overcoming the goblins that exist in the shadows in our minds, especially as young children, only happens when we are exposed to literature and stories that show us the way, and this book is the map that shows us how to get Outside, Over There, and the guide that tells us how to Overcome.
We cannot shield children from having experiences with confronting fears and having adventures. Children interpret things through a different lens—the lens of Wonderment. This book inspires that enchanting feeling, and we have to let that inspiration and fascination grow.
July 6, 2013
This is a freaky childrens book wherein the baby is stolen by goblins who want to make the baby a goblin bride. Big sister rescues baby, finding out the goblins look like babies too except they wear cloaks.
Big Sister uses a horn to make the goblin babies dance "slowly first, then faster until they couldn't breathe." The goblin babies are lured into a churning stream.
Baby was found cozy in a big eggshell.
The whole time mom is depressed because dad is a sailor away at sea. Mom sits on a bench for the duration of the story, not realizing that her baby was stolen or that big sister saved her. Since Daddy is gone at sea, Big Sister has lots of responsibilities resting on her shoulders as she cares for baby and depressed mother. The end.
Big Sister uses a horn to make the goblin babies dance "slowly first, then faster until they couldn't breathe." The goblin babies are lured into a churning stream.
Baby was found cozy in a big eggshell.
The whole time mom is depressed because dad is a sailor away at sea. Mom sits on a bench for the duration of the story, not realizing that her baby was stolen or that big sister saved her. Since Daddy is gone at sea, Big Sister has lots of responsibilities resting on her shoulders as she cares for baby and depressed mother. The end.
November 4, 2014
I see why this won a Caldecott honor, but I found the pictures just a touch creepy. Although I'm sure that's how they were meant to be since they really fit the mood of the story. Everybody's head and feet are too big, and there are a LOT of bare feet and naked babies! I did like the multiple views shown out the window of the girl's room and while she was flying around "outside over there." And I did like this better when I found out it was the inspiration for the movie Labyrinth. Still, this is a very strange picture book for children.
September 3, 2017
Maurice Sendak considered this book to be his finest achievement, and I just finished Joseph Cott's recently published There's a Mystery There: The Primal Vision of Maurice Sendak in which Cott goes into great depth discussing the book with Sendak (he interviewed Sendak numerous times starting in 1976 for Rolling Stone when Sendak was just beginning to work on Outside over There in what became an intensive and sometimes difficult five-year creative process for him), as well as two psychologists, a children's lit expert, and Tony Kushner.
Beautifully illustrated, Outside over There tells the story of Ida whose absent father and psychologically crippled mother leave her to care for her baby sister. Whether by accident or negligence or a psychic manifestation of Ida's resentment, the baby is stolen away by goblins, and Ida must don her mother's raincoat and take her wonderhorn, embarking on a journey to save her sister.
The night journey, the absent parents, the monsters which must be mastered, will all remind the reader of both Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen, and in fact Sendak considered Outside over There the third book in a trilogy with these other two.
I was in high school by time Outside over There was published, so it doesn't really resonate with me the way much of Sendak's work that I grew up with does. I see the significance of Outside over There, and now that I have read Cott's book I can appreciate it even more. Before reading Cott, I never gave much thought to the roles of Melville and Mozart in Sendak's work, but they were profound influences, and there's Mozart on one of the pages of Outside over There, along with some sailors who could easily be from one of Melville's sailing ships. I also never knew how traumatic the Lindbergh baby kidnapping had been to Sendak as a young boy. But that is clearly one of the major influences on his writing this book. The goblins' ladder used to enter the bedroom window and even the portrayal of the baby herself are clear connections to this crime which troubled the young Maurice. Also, Cott 's book alerted me to how Outside over There was the inspiration for Jim Henson's movie Labyrinth with David Bowie.
Nonetheless, despite all the complexities at work here and despite Sendak's own opinion of where Outside over There fits into his life's work, if I had to pick just one of his books, it would have to be the earlier Where the Wild Things Are, published the year I was born and still one of my all-time favorites.
Here's my review of Joseph Cott's There's a Mystery There: The Primal Vision of Maurice Sendak:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Beautifully illustrated, Outside over There tells the story of Ida whose absent father and psychologically crippled mother leave her to care for her baby sister. Whether by accident or negligence or a psychic manifestation of Ida's resentment, the baby is stolen away by goblins, and Ida must don her mother's raincoat and take her wonderhorn, embarking on a journey to save her sister.
The night journey, the absent parents, the monsters which must be mastered, will all remind the reader of both Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen, and in fact Sendak considered Outside over There the third book in a trilogy with these other two.
I was in high school by time Outside over There was published, so it doesn't really resonate with me the way much of Sendak's work that I grew up with does. I see the significance of Outside over There, and now that I have read Cott's book I can appreciate it even more. Before reading Cott, I never gave much thought to the roles of Melville and Mozart in Sendak's work, but they were profound influences, and there's Mozart on one of the pages of Outside over There, along with some sailors who could easily be from one of Melville's sailing ships. I also never knew how traumatic the Lindbergh baby kidnapping had been to Sendak as a young boy. But that is clearly one of the major influences on his writing this book. The goblins' ladder used to enter the bedroom window and even the portrayal of the baby herself are clear connections to this crime which troubled the young Maurice. Also, Cott 's book alerted me to how Outside over There was the inspiration for Jim Henson's movie Labyrinth with David Bowie.
Nonetheless, despite all the complexities at work here and despite Sendak's own opinion of where Outside over There fits into his life's work, if I had to pick just one of his books, it would have to be the earlier Where the Wild Things Are, published the year I was born and still one of my all-time favorites.
Here's my review of Joseph Cott's There's a Mystery There: The Primal Vision of Maurice Sendak:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December 29, 2017
This book fascinated me as a child. In struggling to wrap my brain around the writing style, I recognized it, along with the illustrations and the story itself, as an element of the eerie beauty of the whole.
The story line, the illustrations, and the writing style are all creepy and unsettling, yet I could not take my eyes away. It has been years since I read or even thought about this book, but the excerpt from the never-ending book quiz sent chills down my spine anew.
The story line, the illustrations, and the writing style are all creepy and unsettling, yet I could not take my eyes away. It has been years since I read or even thought about this book, but the excerpt from the never-ending book quiz sent chills down my spine anew.
January 8, 2020
My god, that baby was ugly.
August 8, 2020
Story 3 stars
Exceptional Illustrations 5 stars
Exceptional Illustrations 5 stars
November 26, 2012
Leave This Book "outside over there"!: Not one of Sendak's best in my opinion. I'm a huge fan of Where the Wild Things Are, but Outside Over There lacks an appeal to children in its text and storyline. It’s short and honestly a bit boring. I was somewhat disturbed at babies being “married” and kidnapped by goblins and I smaller children would probably find it a bit scary. I think the book was probably intended for a second or third grader, but the text and word choice is a bit much for someone of that age. However, the pictures are breathtaking and extremely detailed. Sendak’s artistic style is very realistic. He uses soft colors and lots of them, which makes the pictures very aesthetically appealing. The attention to detail in the pictures makes it easy for a child to understand what is happening in the story even if you were to take away the text. The overwhelming size of the pictures will draw kids into the story and make them feel like they are in their own little world. The book has a good message about attentiveness and responsibility, but not strong enough to make it worth the read. I would recommend this book solely for the illustrations.
June 3, 2019
I haven’t yet reached the point in the year where I read picture books to up my book count ... bear with ... even though this is a picture book, this book actually means something.
When I was a small wee bairn we got this book from the library and it had a really peculiar aroma which, in the years that past, brought forth its name - “The Smelly Book”
I thought I had dreamt up this story and would ask the family ad nausea - “Do you remember that Smelly Book? The Smelly Book with the babies?”
I was met with weird stares and I really believed that I’d made this up!
I’ve just been in Glasgow and had mentioned it again to my sister when we were in Waterstones ... AND WHAT DO I SEE ON THE SHELF?!? THE BLOODY SMELLY BOOK!!
So many years of trying and failing to find this story. So many years OF BELIEVING I HAD DREAMT IT ALL!!
Needless to say, it’s a fantastic picture book that is actually quite terrifying (parents ... why did you read this to me?!). It’s basically a work of art too. x
so happy to have found the Smelly Book after all this time.
When I was a small wee bairn we got this book from the library and it had a really peculiar aroma which, in the years that past, brought forth its name - “The Smelly Book”
I thought I had dreamt up this story and would ask the family ad nausea - “Do you remember that Smelly Book? The Smelly Book with the babies?”
I was met with weird stares and I really believed that I’d made this up!
I’ve just been in Glasgow and had mentioned it again to my sister when we were in Waterstones ... AND WHAT DO I SEE ON THE SHELF?!? THE BLOODY SMELLY BOOK!!
So many years of trying and failing to find this story. So many years OF BELIEVING I HAD DREAMT IT ALL!!
Needless to say, it’s a fantastic picture book that is actually quite terrifying (parents ... why did you read this to me?!). It’s basically a work of art too. x
so happy to have found the Smelly Book after all this time.
October 18, 2017
Sendak's most puzzling and perhaps most brilliant picture book plays complex allegorical games with sibling rivalry and Oedipal tensions, as Ida (note that her name contains "id") loses her sister to goblins, who replace the baby with a changeling ice baby. Ida must engage, superficially, in a fairly typical quest-type narrative to regain the lost sister, but in doing so she assumes disturbing associations with her mother. Probably irreducible to a single meaning, this book is provocative every time I read it, and the page spread when Ida catches up to the goblins remains one of the most memorable and creepy moments (for me) in all literature.
April 21, 2023
I shelved this with picture books, but maybe it's more of a fairy tale in the style of the Grimm collection. Wierd. Strange. Creepy. Nightmarish? But maybe that's okay. (The faces on the kids are odd-looking. And body parts are often out of proportion.) I guess I need to read this with a child to see what he/she thinks. (But would I ever choose to read this aloud?) Is there supposed to be a message here? Maybe something about the power of love? Taking your responsibilities seriously?
And hooded goblins turn into babies!?! Ugh
I think Sendak spent too much time in his own dreamworld, which must not have been very comforting.
And hooded goblins turn into babies!?! Ugh
I think Sendak spent too much time in his own dreamworld, which must not have been very comforting.
August 18, 2007
With In the Night Kitchen, among my favorite children's books. Gorgeously illustrated, the story of how Ida loses, then finds and rescues, her baby sister from the clutches of goblins, while her mother pines for their father at sea, has all the qualities of a dream. Stunning, elusive, epic, Sendak doesn't shy away from showing a child's deepest fears, and revealing her deepest strengths, and he's not afraid of ambiguity either. If I had all the money in the world, I'd buy all the original artwork and hang it where I could look at it every day.
February 1, 2018
Absolutely no.
Unless you want your children to have nightmares. Then I say yes, read it. It will do the trick. Especially if they're an older sibling.
So I know Sendak is an incredibly well known and liked author ... but what was he thinking when writing this book for children? And further, what was the committee thinking when they marked it as a Caldecott Honor Book?
Hooded goblins and babies being kidnapped are hardly fodder for sweet thoughts; and the illustrations just make the story even more morbid and grotesque. Not to mention the pictures of naked babies (with life-like details) ... which just so happen to be thieving goblins in disguise.
When I told my husband about the story and showed him the illustrations, he asked, "So what was the point of the story?" The only thing I could come up with is that it's to eternally scare older siblings into a haggard vigilance over the younger ones lest they be kidnapped on their watch.
Ages: none
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
Unless you want your children to have nightmares. Then I say yes, read it. It will do the trick. Especially if they're an older sibling.
So I know Sendak is an incredibly well known and liked author ... but what was he thinking when writing this book for children? And further, what was the committee thinking when they marked it as a Caldecott Honor Book?
Hooded goblins and babies being kidnapped are hardly fodder for sweet thoughts; and the illustrations just make the story even more morbid and grotesque. Not to mention the pictures of naked babies (with life-like details) ... which just so happen to be thieving goblins in disguise.
When I told my husband about the story and showed him the illustrations, he asked, "So what was the point of the story?" The only thing I could come up with is that it's to eternally scare older siblings into a haggard vigilance over the younger ones lest they be kidnapped on their watch.
Ages: none
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
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