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We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy: Two Nursery Rhymes with Pictures
We are all in the dumps
For diamonds are trumps
The kittens are gone to St. Paul's!
The baby is bit
The moon's in a fit
And the houses are built
Without walls
Jack and Guy
Went out in the Rye
And they found a little boy
With one black eye
Come says Jack let's knock
Him on the head
No says Guy
Let's buy him some bread
You buy one loaf
And I'll buy two
And we'll bring him up
As other folk do
Two traditional rhymes from Mother Goose, Ingeniously joined and interpreted by Maurice Sendak.
56 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
2 people are currently reading
383 people want to read
About the author
Maurice Sendak
401 books2,331 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 92 reviews
March 6, 2019
This was a strange, dark, confusing story, a bit like a nightmare.
Two hobo-looking fellows, Jack and Guy, appear to be wandering into a slum of children and cats in even more dire poverty than themselves. Rats steal the kittens and a small child who resembles Gandhi. The rest of the cast set out in pursuit, although at one point the child gets away from the rats and is holding out his arms and asking for help, and the rest of the characters appear to recoil, not in fact wanting to help him. (Or perhaps not wanting to touch him? Not wanting to take responsibility for him? Maybe this is a parable about who express concern and outrage but don't really do anything?)
Later there is an even more dream-like sequence where Jack and Guy and the Poor Little Kid and a kitten are in a grain field. The Kid tries to hug Jack but Jack wants to beat him up (and maybe starts to, as he is later shown with a black eye), I didn't get why. There is a giant cat and a huge moon with a toothy mouth and a bakery. I couldn't sort out whether the cat and moon where helping or harming. At one point the Kid is depicted in the pose of Christ in the Deposition from the Cross. At the end they are all back sleeping in the slum.
So. Thought-provoking, although I never figured out what provocation was intended, even though I reread it. It left me rather depressed.
Two hobo-looking fellows, Jack and Guy, appear to be wandering into a slum of children and cats in even more dire poverty than themselves. Rats steal the kittens and a small child who resembles Gandhi. The rest of the cast set out in pursuit, although at one point the child gets away from the rats and is holding out his arms and asking for help, and the rest of the characters appear to recoil, not in fact wanting to help him. (Or perhaps not wanting to touch him? Not wanting to take responsibility for him? Maybe this is a parable about who express concern and outrage but don't really do anything?)
Later there is an even more dream-like sequence where Jack and Guy and the Poor Little Kid and a kitten are in a grain field. The Kid tries to hug Jack but Jack wants to beat him up (and maybe starts to, as he is later shown with a black eye), I didn't get why. There is a giant cat and a huge moon with a toothy mouth and a bakery. I couldn't sort out whether the cat and moon where helping or harming. At one point the Kid is depicted in the pose of Christ in the Deposition from the Cross. At the end they are all back sleeping in the slum.
So. Thought-provoking, although I never figured out what provocation was intended, even though I reread it. It left me rather depressed.
March 1, 2018
This is something different. Let's say, it's not a safe cozy story. This story has claws and a tale and has to be dealt with carefully. I haven't read this to the kids yet as I didn't know if it would be ok for them or not. I think I will read it and not 100% sure.
This is a surrealist story with everything stretched beyond limits of recognition. The story is set in slums of poor children. Rats kidnap a child and I think these rats represent poverty and the power structure that rob us of the goodness in life. Eventually the fat cat comes and saves the children and that seems like prosperity to me. These children are all alone without any adults. The moon in this story plays a roll and maybe it is fortune.
I think Maurice is trying to raise awareness with homeless people. It is truly a bazar story. It doesn't seem like a good one right before bed, but it does seem like a good story to get kids asking questions. These kids are hungry and they need shelter. It's a powerful story so deciding when to show your kids is important. I mean it was powerful for me to read as an adult so it must be powerful for a child as well.
This is a surrealist story with everything stretched beyond limits of recognition. The story is set in slums of poor children. Rats kidnap a child and I think these rats represent poverty and the power structure that rob us of the goodness in life. Eventually the fat cat comes and saves the children and that seems like prosperity to me. These children are all alone without any adults. The moon in this story plays a roll and maybe it is fortune.
I think Maurice is trying to raise awareness with homeless people. It is truly a bazar story. It doesn't seem like a good one right before bed, but it does seem like a good story to get kids asking questions. These kids are hungry and they need shelter. It's a powerful story so deciding when to show your kids is important. I mean it was powerful for me to read as an adult so it must be powerful for a child as well.
March 30, 2017
“We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy” (whew, long title name!) is a Mother Goose nursery rhyme along with illustrations by Maurice Sendak. This book tells the tale of two guys trying to save a kid and a lot of kittens from a band of shrewd rats. This book may not be a classic like “Where the Wild Things Are” and “In the Night Kitchen,” but it is still full of good humor and excitement!
The nursery rhyme is surreal yet creative to read because the characters themselves are not what you would expect from a normal nursery rhyme. The characters seem to be tough and even cruel to a certain extent but they are also brave and even friendly especially when Jack and Guy seem to hate the kid at the beginning of the book but they risk their lives to save the kid at the end. The moon is the most surreal character of all as it tortures anyone who harms the kittens and the kid such as when the rat bites the kid and the moon ended up carrying Jack and Guy towards the rye field and when Jack tried to hit the kid, the moon transformed into an intimidating looking cat. Maurice Sendak’s illustrations are truly surrealistic yet beautiful as he makes the main characters dress up in old rags and running around the streets with no shoes to wear. The moon’s image is surreal as it has a grumpy looking face throughout the whole book and looks menacing when it transforms into a cat that is white all over and has intense looking eyes.
“We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy” may not have the comforting tone as “Where the Wild Things Are” or light humor like “In the Night Kitchen,” but it is certainly a truly unique and creative little book as it is in a nursery rhyme format. Many children ages five and up would greatly enjoy this book as soon as they get pass the violent images and understand the confusing plot.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
May 9, 2018
The pictures are not cool and I was scared of them thoroughly. I wish that something else was published in its place. This is not the way for kids to learn about income inequality. This is not the way for adults to learn about income inequality. The moon needs to stop putting things in its mouth. I would not trust that child with Jack, especially after he thought about beating him. Someone was high.
November 3, 2013
We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy by Maurice Sendak is a book about two nursery rhymes turned into a story. In it, two evil rats steal a litter of kittens and a young child. Jack and Guy decide to get the boy back by playing the rats in a game of cards, but end up loosing. The moon must intervene, who is also a cat, to rescue the child. After finding the child one boy thinks they should bump him the head, and the other recommends buying him some bread but eventually the child gets safely taken home/ The illustrations in the book were detailed, and detailed following Sendak’s traditional illustration style. This book would be a great way for teachers or parents to start a discussion about poverty and difficult social issues with children. To fully understand the book it needs to be read more than once, it can be confusing but the illustrations can help to clarify it.
November 16, 2017
An interesting read. I feel I missed the majority of references and didn't have the requisite knowledge to understand everything. I still enjoyed the book and grasped the main elements of what Sendak was trying to say.
April 21, 2009
Sendak takes two almost forgotten nursery rhymes, and reinterprets them visually to depict homelessness, poverty, and other social issues. This is the story of a baby who is kidnapped by rats, and the card game in which he is won back from them, so that his family from “the dumps” can get him back to shanty town after buying him some bread, which is a better idea, naturally, than knocking him in the head.
EVALUATION
Though some people think that this book is inappropriate for children, I think that Sendak has once again proven that young children have the wherewithal to be exposed to the unusual, the grim, the things that happen in the shadowy places that most adults like to ignore. These are things that children are actually very inquisitive about. In this book, Sendak treats homelessness and poverty with respect, depicting an actual sense of community in the dump. At the same time, he shows children houses that don’t have walls, and the people who live in them who might as soon knock someone in the head as feed him. However, Sendak’s visual reinterpretation of the nursery rhymes show Jack and Guy as if they were just like “other folk.” Both of my nephews love this book. One of them is five months old, and one is three years old. Dallak, who is five months old, and who doesn’t understand the concept that the pictures can’t escape the pages, likes to touch the pictures. Drake, who is three years old, likes to ask questions. “What kind house, Ninny?” and “What this says right here?” and “Why moon has him big mouth OOOOOO?” are just some of the ones he asks. I think this book is an absolute treasure, and introduces children to social issues with honesty and integrity.
EVALUATION
Though some people think that this book is inappropriate for children, I think that Sendak has once again proven that young children have the wherewithal to be exposed to the unusual, the grim, the things that happen in the shadowy places that most adults like to ignore. These are things that children are actually very inquisitive about. In this book, Sendak treats homelessness and poverty with respect, depicting an actual sense of community in the dump. At the same time, he shows children houses that don’t have walls, and the people who live in them who might as soon knock someone in the head as feed him. However, Sendak’s visual reinterpretation of the nursery rhymes show Jack and Guy as if they were just like “other folk.” Both of my nephews love this book. One of them is five months old, and one is three years old. Dallak, who is five months old, and who doesn’t understand the concept that the pictures can’t escape the pages, likes to touch the pictures. Drake, who is three years old, likes to ask questions. “What kind house, Ninny?” and “What this says right here?” and “Why moon has him big mouth OOOOOO?” are just some of the ones he asks. I think this book is an absolute treasure, and introduces children to social issues with honesty and integrity.
April 22, 2018
A few quotes from Maurice Sendak in relation to his writings:
“I said anything I wanted because I don't believe in children I don't believe in childhood. I don't believe that there's a demarcation. 'Oh you mustn't tell them that. You mustn't tell them that.' You tell them anything you want. Just tell them if it's true. If it's true you tell them.”
― Maurice Sendak
“Grown-ups desperately need to feel safe, and then they project onto the kids. But what none of us seem to realize is how smart kids are. They don’t like what we write for them, what we dish up for them, because it’s vapid, so they’ll go for the hard words, they’ll go for the hard concepts, they’ll go for the stuff where they can learn something. Not didactic things, but passionate things.”
― Maurice Sendak
“. . .from their earliest years children live on familiar terms with disrupting emotions, fear and anxiety are an intrinsic part of their everyday lives, they continually cope with frustrations as best they can. And it is through fantasy that children achieve catharsis. It is the best means they have for taming Wild Things.”
― Maurice Sendak
I don't know that I would read this to my child just yet, but I do agree that sugar coating reality is not the best way to teach principles. This book is dark, but a lot of people, a lot of CHILDREN live in the darkness portrayed so poignantly in this book. Ignoring it will only make it worse.
“I said anything I wanted because I don't believe in children I don't believe in childhood. I don't believe that there's a demarcation. 'Oh you mustn't tell them that. You mustn't tell them that.' You tell them anything you want. Just tell them if it's true. If it's true you tell them.”
― Maurice Sendak
“Grown-ups desperately need to feel safe, and then they project onto the kids. But what none of us seem to realize is how smart kids are. They don’t like what we write for them, what we dish up for them, because it’s vapid, so they’ll go for the hard words, they’ll go for the hard concepts, they’ll go for the stuff where they can learn something. Not didactic things, but passionate things.”
― Maurice Sendak
“. . .from their earliest years children live on familiar terms with disrupting emotions, fear and anxiety are an intrinsic part of their everyday lives, they continually cope with frustrations as best they can. And it is through fantasy that children achieve catharsis. It is the best means they have for taming Wild Things.”
― Maurice Sendak
I don't know that I would read this to my child just yet, but I do agree that sugar coating reality is not the best way to teach principles. This book is dark, but a lot of people, a lot of CHILDREN live in the darkness portrayed so poignantly in this book. Ignoring it will only make it worse.
March 6, 2016
While sold as children's books, many of Sendak's works contain very serious topics.
In this work, the author deals with the subject of homeless children.
As the illustrations portray shacks, boxes, rubble and soiled clothes, the text tells the tale of Jack and Guy who reside in the squalor of New York streets. With them are a host of unnamed characters and a large litter of kittens.
When a small black child asks for help, Jack and Guy say "BEAT IT!"
When two large rats kidnap the kittens and the boy, the dynamic duo run to help and are lured to a card game where they are tricked, trumped and dumped.
As a mad moon looks down, homeless children are clothed in newspaper stories of mean times and big banks.
Both the words and illustrations are filled with symbolism.
In the second tale, Jack and Guy went out into the rye and found the little guy who has one big black eye.
Now, they embrace the little boy and do not turn their backs. Instead, they vow to bring him up, as other folk do.
In this work, the author deals with the subject of homeless children.
As the illustrations portray shacks, boxes, rubble and soiled clothes, the text tells the tale of Jack and Guy who reside in the squalor of New York streets. With them are a host of unnamed characters and a large litter of kittens.
When a small black child asks for help, Jack and Guy say "BEAT IT!"
When two large rats kidnap the kittens and the boy, the dynamic duo run to help and are lured to a card game where they are tricked, trumped and dumped.
As a mad moon looks down, homeless children are clothed in newspaper stories of mean times and big banks.
Both the words and illustrations are filled with symbolism.
In the second tale, Jack and Guy went out into the rye and found the little guy who has one big black eye.
Now, they embrace the little boy and do not turn their backs. Instead, they vow to bring him up, as other folk do.
November 24, 2015
This book is about two traditional rhymes by mother goose together. On our first read we mainly found intertextual links between other stories such as Alice in wonderland, Oliver Twist and children's programmes from on childhood. However on further reading we discovered darker themes including homosexuality, homelessness, famine, poverty, racism, gambling, debt and adoption, through the use of images and newspaper cuttings. The main rhymes are written above the pictures where there is extra commentary of the characters written in speech bubbles. There is a moon that appears on very page that changes throughout eventually changing form altogether. The use of the images often add a double meaning to the nursery rhythms.
July 13, 2015
Maurice Sendak, you beautiful genius, you. We Are All in the Dumps is a weird, wonderful journey populated with mammoth rats and cats, an angry moon, and a curmudgeonly yet loveable couple of guys, Jack and Guy. The nursery rhymes Sendak used are pretty nonsensical, but they mesh perfectly with his gorgeous, fantastical illustrations.
November 27, 2011
a good book, but a little on the creepy side.
April 18, 2013
Amazing! Sparked some really deep discussions about the politics of poverty with my six-year old. A beautiful, playful, disturbing and gratifying book.
September 20, 2019
Kind of unbelievable to me how current this feels.
October 13, 2015
We Are All In The Dumps With Jack And Guy by Maurice Sendak is a story that combines two nursery rhymes and is interpreted by the author to represent themes used throughout the story.
This is a horizontally oriented picturebook which is used to portray landscape and the events that occur in the story. The book jacket is designed in an interesting way because the author did not put the title and the author’s name on the front cover of the page but instead put it on the book. The font used is also a capitalized, long and fancy white font, which looks like writing that would be used in newspaper. The font demands attention. The illustrations used for the front of the book jacket also gives viewers an idea of what the story will be about, like the newspapers with headlines like homeless and leaner times and the fact that the people are shoeless and are wearing newspaper wrappings as clothing. We also see a huge white figure, which we later learn is the moon. We also see yellow stars which represents the hope of happiness. The book jacket has a background color of red which symbolizes anger and is an attention getter for viewers. The front and back end pages of the book are also a light brown that symbolize the jagged rocks the characters stand on throughout the story. The end pages also have a light rough feel to it like how an actual rock would feel that makes viewers relate to the story. The page before the title page depicts a small black boy basically in rags and shows him crying. There is also a use of white space so viewers can focus on the boy who will most likely be the main character. For the title page, the author uses full bleed pages across two pages to begin telling the story and conveys the feelings of all the characters depicted in both pages. Feelings are conveyed through the moon, the kittens, the homeless people and Jack and Guy. Throughout the story different solid colors are used as background colors to convey the feelings of the characters. For example, a red background was used when the moon became angry and a black background was used to convey sadness. The author also uses text like on Jack and Guy’s shirt to let viewers know who the characters are and what their names are. The author also uses thought bubbles for the characters that help to tell the story. Phrases or simple writing on cardboard boxes or newspapers also helps to convey different messages the author and illustrator want to convey to the viewers. Full bleed framing is used throughout the story which suggests a life going on behind the confines and makes viewers more of a participant than a spectator. It also allows viewers to pay more attention to the illustrations because they help to tell the story along with the text. The font used in the story is a black capitalized headline font which allows readers to focus more on the illustrations but at the same time shows its relevance to the viewers and is not overlooked. The distance of the story is up close and personal which makes viewers feel more empathy for the characters. Interplay among text, design, and illustrations in the story are brilliant and meaningful because the author effectively portrayed many themes and messages to the viewers. The themes of hunger and starvation were portrayed through the depiction of skinny characters and being a headline on newspapers. The issue of homelessness was also depicted, but the themes of compassion and empathy were also emphasized when the main characters Jack and Guy help the young black boy who was kidnapped by the rats. The rats also symbolize evil and the temptation of gambling. Throughout the story, the moon is also always placed at the top of the page which implies spirituality, and there are several occasions in the book where the moon takes the main characters to the heavens where angels roam. I also saw the depiction of AIDs awareness and a character looking ill from AIDS. I also thought the two characters Jack and Guy may have represented homosexuality because they brought up the notion of raising the young black boy together and may have been a couple. I found this book interesting because the author managed to put hidden meanings in her story that are about controversial topics but hopes to bring awareness to these issues and bring positive change as well through literature.
This is a horizontally oriented picturebook which is used to portray landscape and the events that occur in the story. The book jacket is designed in an interesting way because the author did not put the title and the author’s name on the front cover of the page but instead put it on the book. The font used is also a capitalized, long and fancy white font, which looks like writing that would be used in newspaper. The font demands attention. The illustrations used for the front of the book jacket also gives viewers an idea of what the story will be about, like the newspapers with headlines like homeless and leaner times and the fact that the people are shoeless and are wearing newspaper wrappings as clothing. We also see a huge white figure, which we later learn is the moon. We also see yellow stars which represents the hope of happiness. The book jacket has a background color of red which symbolizes anger and is an attention getter for viewers. The front and back end pages of the book are also a light brown that symbolize the jagged rocks the characters stand on throughout the story. The end pages also have a light rough feel to it like how an actual rock would feel that makes viewers relate to the story. The page before the title page depicts a small black boy basically in rags and shows him crying. There is also a use of white space so viewers can focus on the boy who will most likely be the main character. For the title page, the author uses full bleed pages across two pages to begin telling the story and conveys the feelings of all the characters depicted in both pages. Feelings are conveyed through the moon, the kittens, the homeless people and Jack and Guy. Throughout the story different solid colors are used as background colors to convey the feelings of the characters. For example, a red background was used when the moon became angry and a black background was used to convey sadness. The author also uses text like on Jack and Guy’s shirt to let viewers know who the characters are and what their names are. The author also uses thought bubbles for the characters that help to tell the story. Phrases or simple writing on cardboard boxes or newspapers also helps to convey different messages the author and illustrator want to convey to the viewers. Full bleed framing is used throughout the story which suggests a life going on behind the confines and makes viewers more of a participant than a spectator. It also allows viewers to pay more attention to the illustrations because they help to tell the story along with the text. The font used in the story is a black capitalized headline font which allows readers to focus more on the illustrations but at the same time shows its relevance to the viewers and is not overlooked. The distance of the story is up close and personal which makes viewers feel more empathy for the characters. Interplay among text, design, and illustrations in the story are brilliant and meaningful because the author effectively portrayed many themes and messages to the viewers. The themes of hunger and starvation were portrayed through the depiction of skinny characters and being a headline on newspapers. The issue of homelessness was also depicted, but the themes of compassion and empathy were also emphasized when the main characters Jack and Guy help the young black boy who was kidnapped by the rats. The rats also symbolize evil and the temptation of gambling. Throughout the story, the moon is also always placed at the top of the page which implies spirituality, and there are several occasions in the book where the moon takes the main characters to the heavens where angels roam. I also saw the depiction of AIDs awareness and a character looking ill from AIDS. I also thought the two characters Jack and Guy may have represented homosexuality because they brought up the notion of raising the young black boy together and may have been a couple. I found this book interesting because the author managed to put hidden meanings in her story that are about controversial topics but hopes to bring awareness to these issues and bring positive change as well through literature.
February 11, 2017
Why these? Why did the author choose these two nursery rhythms? I really had to analyze this book to fully understand the just of what was really happening. By just reading the nursery rhyme themselves, I was lost, but by putting the words together with the illustrations and the balloon captions I was finally able to put it all together. For a picture book, I thought this was way too much work. I saw the rhythm of the words but I just didn’t care for these nursery rhymes, they were so sad and who will really remember them? It started off with poor children living in a dump and these rats snatched their kittens and a young boy. Jack & Guy, two boys from the dump, yell at them and they end up playing bridge with the winner walking home the kittens and the boy. The kids get duped and they lose and the rats haul off the prizes. This story is quite creepy and bizarre. It’s depressing and the facial expressions on the kids are heartbreaking. The bright moon is watching silently in the sky and in the second nursery rhythm he comes into play as now the baby is “bit” and the moon gets angry and grabs Jack and Guy and he drops them close to where they have taken their prized possessions. They find the boy and Jack wants to hit him. Yes, you heard me right, he wants to hit him. The two nursery rhythms do go together and they do have a happy ending, but it’s the things that happen in the rhythms. Strange and not something, I think I would share with younger children. This would be a good book to use if you’re doing a project on nursery rhythms. The rats were rather creepy and the kittens hanging by strings, the moon weeping, the kittens crying, and the baby being tied up. Each character was different, their distinctive feature so unique- I have to give the illustrator credit, they were a story themselves.
May 13, 2008
I always equate Sendak with charming illustrations and cheerful stories. However, this book is not the case. It is based on Mother Goose rhymes which Sendak has interpreted and illustrated to highlight poverty and homelessness. The rhymes are short so Sendak creates more illustrations to elaborate and they are indeed very well-done, but very sad. This book offers and excellent chance to discuss such issues in a classroom setting or as a one on one with parents. Grades 4th and up.
From SLJ:
"Sendak is back, bolder than ever, as he looks out to the problems of today's world. He combines two little-known and unrelated nursery rhymes, taking advantage of their absence of story to interpret them with a wealth of detail and social commentary. In so doing, his visual images invite readers to become co-conspirators in the creation of the tale....
This is a potent, evocative book, but Sendak respects children's ability to deal with powerful and potentially controversial issues and ideas. We Are All in the Dumps will lead to discussion, speculation, and a variety of interpretations, all of which are appropriate for this type of allegory."
From Kirkus:
"Harking back to Hector Protector (1965), Sendak again pairs two nursery rhymes; but this time, he penetrates deeply into society's ills in his elaborate visual extension of the words....
Adults may question presenting serious topics to children in this imaginative form. Lucky children have seen homelessness, and worse, only on TV; the unlucky have lived it. In this beautiful, passionately concerned book, Sendak creates visual poetry, rich in symbolism, that goes to the heart of such matters better than any earnest description. Once again, he explores new ground and offers a masterpiece."
From SLJ:
"Sendak is back, bolder than ever, as he looks out to the problems of today's world. He combines two little-known and unrelated nursery rhymes, taking advantage of their absence of story to interpret them with a wealth of detail and social commentary. In so doing, his visual images invite readers to become co-conspirators in the creation of the tale....
This is a potent, evocative book, but Sendak respects children's ability to deal with powerful and potentially controversial issues and ideas. We Are All in the Dumps will lead to discussion, speculation, and a variety of interpretations, all of which are appropriate for this type of allegory."
From Kirkus:
"Harking back to Hector Protector (1965), Sendak again pairs two nursery rhymes; but this time, he penetrates deeply into society's ills in his elaborate visual extension of the words....
Adults may question presenting serious topics to children in this imaginative form. Lucky children have seen homelessness, and worse, only on TV; the unlucky have lived it. In this beautiful, passionately concerned book, Sendak creates visual poetry, rich in symbolism, that goes to the heart of such matters better than any earnest description. Once again, he explores new ground and offers a masterpiece."
October 29, 2012
"We are all in the dumps with Jack and Guy" is a book retold and illustrated by Maurice Sendak and originally by Mother Goose. The two old nursery rhymes (neither of which I had heard of before) were presented in a storybook fashion where readers fill in the blanks as to whats occurring. The front cover of the book shows the words of the nursery rhyme setting you up as a reader for whats to come. By looking at the cover art we immediately see it is a darker type of story and that it will have something to do with homeless people. Inside the story we follow Jack and Guy throughout both rhymes and help them save the homeless boy and kittens from the rats. The ultimate goal here I believe was to show the way Sendak interpreted the rhymes personally and not necessarily what they were written about. The illustrations inside really caught my attention! The darker colors made me search the illustrations for why they were dark and what was hiding inside beyond the text. This book would be perfect for older readers because typically they think they are too old for picture books and this would show them they are not. The book goes into actual problems in society such as homelessness and that isn't an issue for younger readers. I think this could also spark learning in other areas such as researching St. Paul's and also the nursery rhymes true meaning! I gave this book a four and not a five because I personally just wished it was shortened because sometimes I would get lost between the pages with no words and where the story picked up again. Other then that it was fantastic and Sendaks' illustrations truly add another story to the rhymes themselves!
November 20, 2013
The reader follows a pair of evil rats that kidnap a young child, which then leads Jack and Guy to try and win the child back. The boys loose however and the rats take the child, but then the child escapes and runs towards the two boys, but gets bitten by the evil rats. The boys use the help from the moon to rescue the child. Some of the characters where represented in two different ways for example the Moon was also the cat in the story.
As an adult and educated reader, I found this children’s book to be very confusing and the illustrations didn’t help with following the plot either. There are two different stories occurring in the same book and they intermix making the reader a bit puzzled while reading. Although the plot wasn’t organized, the illustrations were very creative and stroked the reader with interest. This book would be helpful when teaching young readers about poetry and the use of rhyming to strengthen their phonemic awareness.
As an adult and educated reader, I found this children’s book to be very confusing and the illustrations didn’t help with following the plot either. There are two different stories occurring in the same book and they intermix making the reader a bit puzzled while reading. Although the plot wasn’t organized, the illustrations were very creative and stroked the reader with interest. This book would be helpful when teaching young readers about poetry and the use of rhyming to strengthen their phonemic awareness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2016
Classic Sendak. Two little known Mother Goose rhymes illustrated into a story by Maurice Sendak. Two boys, Jack and Guy, chase down a little boy and some kittens who have been kidnapped. The moon watches over the little boy and kittens, and helps Jack and Guy.
This is a very bizarre book.The characters are all homeless children draped in newspapers, the bad guys are giant rats, and the moon turns into a cat. This is not a simple or easy book to understand, it takes work.
This book would work well in teaching students about interpreting stories through pictures. Reading the words without the pictures creates a very different image and context than reading with the pictures. I'd play the game telustrations with the students. This is where one student writes a sentence, then the next student draws their interpretation of the sentence. They then fold the paper down so the next student only sees the illustration and writes their interpretation of the picture. And so on and so forth.
This is a very bizarre book.The characters are all homeless children draped in newspapers, the bad guys are giant rats, and the moon turns into a cat. This is not a simple or easy book to understand, it takes work.
This book would work well in teaching students about interpreting stories through pictures. Reading the words without the pictures creates a very different image and context than reading with the pictures. I'd play the game telustrations with the students. This is where one student writes a sentence, then the next student draws their interpretation of the sentence. They then fold the paper down so the next student only sees the illustration and writes their interpretation of the picture. And so on and so forth.
March 4, 2009
Loved the art, but since i am not familiar with these particular mother goose tales, i just didn't love the book. But for Sendak to set the main action among homeless people is brave.
I have been reading some pretty negative comments about this book. Mainly by the kinds of thought-police censors who give Christians a bad name and want to prevent children from reading Harry Potter books because of the witchcraft. They don't want their kids reading about urban poverty and homelessness. One person even said they wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under 30 years of age!!! God, i feel sorry for this person's children!
This is a great book to use, in conjunction with other resources, to address a very important social justice issue in our modern society.
I have been reading some pretty negative comments about this book. Mainly by the kinds of thought-police censors who give Christians a bad name and want to prevent children from reading Harry Potter books because of the witchcraft. They don't want their kids reading about urban poverty and homelessness. One person even said they wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under 30 years of age!!! God, i feel sorry for this person's children!
This is a great book to use, in conjunction with other resources, to address a very important social justice issue in our modern society.
November 24, 2015
This book is about two traditional rhymes by mother goose together. On our first read we mainly found intertextual links between other stories such as Alice in wonderland, Oliver Twist and children's programmes from on childhood. However on further reading we discovered darker themes including homosexuality, homelessness, famine, poverty, racism, gambling, debt and adoption, through the use of images and newspaper cuttings. The main rhymes are written above the pictures where there is extra commentary of the characters written in speech bubbles. There is a moon that appears on very page that changes throughout eventually changing form altogether. The use of the images often add a double meaning to the nursery rhythms.
October 16, 2017
This two part picturebook tells a story of a homeless children and a rat kidnaps an orphan child. I think the rat is an analogy of the orphanage. I see that there are lots of political issues due to the newspaper the characters are holding and you can see the title clear while the rest are just a blur. Just watching shows or movies about orphanage, it doesn’t seem like a happy place for any children because they tend to want to run away. So, in this picturebook Jack and Guy try to recuse a little boy along with some cats, which I’m not exactly sure what the cats represent. There is just so much going on this picturebook, a book to come back to numerous time and try to figure out what this and that represents.
July 27, 2017
When I was first introduced to this book I really struggled with the information that was crammed into each page. I wanted to explore each corner to find the meaning. It was overwhelming and as a result I was not enthralled, nevertheless I returned to it the other day and focused solely on the text. Gradually I absorbed more and more of the imagery and as a result I enjoyed it immensely. The layers of meaning and the context provided by a passionate instructor allowed me to get so much out of this story. My only issue is that I am certain I can get more upon every read, it keeps drawing me in!
October 9, 2017
This book is DEEP. Its very dark. There are several references, two obvious are of homelessness, and forgotten children. This book is definitely positioned at a specific time and place that held a lot of politically and socially charged issues. The story is narrated via caption and speech bubbles. I liked how although the book depicts some pretty tough issues, there is a silver lining and positive outlook at the end.
There is a lot to say about this book, BUT, I recommend you take a look for yourself.
There is a lot to say about this book, BUT, I recommend you take a look for yourself.
December 8, 2017
When introduced by Stephen Colbert as a writer of children's books, Sendak replied, "I don't write children's books. I write, and somebody says, 'That's for children.'" This particular book, written in 1993, is a perfect book for our time. It is neither an adult book nor a children's book. It is a book that addresses dark social issues that can be taken lightly or can break your heart. The illustrations are gorgeous and the details sharp and pointed. I think this book should be on everyone's shelf and read annually, at the least.
May 19, 2013
This will not be one of my favorite Maurice Sendak creation, unless I'm much mistaken and rereadings make it more charming. Jack and Guy live in the dump, as do some kittens, an ugly baby and other rough-looking, dirty, poor characters. Jack and Guy steal the kittens and the baby. But wait, Jack and Guy rescue the kittens and the baby! Oh, I'm confused!
March 22, 2013
What is this book, exactly? I realize that two nursery rhymes are involved but I am so incredibly linear-minded that I can't wrap my mind around the full intensity of Sendak's writing and pictures. I am going to have to read and reread to fully make a decision about a. what this book is about and b. how I feel about it.
October 17, 2016
This was a rather eclectic mix of off-the-wall drawings and a poetic child's nursery tale. I found it interesting but by daughters thought it was strange and weird. It did cause us to talk about it but once was definitely enough for this book. I bought it as a Christmas gift but it was lost a short time later.
December 16, 2008
The two stories are simllar but different. I love the illustrations although many of them are dark.
This would make a great first reader except that I think that children would be distracted by the pictures while they are reading it. Probably have to read it to them first.
This would make a great first reader except that I think that children would be distracted by the pictures while they are reading it. Probably have to read it to them first.
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