Sarah lived in a small neighborhood with her family. She was a curious and adventurous child who loved to explore the world around her.

One day, while playing outside, Sarah met her neighbor, Mr. Salie. He was a kind and gentle man who loved to read books. He noticed Sarah’s curiosity and decided to give her a book called “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak.

Sarah was delighted with the book and couldn’t wait to read it. She sat in her room and turned the pages, immersing herself in the story of a boy named Max who sailed away to an island where he became king of the wild things. Sarah loved the idea of being queen of the wild things herself, so she decided to act out the story.

She climbed onto her bed and started jumping, imagining herself as a wild thing. She was having so much fun that she didn’t even notice when her mother walked into the room.

“Sarah, what are you doing?” her mother asked, surprised to see her daughter jumping on the bed.

“I’m being a wild thing, just like in the book Mr. Salie gave me!” Sarah exclaimed.

Her mother sighed and took the book away from her. “Sarah, you can’t jump on the bed like that. You could get hurt,” she scolded.

Sarah’s face fell. She had been so excited about the idea of being a wild thing and becoming the queen of the wild things, she suddenly yelled at her mother, “I’ll Eat You UP!”

Her mother sent her to bed without supper as punishment. Sarah felt sad and alone in her room. She had thought that her mother would be proud of her for being so adventurous, but instead, she was angry and disappointed.

That night, Sarah had a dream. She dreamt that she was in the land of the wild things, and they had made her their queen. She had a crown on her head, and all the creatures were cheering for her. But then she woke up and realized that it was just a dream. She was back in her bed, alone and sad. Worse than that, her mother hadn’t brought her supper, like in the book, so she was hungry as well. Hunger wasn’t a new feeling, but without reading to distract her she felt especially hollow.

She missed having her favorite book to read. She glanced over at the pile of books Mr. Salie had given her. She hadn’t read them all, “Where the Wild Things Are.” was the first one she read, and she read it over and over and over again. To cheer herself up, she picked another book to read. She began to smile as she discovered more and more through the magic in the books and her own imagination.

She was so lost in the worlds the books introduced her to she even forgot her hunger. Then she remembered Mr. Salie. He kept a book box outside his house. If not for his generosity she would not have any books. Often people would put notes inside to thank him for his books. Sarah decided to write a poem and leave it in the book box to thank him for his books.

I once went on safari

across the desert sands.

I’ve traveled down the Amazon

and across exotic lands.

I’ve been to Paris,

I’ve been to Rome

and all places near and far.

But the place I love most of all

is where the wild things are.