Hector Protector and as I Went over the Water

Maurice Sendak has interpreted these Old Mother Goose rhymes in animated sequences that have the aliveness and immediacy of a child’s own imaginings. There is little in these verses to suggest the settings, the characterisations, the unforeseen twists and turns of Mr Sendak’s fantastical picture–stories. They extend the boundaries of the short rhymes and add surprising dimension. The many admirers of Where the Wild Things Are and The Nutshell Library will recognise in Hector Protector and the seafarer of As I Went Over the Water the same pugnaciousness, love of mischief and derring–do that characterise Max and Pierre. And they will agree that Mr Sendak has created a true picture book of astounding originality.