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katrinky's review against another edition
3.0
Is this the last book Sendak wrote?? Our copy said published in 2011. Apparently the character, Bumble-ardy, who has never had a birthday party, was co-created with Jim Henson (!!!), and premiered on Sesame Street. Hard to imagine, as the rhymes are bawdy and the drawings grotesque, but I also really, really love the idea of sneaking bawdy, grotestque stuff onto mainstream children's television. Because you know who can handle it? KIDS. And you know who knew that? Maurice Sendak. He knew the dark, the scary, the unsure, the dangerous, the sad; he knew that grown-ups wouldn't last a second in the world our children inhabit every day.
sean67's review against another edition
3.0
Another Sendak and this one not quite as exciting as some of the others, some may enjoy but well it was what it was.
libscote's review against another edition
1.0
I don't even know where to start with this one, just that I didn't care for it at all.
exmish's review against another edition
2.0
I found this book to be very strange, and not in a good way. It just didn't flow together - neither the illustrations nor the story line.
calistareads's review against another edition
2.0
Well, in this book, Maurice shows kids how to throw a raging kegger. Bumble-Ardy has missed his 1st 8 birthdays. At 9, he is living with his aunt because his family was slaughtered and she gives him a party. While at work, Bumble sends out invitations and has pigs dress up in costume. They proceed to get horribly drunk on brine. I really don’t know why kids need this idea in their heads at a young age, but Maurice thought they did. I feel like this book also has a mean tone to it, accept for the ending. There is some real bitterness and resentment going on in these pages. Maurice is working something out here. The party guests are dressed up to the 9’s. It’s a great costume party.
The artwork is great Sendak, but the subject seems beyond children’s years. I know Maurice likes to give adult content to children in a way they can digest it, but to me, it seems children will get here to this easily on their own. Anyway, maybe I’m just getting old.
The nephew read this and he thought all the wild acting pigs dressed as adults were really funny. He loved the pigs doing wacky things. He was sad when the aunt broke it all up. He enjoyed this book a lot. He gave it 5 stars. The niece thought the party seemed a little out of control and she wasn’t crazy about that. She likes control. She gave this 3 stars.
The artwork is great Sendak, but the subject seems beyond children’s years. I know Maurice likes to give adult content to children in a way they can digest it, but to me, it seems children will get here to this easily on their own. Anyway, maybe I’m just getting old.
The nephew read this and he thought all the wild acting pigs dressed as adults were really funny. He loved the pigs doing wacky things. He was sad when the aunt broke it all up. He enjoyed this book a lot. He gave it 5 stars. The niece thought the party seemed a little out of control and she wasn’t crazy about that. She likes control. She gave this 3 stars.
greenbeanteenqueen's review against another edition
2.0
I had such high hopes for this one and I don't feel as though they were met. I was expecting a wonderful amazing book and the book I got instead was a very odd just OK read. I read the first page, I liked that the pig newspaper said "We Read Banned Books" which made me laugh. But from there, nothing. I do like the rhyming text which has a very nice rhythm to it. The artwork of course is interesting to look at, even if the masquerade costumes are a bit odd and sometimes a bit creepy. I think they'd be especially odd to young kids. I don't know that I would say this is a kids book, but more a picture book for adults, especially adults wanting a throwback nostaglia picture book.
But it's the story as as whole that's missing something. I can't even put my finger on exactly what it is, it just didn't have that spark of magic or dash of humor I was expecting. It ended too soon and while it's supposed to show the unconditional love between parent (or Aunt in this case) and child, I don't know that that really came across. Instead the Aunt threatens the friends and leaves Bumble Ardy cowering in the corner promising not to turn ten. Doesn't seem like unconditional love to me. The end wrapped up too quickly and it just didn't work for me. I really wanted more humor and a bit more heart. The rhymes weren't enough for me. Odd and strange, OK, but not a classic.
But it's the story as as whole that's missing something. I can't even put my finger on exactly what it is, it just didn't have that spark of magic or dash of humor I was expecting. It ended too soon and while it's supposed to show the unconditional love between parent (or Aunt in this case) and child, I don't know that that really came across. Instead the Aunt threatens the friends and leaves Bumble Ardy cowering in the corner promising not to turn ten. Doesn't seem like unconditional love to me. The end wrapped up too quickly and it just didn't work for me. I really wanted more humor and a bit more heart. The rhymes weren't enough for me. Odd and strange, OK, but not a classic.
mamers's review against another edition
1.0
This book is just plain awful. I haven't seen the Sesame Street segment it was based on, so I'm not sure if it is similar, but I just can't imagine SS showing something this awful to kids. The story is supposed to show the unconditional love between a parent and a child, but after the aunt comes at Ardy's friends with a meat cleaver, I wouldn't be so quick to forgive.
The illustrations leave much to be desired. At one point, Sendak tries to show us how angry the aunt is by making her look like Anjelica Huston in The Witches. Certainly no [b:Where the Wild Things Are|19543|Where the Wild Things Are|Maurice Sendak|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61mzRB7PCmL._SL75_.jpg|3020535].
The illustrations leave much to be desired. At one point, Sendak tries to show us how angry the aunt is by making her look like Anjelica Huston in The Witches. Certainly no [b:Where the Wild Things Are|19543|Where the Wild Things Are|Maurice Sendak|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61mzRB7PCmL._SL75_.jpg|3020535].
matthue's review against another edition
3.0
Stephen Colbert said, "This book is for everyone, unless you're Jewish." I like it a lot more than my kids do -- the story, though simple, is a little too WTF-y for them, with a lot of asides that don't go anywhere and a 6-page wordless Wild Rumpus that sort of matches up with the one in "Where the Wild Things Are," except that, unlike the Wild Things, these pigs don't DO anything -- they just sort of show up and look silly.
The book doesn't go anywhere. It's sort of like taking kids to an art museum and then trying to get them to pay attention to Jackson Pollack's "One." It's still really good. But it strangely feels like less than the sum of its parts.
The book doesn't go anywhere. It's sort of like taking kids to an art museum and then trying to get them to pay attention to Jackson Pollack's "One." It's still really good. But it strangely feels like less than the sum of its parts.