[.ca] Outside Over There (ISBN 0060255234)

Dance, little baby goblins, dance!:
If Maurice Sendak had sat in his office one day and pondered to himself, "I should like to stretch my artistic muscles a little", he could not have come up with anything better than the eerie "Outside Over There". The plot is a classic one. Big sister Ida cares for her little baby sister while her father is a way and her mother pines in the arbor. When goblins steal the baby for their bride, it's up to Ida to go outside over there and get her sister back. For those of you who thought Maurice Sendak made, "Where the Wild Things Are" and then just stopped, you are in for a surprise. This book is a fantastic series of images, exhibiting beautifully a young girl's love for her sibling. Sometimes thought to be the inspiration for the movie Labyrinth (not true: the book "Labyrinth" by A. C. H. Smith was the real basis), the book is beautiful in a way that simultaneously enchants and disturbs. For example, the hooded goblins are nothing more than babies themselves, and clever Ida finds a way to make them dance to their death. The changeling exchanged for Ida's sibling is an eerie ice statue, the most Sendakian image in this entire book. As for the pictures as a whole, the author has excused himself from his previous cartoonish style. The people pictured in this book are strikingly realistic, and they display emotion beautifully. The tender scenes between Ida and her little sister are touching. This is not a book for everyone. But then, many of Sendak's books are not for everyone. To be a fan of the works of Maurice Sendak is to be comfortable with a certain amount nudity and oddity. Just the same, there are so many things to like about this book that I'd be sad to turn anyone away from it. I'll say this. You will never find its twin. This original piece of work is filled to the brim with interest and imagination, such as you will have a great deal of difficulty finding elsewhere.

one of my childhood favourites:
I came across this book recently at the library where I work, and was delighted by the fond memories it awakened in me. I absolutely adored this book when I was five or six years old. The story and fantastic artwork fascinated me, and I remember admiring Ida's courage very much. I was surprised to see several people labeling this book as too adult for children. I was a rather sheltered child, and was definitely rather neurotic and easily frightened, but I don't recall ever being anything more than pleasantly spooked by this lovely book. Of course, everything is different for each child, but in my opinion, this book is beautifully written and illustrated, a treat for any child or adult.

Not Appropriate for Young Children:
Although Maurice Sendak is a well-known author for WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, this book, OUTSIDE OVER THERE, in my opinion, is not appropriate for young children. Not only are the words difficult for a young child to understand in its old world poetic style, but the illustrations could easily spook a child into having nightmares. Any parent out there wanting to stay up all night? If your child enjoys the rush of being scared and you are willing to explain the spirit world with each turning page to your child, then OUTSIDE OVER THERE may be a good book for discussion in regards to kidnapping and such. I, for one, will not be reading it to my family.

Frozen Baby is Cool:
Outside over There has a good story and pretty illustrations. It is not too terribly wordy either. It is about a little girl and how her baby sister is stolen by goblins and replaced by a frozen replica of the baby sister. The little girl goes to outside over there to rescue her. It is hard for me to gage the kid appeal of this book because so far I have only read it to one child. That would be my eight year old nephew with the short attention span. Although I knew he was a little too old for it he sat through it without complaint.

Childhood memories:
I found this book in the library when I was a little girl and loved it so much I borrowed it over and over and over again. I don't know where the appeal and fascination came from but it's one of the only books that I keep such a fond memory of. I have just ordered it on amazon and can't wait to read it to my son...