There are some authors that strike terror into me: not a Stephen King-style fear of the dark, but a kind of awe-struck horrified acceptance that I could never write anything of such depth and wisdom and authorial cunning. (Stephen King qualifies as a scare-monger on the latter point for sure.)I was thinking of my terrific and terrifying authors list today, when I read that Maurice Sendak had died. I never grew up with his best-known book, Where The Wild Things Are, but it is my childrens’ absolute favourite. They go to bed many a night with a headful of wild rumpus and still-hot supper. They love it, monsters and all, and here is why I think it should be a set-text for all children (and most adults). Sendak famously said that he “doesn’t lie to children”. The beating heart of Wild Things is its honest portrayal of a toddler’s terrifying emotions. It’s a book about anger management.