We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy

[cmp librarian]

Sendak, M. (1983). We are all in the dumps with Jack and Guy: Two nursery rhymes with pictures. NY: HarperCollins.
| 53 pages | Juvenile Non-fiction

Charles Dickenson, wrote several novels in his lifetime about the tragedy of homelessness and poverty. Grown-up tales like Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities. What if the same message of poverty and homelessness could be simplified into a nursery rhyme in Mother Goose form? Would children understand the message? Would adults see the tragedy hidden in the pages? We are all in the dumps with Jack and Guy attempts to creatively portray the harsh reality of life without privilege and resources.

The story seems to be a mix of two Mother Goose nursery rhymes. The characters in the rhymes appear surreal yet creative as they are not the typical happy picturesque characters from a normal nursery rhyme. Instead the characters seem to be tough and even cruel to a certain extent. As the rhyme progresses the characters also appear brave and even friendly. For example, Jack and Guy seem to hate the kid at the beginning of the book but they risk their lives to save the kid at the end. The moon is a strange character appearing as a grumpy looking face throughout the book and yet tortures anyone who harms the kittens and the kid. The story can be read through both the illustrations and the words to give a message of poverty and homelessness and life on the streets.

We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy does not have a comforting tone as many other children’s books do. In fact it the rhymes and illustrations portray dark messages of violence and the plot is somewhat confusing.

Maurice Bernard Sendak was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. He became widely known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, first published in 1963 and winner of the 1964 Caldecott Medal. Sendak became the first American illustrator to receive the international Hans Christian Andersen Award, which was given in recognition of his entire body of work. In addition, he received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association, also given for his entire body of work. We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy however, has not yet received any awards.

This book would be perfect for older readers because typically they think they are too old for picture books and this would show them they are not. The book goes into actual problems in society such as homelessness and that is sometimes a difficult concept for younger readers. This book could be used in a library or classroom setting to spark learning in other areas such as researching St. Paul's and also the nursery rhymes true meaning!