Minding the Baby

Kid's writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak died recently. His book Where the Wild Things Are has stoked up millions of imaginations since it was first published in 1963. There are a lot of monsters in that book but they are a jolly lot, fond of a good loud rumpus. For the SCARY Sendak you could look at his illustrations for another book, Outside Over There.



Here's a picture that leaves a chill. Hooded goblins are stealing away a baby girl while her big sister is practicing the french horn. I don't think it's the goblins that are the scary thing about this image. It's not even the expression of terror on the face of the baby. The ice replica the goblins have left in place of the child is spooky but I don't think it's the scariest thing here either.

The most chilling part of the picture is the distant look on the face of the older girl, utterly absorbed in her music practice and failing to notice what is happening behind her back. Her blank expression feels like a warning. Terrible things can happen just through inattention or distraction. It's a frightening thing to realise becuase we all get distracted sometimes. We will probably never meet evil hooded goblins, but we might forget to look out for those we care about at some vital moment. This picture is a stern warning; take care, mind the baby.