Peter vs. Max

The opening picture of "Peter Rabbit" is Peter as a wild rabbit. He's wearing no clothes and he looks mischeivious. Wild animals, by nature, get into gardens and steal food. The next picture shows Peter as a civilized boy. He's wearing clothes no. Little boys tend to not listen to their mothers, run off, get dirty, and get into trouble. This is exactly what Peter does. This book examines how little boys are similar to wild animals. Peter starts out as a civilized boy and by the end of the book, he has shed his clothes and is running on all fours.

In contrast, in "Where the Wild Things Are," Max begins the story as a wild animal and becomes a civilized little boy by the end. The pictures at the beginning of the book show Max dressed as a wolf. The pictures at the end of the book him taking off the costume and becoming a boy again. While Max is on his adventure, he faces the wild things and tries to get them to calm down and go to bed. He is saying things that his mother told him to do. This is actually him facing his inner monsters that don't want to be civilized. So, by the end of the story, Max has conquered the wild things, made his way back home, and became the civilized boy his mother wanted.