We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy: Two Nursery Rhymes with Pictures

Sendak, M. (1993). We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy: Two Nursery Rhymes with Pictures. New York: HarpersCollins. 

Hardback | $19.98 USD | ISBN-13: 978-0062050144| 56 pgs | Picture Book | Ages 4-8 yrs

Using two nursery rhymes as backdrop, this picture book discusses through illustrations and actions the difficult issue of homelessness.  It is everywhere in our world and in this story we see how the innocent are impacted. Homelessness is attached with a certain stereotype, and this book defies these. There is no happy ending. The two main characters, who are children, never make it to safety – they are stranded on the streets and live a difficult life. They walk past so many faceless homeless people who are sleeping in cardboard boxes or barely clothed without shoes. We in society do this as well. Jack and Guy decide however, despite their tough exterior and despite having barely anything themselves, to take one more under their wing who is down in the dumps too. Essentially, these children are taking care of each other. And their living conditions represent the ills of society including poverty, crime, pollution, and hunger. In the first part of the story, the children are outside with only the moon watching them. The rats in the story gamble and play for the rights to take the children away. They represent the filth of society – they are not part of the solution and are greedy over their own possession and positions in life. In the second part of the story, the two characters encounter another fellow down in the dumps.  They decide to help him and give him some bread, but this is just temporary because their conditions do not change.

The words on the pages are few and far between. You, the reader, are forced to write the story on your own. The symbolism is there in the illustrations and the cartoon bubbles and even on the newspapers, which clothe and cover the children. At the end of the story readers will be asking: Why are there children on the streets? Who is watching them? Who is responsible for them?  Why do their homes have no walls? These questions will be raised in your mind and perhaps more. Perhaps while reading your heart will break for the characters and you will be pushed towards action. The reminders of these social problems in our world through this picture book are what some children may need to start asking difficult questions about the world around them. The reminders are also what some adults may need to reconsider their own ideas and actions about those who are less fortunate and “down in the dumps.” All readers will interpret this differently and that is the point of Sendak’s work: to get you to interpret and think about the real world as it exists around you.  Ultimately, perhaps the goal is to get the reader to realize that “We are all in the dumps…” when just one of us is in the dumps. I would recommend this book for all readers of all ages – we all must work to become more mindful of our fellow man. The newspaper headlines throughout the book tell it all and the moon’s face of disgust is telling. What are those watching us from above thinking about how we have treated and supported one another? Sendak wants us to consider this and does a great job holding the reader responsible. To browse the inside of this book and take a closer look at the artwork, please visit: http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780062050144.