RaveThe Minneapolis Star TribuneIt is this man — the man who claimed the picture book as his ‘battleground’ — and the books in which his wars are won that Jonathan Cott explores in There’s a Mystery There, an intelligent, provocative literary study … Cott seamlessly interweaves readings of Sendak’s working process and final products, allowing them to reciprocally illuminate each other: The ‘companion guides’ are used deftly to open possibilities without dogmatism. Images from Sendak’s books are reproduced in profusion. Poring over them is a pleasure in itself. Poring over them in this company profoundly deepens our appreciation of the power of art to help us bravely face our monsters, transform them and emerge ourselves transformed.