Great Regulars: There he's met by the terrifying figure

of a fierce white bear who threatens to "kill his breath/And eat him--bite by bite." Defiantly, Guy offers himself as sacrifice, if the bear will only answer his "sad riddle." Where has Jack gone, these "Five years in iced eternity./Bear!--Tell me!--Whither?--Where?" This is the turning point in My Brother's Book. [Maurice] Sendak's paintings are dominated by images of falling and freezing--till Jack defies the bear. An almost visible melting follows, washed in shades of gold and green, and at last the figures begin to rise.

from The Barnes and Noble Review: Valediction: Maurice Sendak's Final Voyage

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