Maurice Sendak (Author of Where the Wild Things Are)

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Maurice Sendak

Born

in Brooklyn, New York, The United States

June 10, 1928

Died

May 08, 2012

Website

Genre

Arts & Photography, Children's Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Influences

William Blake, Antoine Watteau, Francisco Goya, Winsor McCay ...more

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Maurice Sendak was a visionary American illustrator and writer best known for transforming the landscape of children's literature through his emotionally resonant stories and distinctive artistic style. He gained international acclaim with Where the Wild Things Are, a groundbreaking picture book that captured the emotional intensity of childhood through its honest portrayal of anger, imagination, and longing. Widely recognized for his ability to blend the whimsical with the profound, Sendak created works that resonated with both children and adults, challenging conventional notions of what children's books could be.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sendak was a sickly child who spent much of his early life indoors, nurturing a love for books, dr Maurice Sendak was a visionary American illustrator and writer best known for transforming the landscape of children's literature through his emotionally resonant stories and distinctive artistic style. He gained international acclaim with Where the Wild Things Are, a groundbreaking picture book that captured the emotional intensity of childhood through its honest portrayal of anger, imagination, and longing. Widely recognized for his ability to blend the whimsical with the profound, Sendak created works that resonated with both children and adults, challenging conventional notions of what children's books could be.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sendak was a sickly child who spent much of his early life indoors, nurturing a love for books, drawing, and storytelling. The son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, he was deeply affected by the losses of the Holocaust, which shaped the darker emotional undercurrents in his work. His art was influenced by a range of sources, from comic strips and Mickey Mouse to Mozart, Blake, and German Romanticism. Though he began his career illustrating other writers鈥� books, he soon transitioned to authoring his own, beginning with Kenny鈥檚 Window and then The Sign on Rosie鈥檚 Door.
It was Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, that solidified Sendak鈥檚 reputation as a master of children鈥檚 literature. The book, which won the Caldecott Medal, was initially controversial due to its depiction of unruly behavior and ambiguous emotional tone. However, it was later recognized as a revolutionary work that respected children鈥檚 inner lives and psychological complexity. This theme continued in his later works, including In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There, which formed a loose trilogy exploring the emotional and imaginative experiences of childhood. These books, celebrated for their dreamlike narratives and lush illustrations, often tackled fears, fantasies, and the challenges of growing up.
Throughout his career, Sendak illustrated more than a hundred books, working with authors such as Ruth Krauss and Else Holmelund Minarik. His visual style鈥攃haracterized by its intricate detail, dynamic line work, and expressive characters鈥攅volved over the decades, but always retained an unmistakable emotional intensity. He also designed sets and costumes for operas and ballets, bringing his imaginative worlds to the stage. Notably, he created productions for works by Mozart and Prokofiev, combining his love of classical music with theatrical design.
Sendak was known for his sharp wit, fierce independence, and deep empathy for children. He openly criticized the sanitized and moralistic tone of much of children's publishing, insisting instead that young readers deserved stories that acknowledged their full emotional range, including fear, grief, anger, and wonder. He was also an openly gay man in a long-term relationship, though he only spoke publicly about his sexuality later in life.
Later in his career, Sendak continued to produce new work, collaborate with artists and institutions, and advocate for intellectual freedom. His final books, including Bumble-Ardy and My Brother鈥檚 Book, reflected both a return to his childhood memories and a meditation on aging, love, and mortality. Though his stories often ventured into the dark or surreal, they remained rooted in a deep respect for the emotional reality of children and a belief in the power of imagination to confront life's challenges.
Maurice Sendak鈥檚 legacy endures in the countless writers and illustrators he inspired, the cultural impact of his stories, and the enduring affection readers of all ages hold for his wild things, mischievous children, and tender monsters. Through his work, he redefined what children鈥檚 literature could be: rich, honest, haunting, and, above all, deeply human. ...more

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Maurice Sendak鈥檚 books

Average rating: 4.23 · 1,583,693 ratings · 37,808 reviews · 409 distinct works 鈥� Similar authors

	Where the Wild Things Are 4.25 avg rating — 1,040,118 ratings — published 1963 — 238 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months 4.24 avg rating — 30,404 ratings — published 1962 — 56 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nutcracker 3.88 avg rating — 23,994 ratings — published 1816 — 872 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In the Night Kitchen really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 18,724 ratings — published 1970 — 70 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue 4.27 avg rating — 9,774 ratings — published 1962 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Outside Over There 3.87 avg rating — 3,965 ratings — published 1981 — 42 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nutshell Library: Alligators all around / Chicken Soup With Rice / One was Johnny / Pierre 4.58 avg rating — 2,384 ratings — published 1962 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Alligators All Around 4.06 avg rating — 2,519 ratings — published 1962 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life 4.19 avg rating — 1,838 ratings — published 1967 — 42 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	One Was Johnny: A Counting Book 4.18 avg rating — 1,534 ratings — published 1962 — 24 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Maurice Sendak…

Series by Maurice Sendak

Nutshell Library (4 books)
by

Maurice Sendak

4.25 avg rating — 46,900 ratings

Quotes by Maurice Sendak (?)

“A book is really like a lover. It arranges itself in your life in a way that is beautiful.”
― Maurice Sendak

3702 likes

“Let the wild rumpus start!”
― Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are

1448 likes

“Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children鈥檚 letters 鈥� sometimes very hastily 鈥� but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, 鈥淒ear Jim: I loved your card.鈥� Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, 鈥淛im loved your card so much he ate it.鈥� That to me was one of the highest compliments I鈥檝e ever received. He didn鈥檛 care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.”
― Maurice Sendak

873 likes

See all Maurice Sendak's quotes »

Polls

What frequently challenged or banned book (or book about censorship) for children and/or young adults should we read in June and July 2014?

[Note: Any book on this list that is out of print is available used at a cheap price on Amazon and other online retailers. If that book is chosen and you can't find it in your library and you can't afford it, please contact me and I will make sure you get a copy.]

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

32 votes, 33.7%

The Day They Came to Arrest the Book by Nat Hentoff

20 votes, 21.1%

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

19 votes, 20.0%

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

12 votes, 12.6%

Boys And Sex by Wardell B. Pomeroy

12 votes, 12.6%

95 total votes

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Wild Things: YA G...: Wild Things	9	60	Feb 16, 2010 04:39PM
Wild Things: YA G...: Hello Everyone!	5	23	May 29, 2010 10:17PM
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The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread)	3022	3280	Aug 31, 2010 10:39PM
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