Maurice Sendak
American children's book author and illustrator of *Where the Wild Things Are*.
Maurice Bernard Sendak was a children's book author and illustrator from the United States. His parents were Polish-Jewish immigrants, and the loss of many relatives in the Holocaust shaped his early life. He is best known for *Where the Wild Things Are* (1963), which began a trilogy that also includes *In the Night Kitchen* (1970) and *Outside Over There* (1981). According to critic Margalit Fox, Sendak was "the most important children's book artist of the 20th century," who "wrenched the picture book out of the safe, sanitized world of the nursery and plunged it into the dark, terrifying and hauntingly beautiful recesses of the human psyche."
Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 10, 1928, to Sadie and Philip Sendak, a dressmaker. He described his childhood as a "terrible situation" because the Holocaust introduced him to mortality at a young age. He fell in love with books while bedridden due to health problems, and was captivated by Mickey Mouse, American comics, and the lights of Manhattan. At twelve, after seeing Walt Disney's *Fantasia*, he decided to become an illustrator. He was the youngest of three children, with an older brother, Jack, who also wrote children's books, and an older sister, Natalie. Sendak once said he was working on a book about noses in 2011, a fascination he credited to his brother’s prominent nose. He studied at the New York Art Students League under John Groth, who taught him about motion and liveliness in illustration. Sendak’s professional career began in 1947 with illustrations for *Atomics For the Millions*. At twenty, he created window displays for FAO Schwarz, where a children's book buyer introduced him to editor Ursula Nordstrom. This led to his first children's book illustrations for *The Wonderful Farm*. He illustrated eight books by Ruth Krauss, including *A Hole Is to Dig*, and the first five *Little Bear* books. The Maurice Sendak Foundation names Krauss, Nordstrom, and Crockett Johnson as his mentors. His solo debut was *Kenny's Window* (1956), followed by the *Nutshell Library* (1962). Sendak said Nordstrom treated him like a “hothouse flower,” watering him for a decade and selecting the works that became his career foundation. *Where the Wild Things Are* brought him international fame. It features a boy named Max who rages at his mother and is sent to bed without supper. The fanged monsters worried some parents, but Sendak said the title came from the Yiddish phrase *vilde chaya*, or “wild beast,” a common scolding from Jewish parents. The book won the Caldecott Medal and was adapted into an opera and a film. Sendak once recalled a boy who sent him a card; when Sendak replied with a drawing, the boy’s mother wrote back that he “loved your card so much he ate it.” Sendak called that one of the highest compliments he ever received. He illustrated *The Bat Poet* by Randall Jarrell and, after spotting a manuscript on an editor’s desk, offered to illustrate Isaac Bashevis Singer’s *Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories*, which received a Newbery Honor. Sendak noted that his parents were “finally” impressed when he worked with Singer. His favorite of his own books was *Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More To Life* (1967), inspired by his dog Jennie.
- born
- June 10, 1928
- died
- May 8, 2012
- field
- Author and illustrator of children's books
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Where the Wild Things Are (1963)
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Sendak gained international acclaim after writing and illustrating *Where the Wild Things Are* (1963), edited by Ursula Nordstrom. It features Max, a boy who "rages against his mother for being sent to bed without any supper." The book's depictions of fanged monsters concerned some parents when it was first published. Sendak explained that the title came from the Yiddish phrase *vilde chaya*, or "wild beast": "It's what almost every Jewish mother or father says to their offspring, 'You're acting like a vilde chaya! Stop it!'" It won the Caldecott Medal. *In the Night Kitchen* (1970) is "a further exploration of a boy's fantasy world, this time closely based on Sendak's childhood memories of New York life." Sendak explained: "It was an homage to everything I loved: New York, immigrants, Jews, Laurel and Hardy, Mickey Mouse, King Kong, movies. I just jammed them into one cuckoo book." It has often been censored for its drawings of a young boy prancing naked through the story. *Outside Over There* (1981) is the story of a girl named Ida and her sibling jealousy and responsibility. Carpenter and Prichard write, "More dark in subject matter than *Where the Wild Things Are* and *In the Night Kitchen*, it was published on both adult and children's book lists." Sendak also illustrated the first five books in Else Holmelund Minarik's *Little Bear* series. He designed sets for operas, notably Mozart's *The Magic Flute*.
Reader's Guide
Maurice Sendak's significance lies in his profound impact on children's literature, pushing the boundaries of what picture books could address. As described by Margalit Fox, he 'wrenched the picture book out of the safe, sanitized world of the nursery and plunged it into the dark, terrifying and hauntingly beautiful recesses of the human psyche.' His trilogy—*Where the Wild Things Are*, *In the Night Kitchen*, and *Outside Over There*—explored themes of anger, fantasy, and sibling jealousy. *Where the Wild Things Are* was adapted into an opera by Oliver Knussen and a film by Spike Jonze. Sendak received the National Medal of Arts in 1996. He was the subject of an *American Masters* documentary, "Mon Cher Papa" (1987), and his career was chronicled in Lance Bangs's *Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak* (2009). In 1993, Sendak published *We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy*, about the AIDS crisis. Later, he collaborated with playwright Tony Kushner on a new English-language version of the Holocaust opera *Brundibár*, published as an illustrated book in 2003. His last published work before his death was *Bumble Ardy* (2011), adapted from his *Sesame Street* short. *My Brother's Book* (2013) was published posthumously.
Did You Know?
- Sendak's childhood was impacted by the death of many of his family members during the Holocaust, which introduced him at a young age to the concept of mortality.
- When he was 12, he decided to become an illustrator after watching Walt Disney's *Fantasia* (1940).
- One of his first professional commissions, at age 20, was creating window displays for the toy store FAO Schwarz.
- A little boy named Jim loved a card Sendak sent him so much that he ate it—Sendak called it 'one of the highest compliments I've ever received.'
- Sendak's *In the Night Kitchen* has been challenged in several U.S. states including Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Texas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Maurice Sendak?
Maurice Sendak was an American author and illustrator of children's books, born in 1928 to Polish-Jewish parents and passing away in 2012. He is best known for creating and illustrating the landmark 1963 picture book *Where the Wild Things Are*.
What books make up the Maurice Sendak trilogy?
The trilogy consists of *Where the Wild Things Are* (1963), *In the Night Kitchen* (1970), and *Outside Over There* (1981). Each book follows a child protagonist navigating imaginative, often unsettling worlds.
What inspired Maurice Sendak's dark and imaginative stories?
Sendak's creative work was deeply shaped by his childhood experiences, including the loss of many family members during the Holocaust. This personal trauma helped him move children's literature away from purely gentle, sanitized narratives toward darker, more emotionally complex territory.
Why is Maurice Sendak considered so important in children's literature?
Critics have called him the most important children's book artist of the twentieth century because he fundamentally shifted what picture books could explore. He brought themes of fear, anger, and the uncanny into a format that had previously been limited to safe, cheerful content.
What is *Where the Wild Things Are* about?
The story follows a mischievous boy named Max who, after being sent to bed without supper, imagines sailing to a land of wild creatures and becoming their king before eventually returning home. It was published in 1963 and became one of the most celebrated picture books of all time.
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