Maurice Sendak (1928–2012)

Author of Where the Wild Things Are

120+ Works 41,008 Members 1,880 Reviews 75 Favorited

About the Author

Maurice Sendak was born on June 10, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York. While in high school, he worked part time as an illustrator for All-American Comics adapting the Mutt and Jeff newspaper comic strip to a comic book format. His first professional illustrations were for a physics textbook, Atomics for show more the Millions, published in 1947. He later worked as a window-display director for F.A.O. Schwartz while attending night school at the Art Students League. In 1950, he illustrated his first children's book The Wonderful Farm by Marcel Aymé. He wrote his first children's book Kenny's Window in 1956 and went on to become a prolific author-illustrator. His works include Chicken Soup with Rice; In the Night Kitchen; Outside Over There; Higglety Pigglety Pop; The Sign on Rosie's Door; We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy; Brundibar; Bumble Ardy; and My Brother's Book. He received numerous awards including the Caldecott medal for Where The Wild Things Are in 1964, the Hans Christian Andersen International Medal in 1970, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the National Medal of Arts in 1996. Characters from two of his books were the basis of an animated television special, Really Rosie, which first aired in 1975. He was also the set designer and lyricist for a subsequent off-Broadway musical of the same title. He was the lyricist, as well as the set and costume designer, for the original production of an opera based on Where The Wild Things Are in 1980. In addition, he has designed sets and costumes for performances of operas by Mozart, Prokofiev, and other classical composers. He died due to complications from a recent stroke on May 8, 2012 at the age of 83. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Sendak, Sendak M, M. Sendak, Mauric Sndak, Maurie Sendak, Maurce Sendak, Maurice Sendak, Maurice Sandak, Maruice Sendak, Maurice Sandak, Maurice Senday, Maurice Sendak, Maurice Sendak, Maurice Sendack, Maurice Sendack, Maurice Senddak, Maurice Sendak's, 莫里士桑塔克, Maurice illus Sendak, Author Maurice Sendak, Maurice interpretor Sendak, モーリスセンダック, モーリス・センダック, Introduction by Maurice Sendak, Maurice Sendak; Illustrator-Maurice Sendak, Maurice. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Sendak, Maurice(Illustrat Maurice(Author) ; Sendak Sendak

Series

Where the Wild Things Are trilogy

Frank and Joey

Works by Maurice Sendak

Popular Recent

Where the Wild Things Are (1963) 26,157 copies

Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months (1962) 2,973 copies

In the Night Kitchen (1970) 2,852 copies

Outside Over There (1981) 1,117 copies

Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue (1962) 1,095 copies

Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or, There Must Be More to Life (1967) 824 copies

Alligators All Around: An Alphabet (1962) 722 copies

Nutshell Library (1962) 649 copies

The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm (1973) — Illustrator — 602 copies

Mommy? (2006) 460 copies

One Was Johnny: A Counting Book (1962) 437 copies

We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy: Two Nursery Rhymes with Pictures (1993) 399 copies

The Sign on Rosie's Door (1960) 292 copies

Hector Protector and As I Went Over the Water: Two Nursery Rhymes (1965) 270 copies

My Brother's Book (2013) 268 copies

Bumble-Ardy (2011) 254 copies

Open House for Butterflies (1960) 199 copies

Caldecott & Co.: Notes on Books and Pictures (1988) 180 copies

Maurice Sendak's Really Rosie (1975) 176 copies

Kenny's Window (1956) 143 copies

King Grisly-Beard (1973) 132 copies

Some Swell Pup: Or Are You Sure You Want a Dog? (1976) 126 copies

Seven Little Monsters (1977) 114 copies

Posters (1986) 95 copies

Very Far Away (1957) 79 copies

Where the Wild Things Are...and 5 More Stories [1975 film] (1975) 46 copies

Where the Wild Things Are and Other Stories [audio] (1988) 38 copies

Mickey Mouse Movie Stories (1931) 27 copies

Ten Little Rabbits: A Counting Book with Mino the Magician (1970) 26 copies

The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm, Volume 1 (1973) — Illustrator — 20 copies

In the Night Kitchen Coloring Book (Coloring Book Classics) (1970) 18 copies

Fantasy Sketches (1970) 16 copies

The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm, Volume 2 (1973) — Illustrator — 15 copies

Pierre, a Cautionary Tale 10 copies

Sendak at the Rosenbach : an exhibition held at the Rosenbach Museum & Library, April 28-October 30, 1995 (1995) 9 copies

Maurice Sendak's Christmas Mystery/Full-Color Book of Clues and Jigsaw Puzzle (1995) 9 copies

Frank and Joey Eat Lunch (1996) 8 copies

Frank and Joey Go to Work (1996) 8 copies

Where the Wild Things Are/The Nutshell Kids/In the Night Kitchen/DVD/kes 7 copies

Where the Wild Things Are (Great Big Puzzle) 6 copies

Steven 5 copies

In The Night Kitchen [1987 film] (2004) 5 copies

The Maurice Sendak Library [VHS] (1992) 5 copies

Where the wild things are and Outside over there 4 copies

Questions to an artist who is also an author: A conversation between Maurice Sendak and Virginia Haviland (1972) 4 copies

Where the Wild Things Are (LeapFrog Interactive Book & Cartridge) (2004) 4 copies

Maurice Sendak's Little Bear Friendship Tales (VHS) 4 copies

Where the Wild Things are - Colouring and Creativity Book (2009) 3 copies

The Publishing Archive of Lothar Meggendorfer: Original Drawings, Hand-colored Lithographs and Production Files for His… (1975) 3 copies

Ahol a vadak várnak (2018) 3 copies

Little Bear: Winter Tales (1997) 3 copies

Storie di Orsacchiotto (2009) 3 copies

Mini bibliothèque (2010) 2 copies

Pincus and the Pig: A Klezmer Tale (2004) 2 copies

La fora. logo ali (Em Portugues do Brasil) (2019) 2 copies

Maurice Sendak : Zeichnungen, 1953-1970 2 copies

CALDECOTT AND CO. Notes on Books and Pictures. Limited Edition. (1988) 2 copies

J2 - Wild Thing Blank Journal (2003) 2 copies

Hektor Protektor 2 copies

The beasts country (Chinese Edition) (2014) 2 copies

Nutshell Library: Pierre, a cautionary tale 2 copies

Eretz Yetzurei Ha Perah Where the Wild Things Are (1963) 2 copies

MJ4: Where the Wild Things Are Mini Journal (2004) 2 copies

Higglety Pigglety Pop! + Where the wild things are [sound recording] (2001) — Librettist — 2 copies

Sendak in Asia: Exhibition and Sale of Original Artwork (1996) 2 copies

Scholastic : WHERE WILD THINGS ARE & 5 MORE STORIES 2 copies

Canja de Galinha com Arroz O livro dos meses (2017) 2 copies

Higglety Pigglety Pop! + Where the wild things are [video recording] (2009) — Librettist; Designer, some editions — 2 copies

In the Night Kitchen 25th Anniversary Edition 1 copy

Little Bear Meet Little Bear 1 copy

Where the Wild Things Are... and 5 more stories by Maurice Sendak 1 copy

Rigoli dingoli pouf ! ou la vie doit avoir mieux à offrir (2018) 1 copy

Wat doe je dan? 1 copy

Wat zeg je dan? 1 copy

In the night kitchen. 1 copy

Gusci di noce: Alligatori in abbondanza-Uno è Johnny-Brodino di pollo-Piero e il leone. Ediz. a colori 1 copy

El enebro y otros cuentos de Grim 1 copy

Where the wild things are [sound recording] (2009) — Librettist — 1 copy

The Maurice Sendak Audio Collection (1992) 1 copy

Higglety Pigglety Pop! [sound recording] — Librettist — 1 copy

Mein Bruderbuch (2014) 1 copy

Märchen der Brüder Grimm (4924 010). 1 copy

Pierre( A Continuous Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue)[PIERRE][Library Binding] 1 copy

Pictures (1972) 1 copy

Oliver Knussen's & Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and Concert Scenes from Higglety Pigglety Pop! (1985) — Librettist — 1 copy

Where the wild things are [video recording] — Librettist — 1 copy

Chico-Chorão 1 copy

The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm Selected by Lore Segal and Maurice Sendak 1 copy

Tamo gdje su divlji stvori (2013) 1 copy

This Land is Your Land 1 copy

Higglety Pigglety Pop! + Where the wild things are [libretto] — Librettist — 1 copy

Chicken Soup with Rice | One Was Johnny | Pierre (1992) 1 copy

Where the Wild Things Are 2009 Calendar (2008) 1 copy

She Loves Me... She Loves Me Not... — Illustrator — 1 copy

The Horn Book Magazine 1 copy

Family Circle Magazine 1971 December (1971) 1 copy

Little Bear: Pretend time 1 copy

Where the Wild Things Are and Other Maurice Sendak Stories (Scholastic Video Collection) [VHS] (2002) 1 copy

The Juniper Tree 1 copy

Read with Me DVD: Where the Wild Things Are (2005) 1 copy

Where the Wild Things Are and Other Tales 1 copy

En El Vertedo con Juan y Pedro (Clásicos contemporáneos) (2019) 1 copy

LOIN, TRES LOIN (LES TRESORS DE SENDAK) (French Edition) (2016) 1 copy

Where the Wild Things Are... and Other Maurice Sendak Stories 1 copy

Hector Protector et J'allais joyeux sur les flots bleus: Deux comptines illustrées par Maurice Sendak (2023) 1 copy

Kiva kamala pentu eli Haluatko ihan varmasti oman koiran? (1977) 1 copy

Pierre and His Parents 1 copy

Na Cozinha da Noite Maurice Sendak (2014) 1 copy

Rare Higglety Piggelty Pop! or There Must Be More to Life by Maurice Sendak (1967) (1777) 1 copy

Little Bear - At Home 1 copy

Maurice Sendak Fantasy Sketches (1973) 1 copy

João e Mais Oito - Um Livro para Contar 1 copy

A Janela de Kenny 1 copy

A Christmas Mystery [short story] 1 copy

Estamos Todos na Sarjeta com João e Rui 1 copy

O Recado de Rosie 1 copy

Eretz y'tzurei hapereh : Where the wild things are 1 copy

Ở nơi quỷ sứ giặc non 1 copy

Alligators All Around An Alpabet 1 copy

Rend og hop Bob 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

The Phantom Tollbooth (1961) — Introduction, some editions — 17,536 copies

Little Bear (1957) — Illustrator — 7,105 copies

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (1947) — Illustrator, some editions — 4,744 copies

Little Bear's Visit (1961) — Illustrator — 3,268 copies

Little Bear's Friend (1960) — Illustrator — 3,087 copies

A Kiss for Little Bear (1968) — Illustrator — 3,072 copies

The Wheel on the School (1954) — Illustrator — 2,944 copies

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm (1954) — Illustrator, some editions — 2,453 copies

Father Bear Comes Home (1959) — Illustrator — 2,297 copies

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816) — Illustrator, some editions — 2,083 copies

The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud (1998) — Author — 1,576 copies

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present (1962) — Illustrator — 1,570 copies

The House of Sixty Fathers (1956) — Illustrator — 1,505 copies

The Light Princess (1864) — Illustrator, some editions — 1,262 copies

Along Came a Dog (1958) — Illustrator, some editions — 1,037 copies

Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems (1988) — Illustrator — 1,008 copies

No Fighting, No Biting! (1958) — Illustrator — 918 copies

A Hole is to Dig (1952) — Illustrator — 895 copies

The Big Book for Peace (1990) — Contributor & Illustrator — 829 copies

What Do You Say, Dear? (1958) — Illustrator — 824 copies

I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild's Pocket Book (1992) — Illustrator — 823 copies

The Golden Key (1867) — Illustrator, some editions — 797 copies

Dear Mili (1988) — Illustrator — 765 copies

Pierre; or, The Ambiguities (1852) — Illustrator, some editions — 746 copies

Shadrach (1953) — Illustrator — 681 copies

Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories (1966) — Illustrator, some editions — 646 copies

The Animal Family (1966) — Illustrator — 633 copies

Adventures of Little Bear (1985) — Illustrator — 600 copies

The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss (1995) — Introduction, some editions — 581 copies

All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists (2004) — Contributor — 556 copies

Brundibar (2003) — Illustrator — 554 copies

The Little Bear Treasury (2003) — Illustrator — 545 copies

The Bat-Poet (1964) — Illustrator — 528 copies

Bears (1948) — Illustrator — 443 copies

The Moon Jumpers (1959) — Illustrator — 398 copies

A Very Special House (1953) — Illustrator — 396 copies

What Do You Do, Dear? (1961) — Illustrator — 379 copies

Hurry Home, Candy (1953) — Illustrator, some editions — 344 copies

Swine Lake (1999) — Illustrator — 342 copies

Where the Wild Things Are [2009 film] (2009) — Original book — 310 copies

Let's Be Enemies (1961) — Illustrator — 305 copies

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2010 (2010) — Contributor — 304 copies

What Can You Do With a Shoe? (1955) — Illustrator, some editions — 268 copies

The Wonderful Farm (1933) — Illustrator, some editions — 266 copies

The Bee-Man of Orn (1964) — Illustrator, some editions — 257 copies

Penthesilea (1808) — Illustrator, some editions — 222 copies

Strange Stories for Strange Kids (2001) — Contributor — 220 copies

The Miami Giant (1995) — Illustrator — 209 copies

Seven Tales from Hans Christian Andersen (1959) — Illustrator, some editions — 192 copies

The Cunning Little Vixen (1921) — Illustrator, some editions — 185 copies

Babar's Anniversary Album: 6 Favorite Books (1981) — Introduction, some editions — 185 copies

The Griffin and the Minor Canon (1963) — Illustrator, some editions — 174 copies

The Big Green Book (1962) — Illustrator — 163 copies

You Can't Get There from Here (1947) — Illustrator, some editions — 162 copies

Winsor McCay: His Life and Art (1987) — Foreword, some editions — 132 copies

Pierre, or the Ambiguities: The Kraken Edition (1995) — Illustrator, some editions — 125 copies

Dwarf Nose (1800) — Illustrator, some editions — 124 copies

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Boxed Set: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle / Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic / Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle / and Mrs.… (1986) — Illustrator, some editions — 120 copies

Fly by Night (1976) — Illustrator — 119 copies

Pleasant Fieldmouse (1964) — Illustrator — 117 copies

The Graphic Canon of Children's Literature: The World's Greatest Kids' Lit as Comics and Visuals (2014) — Contributor — 90 copies

Worlds of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for Children (1990) — Contributor — 90 copies

How Little Lori Visited Times Square (1991) — Illustrator — 83 copies

Best in Children's Books 31 (1960) — Illustrator — 83 copies

Bookworm (1991) — Illustrator — 82 copies

The Maxfield Parrish Poster Book (1974) — Introduction — 76 copies

Best in Children's Books 35 (1960) — Illustrator — 74 copies

I Dream of Peace: Images of War by Children of Former Yugoslavia (1994) — Preface — 70 copies

The Tale of Gockel, Hinkel & Gackeliah (1838) — Illustrator, some editions — 69 copies

Sarah's Room (1963) — Illustrator — 64 copies

Presto and Zesto in Limboland (2018) — Illustrator, some editions — 58 copies

Circus Girl (2002) — Illustrator — 54 copies

The Jewish Writer (1998) — Contributor — 53 copies

Lullabies and Night Songs (1965) — Illustrator — 52 copies

Charlotte and The White Horse (1855) — Illustrator — 52 copies

Maggie Rose, her birthday Christmas (1952) — Illustrator — 42 copies

The Art of William Steig (2007) — Preface — 39 copies

The Juggler of Our Lady: A Medieval Legend (1953) — Introduction, some editions — 36 copies

The Little Cow and the Turtle (1955) — Illustrator — 32 copies

Hey-How for Halloween! (1974) — Contributor — 30 copies

The Happy Rain (2004) — Illustrator — 30 copies

The Genius of Lothar Meggendorfer: A Movable Toy Book (1985) — Foreword — 23 copies

Kong Unbound: The Cultural Impact, Pop Mythos, and Scientific Plausibility of a Cinematic Legend (2005) — Contributor — 22 copies

Happy Hanukah Everybody (1954) — Illustrator — 17 copies

Little Nemo 1905-1906 (1976) — Introduction — 17 copies

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture [1986 film] — Set Designer — 13 copies

The Little Bear Movie [2001 film] (2001) — Original book — 12 copies

The Disney Poster Book (1977) — Introduction, some editions — 9 copies

Cricket Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 5, January 1974 (1974) — Contributor — 6 copies

Poetry of Ogden Nash, 6 Volumes (1957) — Illustrator, some editions — 4 copies

Cricket Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 8, April 1974 (1974) — Illustrator — 4 copies

FORTUNIA. A Tale. (1974) — Illustrator, some editions — 3 copies

Atomics for the millions (1947) — Illustrator — 2 copies

Cricket Magazine, Vol. 8, No. 4, December 1980 — Illustrator — 2 copies

Hans-mon-hérisson — Illustrator — 1 copy

Sendak (1987) 1 copy

Singing Family of the Cumberlands — Illustrator — 1 copy

Letters from a designer's notebook (1993) — Illustrator — 1 copy

The Light Princess: Abridged [sound recording] — Cover artist — 1 copy

Tagged

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Common Knowledge

Canonical name: Sendak, Maurice
Legal name: Sendak, Maurice Bernard
Birthdate: 1928-06-10
Date of death: 2012-05-08
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Place of death: Danbury, Connecticut, USA
Cause of death: stroke
Places of residence: Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA
Education: Art Students' League, New York
Occupations: writer
children's book illustrator
opera stage designer
librettist
television producer
Relationships: Sendak, Jack (brother)
Sendak, Philip (father)
Glynn, Eugene D. (partner)
Organizations: Children's Television Workshop (member ∙ National Board of Advisors)
Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services
Awards and honors: Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (1983)
Hans Christian Andersen Award (Illustration ∙ 1970)
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (2003)
National Medal of Arts (1996)
May Hill Arbuthnot Lecturer (2003)
Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award (Contemporary, 2005)
Agent: The Wylie Agency
Short biography: Maurice Bernard Sendak (June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American illustrator and writer of children's books.

Members

Reviews

Where The Wild Things Are: 60th Anniversary Edition by Maurice Sendak

This will always be one of my favorite picture books!

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tootall77hc | 1,450 other reviews | May 9, 2024 |

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Independent reading level: K-5
Caldecott Medal (1964)

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erikawall | 1,450 other reviews | Apr 27, 2024 |

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Independent Reading Level: Grades K-31964 Caldecott Medal Winner
1981 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Illustration
1963, 1982 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1964 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
1981 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1988 (NY Public Library)
Notable Children's Books of 1940-1970 (ALA)
Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1963, 1982 (NYT)
A Reading Rainbow Selection
Children's Books of 1981 (Library of Congress)

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dwtolson | 1,450 other reviews | Apr 24, 2024 |

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Independent Reading Level: 1st-2nd grade
Awards: Caldecott Medal (1964)
The Hans Christian Andersen Award
Boston Globe Horn Book Award
ALA Notable Children's Book

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simmsall | 1,450 other reviews | Apr 23, 2024 |

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