He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.' Almost fifty years later, School Library Journal sponsored a survey of readers which identified Where the Wild Things Are as a top picture book. He didn't care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. I wrote, 'Dear Jim: I loved your card.' Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said: 'Jim loved your card so much he ate it.' That to me was one of the highest compliments I've ever received. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I answer all my children's letters sometimes very hastily but this one I lingered over. Sendak later recounted the reaction of a fan: 'A little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. Before Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak was best known for illustrating Else Holmelund Minarik's Little Bear series of books. The book's depictions of fanged monsters concerned some parents when it was first published, as his characters were somewhat grotesque in appearance. It features Max, a boy who 'rages against his mother for being sent to bed without any supper'. Sendak gained international acclaim after writing and illustrating Where the Wild Things Are, edited by Ursula Nordstrom at Harper & Row. Sendak also wrote works such as In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, and illustrated many works by other authors including the Little Bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik. Born to Polish-Jewish parents, his childhood was affected by the death of many of his family members during the Holocaust. He became widely known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, first published in 1963. Maurice Bernard Sendak (JMay 8, 2012) was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. Two prints measure: 37 cm x 60 cm / The signed print measures: 28 cm x 50 cm.

Art where the wild things are