MAURICE SENDAK
Maurice Sendak comes from Brooklyn, New York. He was born in 1928, the youngest
of three children (1). His parents were poor Polish immigrants who came to the
United States before World War I. Many of the family's relatives in Poland died
in the Holocaust during World War II. His family suffered greatly over their
lost family members. To add to their concerns, Maurice himself was sickly as a
child. His mother worried constantly about his health and safety. You will see
that most of his books have a moon somewhere in the picture watching over the
scene. The moon is his mother peaking out the window at him when he was a child
to be sure that he was alright!(2)
He loved to have his father read aloud to him at night before bedtime. He didn't
like school much and wasn't good at sports, but he loved to read and often asked
his sister to get him books from the library. In an interview on his favorite
books as a child, Maurice Sendak: A Western Canon, he had many favorites. His
sister gave him his first book, Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. He loved
that book and still has it today. Other favorites were Robert Louis Stevenson's
A Child's Garden of Verses(3). As a young adult, he liked great super-duper
adventure stories by authors such as Herman Melville and his books, Typee and
Moby Dick. Another favorite was Bret Harte's short story, "The Luck of Roaring
Camp (3).
He began his work as an illustrator while he was still in high school. He helped
in drawing the pictures from the comic strip, Mutt and Jeff into comic books. He
went to art school at the Art Students' League to continue his education. He co-authored
his very first published book, Atomics for the Millions which was published in
1947. He was just nineteen years old! Since then he has given us many, many
wonderful books.(4)
Maurice Sendak is a man of many talents. He designed wooden toys with his
brother. He did the lyrics for an animated film for television called Really
Rosie which is from his books, the Nutshell Library. Carol King did the music.
He has written the words (called libretto) for an opera, Where the Wild Things
Are, based on his classic children's book. He greatly enjoys designing sets and
costumes for operas as well.
Maurice Sendak comes from Brooklyn, New York. He was born in 1928, the youngest
of three children (1). His parents were poor Polish immigrants who came to the
United States before World War I. Many of the family's relatives in Poland died
in the Holocaust during World War II. His family suffered greatly over their
lost family members. To add to their concerns, Maurice himself was sickly as a
child. His mother worried constantly about his health and safety. You will see
that most of his books have a moon somewhere in the picture watching over the
scene. The moon is his mother peaking out the window at him when he was a child
to be sure that he was alright!(2)
He loved to have his father read aloud to him at night before bedtime. He didn't
like school much and wasn't good at sports, but he loved to read and often asked
his sister to get him books from the library. In an interview on his favorite
books as a child, Maurice Sendak: A Western Canon, he had many favorites. His
sister gave him his first book, Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. He loved
that book and still has it today. Other favorites were Robert Louis Stevenson's
A Child's Garden of Verses(3). As a young adult, he liked great super-duper
adventure stories by authors such as Herman Melville and his books, Typee and
Moby Dick. Another favorite was Bret Harte's short story, "The Luck of Roaring
Camp (3).
He began his work as an illustrator while he was still in high school. He helped
in drawing the pictures from the comic strip, Mutt and Jeff into comic books. He
went to art school at the Art Students' League to continue his education. He co-authored
his very first published book, Atomics for the Millions which was published in
1947. He was just nineteen years old! Since then he has given us many, many
wonderful books.(4)
Maurice Sendak is a man of many talents. He designed wooden toys with his
brother. He did the lyrics for an animated film for television called Really
Rosie which is from his books, the Nutshell Library. Carol King did the music.
He has written the words (called libretto) for an opera, Where the Wild Things
Are, based on his classic children's book. He greatly enjoys designing sets and
costumes for operas as well.