Maurice Sendak

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Sendak writes the type of books he wished he had as a child; entertaining stories which are not limited by any effort to make things so simple for children that they become mundane.
Sendak's greatest influence as a writer was his father. Phillip Sendak was a wonderfully creative storyteller who amazed Maurice and his brother and sister. "He didn't edit," remarks Maurice in an interview with Marion Long. "It's funny, because that's what I'm accused of now: being a storyteller who tells children inappropriate things." Sendak strongly believes that children are curious by nature, and so he must write stories which beckon the child to keep turning the pages. The best stories for children tell children exactly what they want to hear, with all the details. This is Sendak's goal in his stories.
An absolutely amazing artist without any formal training, Sendak feels that his adoration for Mickey Mouse has influenced many of his illustrations. Sendak was calls Mickey Mouse ...

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enjoying in his youth. Being a childhood fan of nursery rhymes, Sendak modeled portions of his text from the classic language of Mother Goose: the line "I'm in the milk and the milk's in me" is evolved from Goose's rhyme, "I see the moon and the moon sees me."

The plot of the story also emerged from accumulated childhood memories. Sendak recalls seeing a running advertisement for the Sunshine Bakers as a child. The slogan which appeared said, "We Bake While You Sleep." Sendak remembers being most irritated by this ad; how dare they bake while he slept?! He wanted to stay up with them; he felt it was absolutely cruel for them to go off to some magical land to bake while ...

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