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Where the Wild Things Are

by Maurice Sendak · 1963

"Where the Wild Things Are" is Maurice Sendak's classic 1963 picture book about a boy named Max who, dressed in a wolf suit and making mischief, is sent to bed without supper. His bedroom transforms into a wild forest, and… more

First published 1963 · 40 pages · English

13 quotes ★ 4.26 (1,080,703) Classics

Quotes from the Book

Oh, please don't go—we'll eat you up—we love you so!
And now," cried Max, "let the wild rumpus start!
And Max, the king of all wild things, was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.
There should be a place where only the things you want to happen, happen
I have nothing now but praise for my life. I'm not unhappy. I cry a lot because I miss people. They die and I can't stop them. They leave me and I love them more...What I dread is the isolation. ... There are so many beautiful things in the world which I will have to leave when I die, but I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready.
And [he] sailed back over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day and into the night of his very own room where he found his supper waiting for him and it was still hot
And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.
And the walls became the world all around.
Then from far away across the world he smelled good things to eat, so he gave up being king of the wild things.
But the wild things cried, “Oh please don't go- We'll eat you up- we love you so!
Se acabó!" dijo Max, y envió a los monstruos a la cama sin cenar. Y Max, el rey de todos los monstruos se sintió solo y quería estar donde alguien lo quisiera más que a nadie. Entonces desde el otro lado del mundo lo envolvió un olor de comida rica y ya no quiso ser el rey del lugar donde viven los monstruos.
Oh, please don't go — I'll eat you up — I love you so!
He’s just a boy, pretending to be a wolf, pretending to be king

Did you know?

  • The book won the 1964 Caldecott Medal, awarded for the most distinguished American picture book for children.
  • Maurice Sendak both wrote and illustrated the book.
  • Its climactic wordless spreads are described in the text as a "wild rumpus."
  • By 2009 the book had sold well over 19 million copies worldwide.
  • Sendak said the monstrous "wild things" were partly inspired by caricatures of his own relatives.
  • Composer Oliver Knussen adapted the story into an opera that premiered in 1980.

About Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak (1928-2012) was an American writer and illustrator of children's books, best known for works he both wrote and illustrated. Born in Brooklyn to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, he began his career as an illustrator before creating his own picture books in the 1950s and 1960s.

More about the author →

About the book

"Where the Wild Things Are" is Maurice Sendak's classic 1963 picture book about a boy named Max who, dressed in a wolf suit and making mischief, is sent to bed without supper. His bedroom transforms into a wild forest, and he sails away to an island of monstrous "wild things" who make him their king. After reveling in a "wild rumpus," Max grows lonely and homesick and sails back home, where he finds his supper waiting for him, still hot.

Told in just a few hundred words paired with Sendak's richly detailed illustrations, the book explores how children experience and master powerful emotions such as anger, frustration, boredom, and fear. Max's imaginary voyage is a way of working through his outburst, and his eventual return home reflects the reassuring bond between a child and a parent, with the warm supper standing in for enduring parental love.

On its release the book was praised and quickly honored, winning the 1964 Caldecott Medal for its illustrations. It went on to become one of the most beloved and influential picture books of the twentieth century, selling many millions of copies worldwide and inspiring an animated short, an opera, and a 2009 live-action film adaptation directed by Spike Jonze.

Key characters

  • MaxA mischievous young boy who journeys to the land of the wild things
  • The Wild ThingsMonstrous creatures who make Max their king
  • Max's motherUnseen parent who sends Max to bed and leaves his supper

Book details

First published
1963
Length
40 pages
Reading time
1 hour
Goodreads rating
4.26 (1.1M ratings)
First line
“The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his mother called him "WILD THING!"”

Movie & TV adaptations

  • IMDb
    Where the Wild Things Are (animated short) 1973

    Animated adaptation, later revised in 1988

  • IMDb
    Where the Wild Things Are (opera) 1980

    Opera composed by Oliver Knussen

  • IMDb
    Where the Wild Things Are (film) 2009

    Live-action feature directed by Spike Jonze

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  2. 2
    Outside Over ThereSendak fantasy picture book completing his loose trilogy of children facing fears
  3. 3
    The Snowy DayAward-winning classic picture book centered on a child's imaginative adventure

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