When Was Where The Wild Things Are Written

When & Where the Wild Things Were Born: A Tale of Max and Maurice

Ever wondered where the wild rumpus started? The one that's been making kids (and adults, let's be honest) go crazy for decades? Well, buckle up, because we're about to take a trip back in time to meet the man who brought Max and his wild things to life.

It was the late 1960s, and our hero, Maurice Sendak, was sitting in his apartment in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Now, Maurice wasn't your average Joe. He was an illustrator, a writer, and a total creative genius. He was also a bit of a night owl, preferring the quiet of the night to create his magic.

Enter Max

One night, as Maurice was sitting at his drawing table, he started sketching a mischievous little boy with a wolf suit. This wasn't just any boy; this was Max, the main character of what would become Where the Wild Things Are. But where did Max come from?

Maurice once said, "I didn't write the book to children, I wrote it for children." And Max, well, he was Maurice's childhood alter ego. You see, Maurice was a bit of a wild thing himself as a kid, always getting into trouble, always pushing boundaries. So, Max was his way of exploring that wild side, of giving it a story, a world of its own.

And Then There Were Wild Things

But Max needed friends, right? Enter the Wild Things. Maurice started drawing these crazy, wonderful creatures, each one more unique and wild than the last. They were inspired by everything from Maurice's own childhood fears to the monsters under his bed (yes, even grown-ups like Maurice had them!).

Where the Wild Things Are: The greatest children's book ever - BBC Culture

And thus, in the quiet of that Connecticut apartment, the Wild Rumpus was born. The pages filled up with Max's adventures, his journey to the island of the Wild Things, and that iconic, heartwarming moment when Max says, "I'll eat you up!" and his mother responds, "I love you so."

From Maurice's Apartment to Your Bookshelf

In 1963, after years of working on it, Maurice sent his manuscript to Harper & Row. They loved it, and the rest, as they say, is history. Where the Wild Things Are was published in 1963 and has been a beloved classic ever since, winning the Caldecott Medal in 1964.

Where The Wild Things Are - The First Edition Rare Books

So, the next time you read Where the Wild Things Are, remember, it all started in Maurice's apartment, with a little boy in a wolf suit and a whole lot of wild imagination. And isn't that the most wonderful thing of all?

Now, go on, make your own wild rumpus. Read, create, dream. Because, as Maurice once said, "There must be more to life than having everything." And we think he was right.