#Maurice Sendak

[onenakedfarmer]

Daily Painting

Maurice Sendak From MR. RABBIT AND THE LOVELY PRESENT (1971)

[dduane]

Okay, *this* could be interesting...

"This new edition of the fairy tale classic will feature art originally created by Sendak in 1997 as set and costume designs for the Engelbert Humperdinck opera of Hansel and Gretel. The project is in collaboration with the Maurice Sendak Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to preserve Sendak’s work and legacy."

[1charm1charm1]

[sageandscorpiongrass]

Have you ever thought about losing your brother?

me vs. making webweaves on dying and family. really this was just an excuse to think about killing flies.

Killing Flies, Michael Dickman | Separation, W.S. Merwin | Eurydice, Ocean Vuong | It, Stephen King | Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A Milne | Fading Kitten Syndrome, ROAR | Quote via. Maurice Sendak | A Meeting, Wendell Berry | Anguish, August Friedrich Schenck | West Wind I, Mary Oliver | Planet of Love, Richard Siken | Quote via. C.C, Aurel | Oats We Sow, Gregory and the Hawk | The Living to the Dead, Käthe Kollwitz | Quote via Fortesa Latifi | Antigonick, Anne Carson | Killing Flies, Michael Dickman (cont.)

[laurenillustrated]

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

I am doing another 6 Fanarts challenge, but this time I will be drawing characters from 6 popular children’s books. Starting with Max from “Where the Wild Things Are”. Written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Originally published April 9, 1963.

[lennguine]

there are the wild things

[nobeerreviews]

The magic of childhood is the strangeness of childhood - the uniqueness that makes us see things that other people don't see.

-- Maurice Sendak

[jesncin]

Where the Wild Things Are, morals for kids, and queer art

One of my favorite things about this children's book is that the way adults respond to it is a great litmus test for how much they get kids.

At it's core, Where the Wild Things Are is a book about a tantrum. Max misbehaves, is sent to his room without supper, imagines a world where he gets to be in charge and let all his monstrous rage out, but when he's had his fun? "Max the king of all wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all" he says goodbye to the beasts and makes his way back home where "he found his supper waiting for him. And it was still hot." It's still hot. The book describes his journey into and out of Where The Wild Things Are as taking "years, weeks, days" that he can smell his supper "far away across the world" but that's because everything feels so big when you're a kid. Your tantrums feel like they last an eternity but by the time you're back from it, your supper is still hot.

Deep down, Max understands that his mom sent him to bed without supper because she cares about him. Because when he's out having a wild rumpus with the beasts that follow his every command, he still sends them to bed without supper. Max might not understand why, but he sure does repeat that action to the beasts he watches over as king. Supper is still waiting for Max when he returns because his mom understands that even though Max misbehaves, it's not coming from a place of malice. It's a tantrum, and kids come back from that. They don't mean the cruel things they say or do.

So when I see grown ups read this book and go "what the heck?' This book is about a spoiled jerk who gets to boss monsters around and come back home to a nice meal? Where's his punishment??? He didn't learn a thing! What's the lesson?" I'm just amused. "he threatens his mom and she lets that slide??" Dude, the mom calls him a "WILD THING!" and he responds "I'LL EAT YOU UP" a child can't threaten you. "what if this book influences my child to act out, thinking they'll be rewarded??" Kids are going to act out no matter how you raise them.

This book has stayed with me because it's pretty to look at, it scared me, understood me and as I grew older I learned that the author, Maurice Sendak was queer. Sendak was also the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants escaping the Holocaust. He never told his parents he wasn't straight. "All I wanted was to be straight so my parents could be happy. They never, never, never knew." Adults constantly demand moral closure from kids' media. To them, kids have to be taught and disciplined and influenced into the right behaviors. But Where the Wild Things Are isn't that kind of book. This book gave me a space to let out my messy, ugly, tantrum feelings without being judged or punished for it. I didn't have to learn a lesson. I got to go to Where the Wild Things Are and come back when I'm ready.

I'm a children's book author now, and there's something so special about being able to connect to another queer creator through their work like this. My book also talks about how important it is to have the space to just feel and make sense of change. A lot of queer art is inherently challenging. To know that even the stuff we craft to nurture kids can still confound and challenge their parents? "What if this book influences our kids??" some things about queer art never change.

[holespoles]

Maurice Sendak illustration, 1959

[arinewman7]

Where the Wild Things Are

Illustrations by Maurice Sendak

[hometoursandotherstuff]

[tyger-land]

ᴍᴀᴜʀɪᴄᴇ sᴇɴᴅᴀᴋ Illustrations for the 1995 Kraken edition of Herman Melville's 1852 novel 𝗣𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲; 𝗼𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

[desimonewayland]

Where The Wild Things Are 1963

Maurice Sendak

Watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper

Apollo Magazine

[laurenillustrated]

Madeline

Where the Wild Things Are

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Halfway done with this art challenge, drawing popular children’s book characters in my style!

[sdaedal]

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Kids Lit

Stephen King: hey guys guess what? King: maurice sendak and me are teaming up to tell a bold, original new story! Poe: oh yeah? what's that? King: hansel and gretel Poe:

King: i was just fascinated by Maurice's illustrations for hansel and gretel Maurice Sendak: and i'm fascinated by stories where children get eaten! John Saul: oh yeah we're all fascinated by that Stephen Gresham: >:C

Sendak: i love the bit where the witch eats the kids! Sendak: that's my favorite part of Hansel and gretel King: well actually maurice i don't think the witch successfully eats the kids Sendak: and that's where the Brother Grim went wrong

Sendak: i think the witch should eat the kids Sendak: because, if you think about it, what's better than eating kids? Sendak: they're tasty, they're tender Sendak: and it taps into a relatable, universal fear!

Sendak: it's a relatable, universal fear! King: of being eaten? Sendak: i mean, i wouldn't want to be eaten, would you? King: that's a good point

RL Stine: excuse me maurice i beg to differ Stine: everyone knows that the universal fear of all kids is green slime Stine: i like to think i know a little bit about writing horror for kids

Barker: oh you guys think you know how to write horror for kids? Barker: check this, my story zoombies is gonna be a feature length animated film! King: oh is it about fast zombies? Barker: what

King: is it about fast zombies? Barker: what? why would you think that? King: well, with the word "zoom" in the title Barker: "zoom?" no, that's ZOO! Barker: it takes place at a ZOO! King: King: i dunno i think that could be clearer Barker: it's about a zombie outbreak at the zoo! Barker: why would you immediately assume zoom instead of zoo?? Poe: i also assumed zoom Lovecraft: yeah i thought zoom Shelley: seemed pretty obvious to me Koontz: WOW!!! fast zombies!!!

Barker: jeez no it's at a zoo Barker: i thought at least dean would get it Barker: fine fine i guess i'll just change the title Barker: what if i called it Barker: night of the zoopocalypse?

Barker: see, it's about zoo animals that have to fight an invasion of space mutants Koontz: WOW!!! what kind of animals? Barker: you'll like this dean Barker: there's a wolf Barker: that's a kind of dog Koontz: WO- Frank Belknap Long: BEST MOVIE EVER