What do you think?
Rate this book
Some Swell Pup: Or Are You Sure You Want a Dog?
The wild and willful behavior of their new puppy drives a boy and a girl to anger, frustration, and near-despair before they learn how to handle the puppy and its natural ways
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
Maurice Sendak
397 books2,413 followersMaurice Sendak was a visionary American illustrator and writer best known for transforming the landscape of children's literature through his emotionally resonant stories and distinctive artistic style. He gained international acclaim with Where the Wild Things Are, a groundbreaking picture book that captured the emotional intensity of childhood through its honest portrayal of anger, imagination, and longing. Widely recognized for his ability to blend the whimsical with the profound, Sendak created works that resonated with both children and adults, challenging conventional notions of what children's books could be.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sendak was a sickly child who spent much of his early life indoors, nurturing a love for books, drawing, and storytelling. The son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, he was deeply affected by the losses of the Holocaust, which shaped the darker emotional undercurrents in his work. His art was influenced by a range of sources, from comic strips and Mickey Mouse to Mozart, Blake, and German Romanticism. Though he began his career illustrating other writers’ books, he soon transitioned to authoring his own, beginning with Kenny’s Window and then The Sign on Rosie’s Door.
It was Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, that solidified Sendak’s reputation as a master of children’s literature. The book, which won the Caldecott Medal, was initially controversial due to its depiction of unruly behavior and ambiguous emotional tone. However, it was later recognized as a revolutionary work that respected children’s inner lives and psychological complexity. This theme continued in his later works, including In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There, which formed a loose trilogy exploring the emotional and imaginative experiences of childhood. These books, celebrated for their dreamlike narratives and lush illustrations, often tackled fears, fantasies, and the challenges of growing up.
Throughout his career, Sendak illustrated more than a hundred books, working with authors such as Ruth Krauss and Else Holmelund Minarik. His visual style—characterized by its intricate detail, dynamic line work, and expressive characters—evolved over the decades, but always retained an unmistakable emotional intensity. He also designed sets and costumes for operas and ballets, bringing his imaginative worlds to the stage. Notably, he created productions for works by Mozart and Prokofiev, combining his love of classical music with theatrical design.
Sendak was known for his sharp wit, fierce independence, and deep empathy for children. He openly criticized the sanitized and moralistic tone of much of children's publishing, insisting instead that young readers deserved stories that acknowledged their full emotional range, including fear, grief, anger, and wonder. He was also an openly gay man in a long-term relationship, though he only spoke publicly about his sexuality later in life.
Later in his career, Sendak continued to produce new work, collaborate with artists and institutions, and advocate for intellectual freedom. His final books, including Bumble-Ardy and My Brother’s Book, reflected both a return to his childhood memories and a meditation on aging, love, and mortality. Though his stories often ventured into the dark or surreal, they remained rooted in a deep respect for the emotional reality of children and a belief in the power of imagination to confront life's challenges.
Maurice Sendak’s legacy endures in the countless writers and illustrators he inspired, the cultural impact of his stories, and the enduring affection readers of all ages hold for his wild things, mischievous children, and tender monsters. Through his work, he redefined what children’s literature could be: rich, honest, haunting, and, above all, deeply human.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Sendak was a sickly child who spent much of his early life indoors, nurturing a love for books, drawing, and storytelling. The son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, he was deeply affected by the losses of the Holocaust, which shaped the darker emotional undercurrents in his work. His art was influenced by a range of sources, from comic strips and Mickey Mouse to Mozart, Blake, and German Romanticism. Though he began his career illustrating other writers’ books, he soon transitioned to authoring his own, beginning with Kenny’s Window and then The Sign on Rosie’s Door.
It was Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, that solidified Sendak’s reputation as a master of children’s literature. The book, which won the Caldecott Medal, was initially controversial due to its depiction of unruly behavior and ambiguous emotional tone. However, it was later recognized as a revolutionary work that respected children’s inner lives and psychological complexity. This theme continued in his later works, including In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There, which formed a loose trilogy exploring the emotional and imaginative experiences of childhood. These books, celebrated for their dreamlike narratives and lush illustrations, often tackled fears, fantasies, and the challenges of growing up.
Throughout his career, Sendak illustrated more than a hundred books, working with authors such as Ruth Krauss and Else Holmelund Minarik. His visual style—characterized by its intricate detail, dynamic line work, and expressive characters—evolved over the decades, but always retained an unmistakable emotional intensity. He also designed sets and costumes for operas and ballets, bringing his imaginative worlds to the stage. Notably, he created productions for works by Mozart and Prokofiev, combining his love of classical music with theatrical design.
Sendak was known for his sharp wit, fierce independence, and deep empathy for children. He openly criticized the sanitized and moralistic tone of much of children's publishing, insisting instead that young readers deserved stories that acknowledged their full emotional range, including fear, grief, anger, and wonder. He was also an openly gay man in a long-term relationship, though he only spoke publicly about his sexuality later in life.
Later in his career, Sendak continued to produce new work, collaborate with artists and institutions, and advocate for intellectual freedom. His final books, including Bumble-Ardy and My Brother’s Book, reflected both a return to his childhood memories and a meditation on aging, love, and mortality. Though his stories often ventured into the dark or surreal, they remained rooted in a deep respect for the emotional reality of children and a belief in the power of imagination to confront life's challenges.
Maurice Sendak’s legacy endures in the countless writers and illustrators he inspired, the cultural impact of his stories, and the enduring affection readers of all ages hold for his wild things, mischievous children, and tender monsters. Through his work, he redefined what children’s literature could be: rich, honest, haunting, and, above all, deeply human.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 24, 2014
Sometimes Sendak has it, sometimes (like this book) not. The pictures are great, and I think the moral of the story is right - be kind and patient with your new puppy - but it's not made very clear in the text. The writing is lacking something. The format is really cool like a comic book, though. The summary on Goodreads says this book is "instructive" but if you really want instructions on how to care for your new puppy, I'd suggest heading to your local library in the non-fiction section for some more clear instructions.
March 20, 2009
It's definitely successful in teaching the lesson to kids that getting a dog is probably more work than they expect, and it's an amusing comic-book-style story, but all in all, not a hit, in my opinion.
February 4, 2021
It’s difficult. I’m a huge Sendak fan and I’ve read his books with children right through my teaching career and (grand/)parenting life.
This book, though, I can’t recommend. I’m pleased that I’ve got it so my collection is more complete, but I won’t read it with children or certainly not with younger ones.
I find it too violent, and I don’t like the references to death and suicide, jokey though they’re meant to be. And yes I know this makes me sound like some sensitive little flower but I just don’t think that what might have worked ok in 1976 is necessarily still ok now. I’m don’t want to have to explain to my class or grandchildren why the girl says she’ll kill herself, or why they threaten the dog with violence. It’s all good points but it’s over the top, overstated, and repeats the scene too much.
The comic book format is lovely and the big central illustrations - the children’s dreams each on their own full page - are proper superb Sendak at his best.
But the message, and the way it’s worded and delivered - it doesn’t quite work for me. I do get it that there’s a serious point here so it’s partly an educational book, but I think it needed an education editor - a brave editor, good at saying boo to the famous - alongside Sendak and Margolis to rein them in a bit and make it work better.
I’m sorry that if this is a downer. I do adore most of the Sendak I’ve ever seen. Just not this book.
This book, though, I can’t recommend. I’m pleased that I’ve got it so my collection is more complete, but I won’t read it with children or certainly not with younger ones.
I find it too violent, and I don’t like the references to death and suicide, jokey though they’re meant to be. And yes I know this makes me sound like some sensitive little flower but I just don’t think that what might have worked ok in 1976 is necessarily still ok now. I’m don’t want to have to explain to my class or grandchildren why the girl says she’ll kill herself, or why they threaten the dog with violence. It’s all good points but it’s over the top, overstated, and repeats the scene too much.
The comic book format is lovely and the big central illustrations - the children’s dreams each on their own full page - are proper superb Sendak at his best.
But the message, and the way it’s worded and delivered - it doesn’t quite work for me. I do get it that there’s a serious point here so it’s partly an educational book, but I think it needed an education editor - a brave editor, good at saying boo to the famous - alongside Sendak and Margolis to rein them in a bit and make it work better.
I’m sorry that if this is a downer. I do adore most of the Sendak I’ve ever seen. Just not this book.
January 25, 2010
read on vacation at Grandma and Grandpa's in California
January 24, 2016
Er. Interesting, er, book?
May 2, 2017
One of Sendak's weaker efforts. Eminently skippable.
July 7, 2017
While it's typical, somewhat dark Sendak story, the message of kids not realizing that having a puppy isn't all fun and games is a good one.
November 6, 2017
This story will certainly teach kids to use their indoor voices, not to overreact and to have patience. It convinced me cats are the superior pet.
May 18, 2026
I have to admit, I felt a bit torn reading this picture book. Even though it promises to be a chaotic, loving guide for new puppy owners, it made me wonder: is the constant "love, love, love" message really enough when the story ultimately turns into a disguised lecture about patience?
Reading it brought back an instant wave of familiarity. The truth is, getting a puppy is a massive responsibility—something I learned early on as a kid with my poodle, Speed. Maurice Sendak and Margolis's work really hits home because it doesn't sugarcoat the mess. The book perfectly captures the chaotic reality of this new life: the puppy chewing on things it shouldn’t, the pee missing the training pad, and the sudden jumping. It accurately reflects that phase where your house turns into a learning battlefield.
As you flip through the pages, you're immediately hit with the book's core philosophy. The message is hammered in over and over, almost like a mantra: "normal puppies do everything wrong, and that's why you just have to Love! Love! Love!" That’s pretty much the only hard-and-fast answer given for dealing with the chaos and the puppy's active messes. It serves as a constant reminder that your patience needs to be endless, because the mess is the rule, not the exception.
What hit me the most—and what I really appreciated—is how strongly it advocates for kindness. The text is super clear about not yelling at, punishing, or ignoring the dog, echoing a simple but crucial lesson: the secret is understanding and affection. The "stranger" who shows up to guide the kids toward kindness feels a bit like a narrative device used to force this lesson, but he gets the job done. He convinces us that patience is the ultimate virtue when you're living with a little creature that’s just trying to figure things out.
Without a doubt, the visuals were what kept me hooked. The drama plays out in neat, comic-style panels featuring characters that are just pure emotion: the two shrieking kids and the anxious, hairy figure in the lavender hood. Maurice Sendak's stroke of genius really shines in the more surreal moments, like the hilarious mention of the puppy getting kicked out of obedience school for being underage, or the tense moments where you hear a loud "MONSTER! FIEND! GRR!"
Even though the illustrations are fantastic and I liked the comic book format, I couldn't shake the feeling that the book is more of a disguised instruction manual than a truly engaging story. A lot of the narrative just boils down to the characters standing around bickering and trading jabs, which gets a bit annoying. Being clear is important, but the overall tone felt questionable—like a "stealth lecture" that carries the heavy-handed advice of an expert while trying to sell itself as a cute tale.
One thing that frustrated me—and seemed way less practical than I'd hoped—was the suggestion to wait twelve weeks before starting training. In my experience, training starts on day one! That idea of holding off on the puppy's education felt pretty outdated and seemed like a real flaw in a book that’s supposed to be a guide.
The core message of "Love! Love! Love!" is poetic and emotionally spot-on, but I felt it lacked the practical substance needed to back up the preachy side of the book. It reads more like Maurice Sendak's philosophical take on a guide than an actual, useful manual.
Despite my gripes about the execution, the book did touch me in a way that goes beyond dog training. At the end of the day, it turns into a subtle metaphor for human coexistence. I started to see that the principles the author champions for treating a puppy—kindness, patience, and understanding—are the exact same ones we should use when dealing with anyone out in the big, wide world.
The affection and the unique touch that Maurice Sendak brings to his characters are definitely there, but the heavy-handed "lesson" and the instructional vibe end up dragging down the flow of the story. I feel like the intention behind the book is noble and focused on animal welfare, but for me, the final execution just wasn't strong enough to make it a truly memorable read.
Reading it brought back an instant wave of familiarity. The truth is, getting a puppy is a massive responsibility—something I learned early on as a kid with my poodle, Speed. Maurice Sendak and Margolis's work really hits home because it doesn't sugarcoat the mess. The book perfectly captures the chaotic reality of this new life: the puppy chewing on things it shouldn’t, the pee missing the training pad, and the sudden jumping. It accurately reflects that phase where your house turns into a learning battlefield.
As you flip through the pages, you're immediately hit with the book's core philosophy. The message is hammered in over and over, almost like a mantra: "normal puppies do everything wrong, and that's why you just have to Love! Love! Love!" That’s pretty much the only hard-and-fast answer given for dealing with the chaos and the puppy's active messes. It serves as a constant reminder that your patience needs to be endless, because the mess is the rule, not the exception.
What hit me the most—and what I really appreciated—is how strongly it advocates for kindness. The text is super clear about not yelling at, punishing, or ignoring the dog, echoing a simple but crucial lesson: the secret is understanding and affection. The "stranger" who shows up to guide the kids toward kindness feels a bit like a narrative device used to force this lesson, but he gets the job done. He convinces us that patience is the ultimate virtue when you're living with a little creature that’s just trying to figure things out.
Without a doubt, the visuals were what kept me hooked. The drama plays out in neat, comic-style panels featuring characters that are just pure emotion: the two shrieking kids and the anxious, hairy figure in the lavender hood. Maurice Sendak's stroke of genius really shines in the more surreal moments, like the hilarious mention of the puppy getting kicked out of obedience school for being underage, or the tense moments where you hear a loud "MONSTER! FIEND! GRR!"
Even though the illustrations are fantastic and I liked the comic book format, I couldn't shake the feeling that the book is more of a disguised instruction manual than a truly engaging story. A lot of the narrative just boils down to the characters standing around bickering and trading jabs, which gets a bit annoying. Being clear is important, but the overall tone felt questionable—like a "stealth lecture" that carries the heavy-handed advice of an expert while trying to sell itself as a cute tale.
One thing that frustrated me—and seemed way less practical than I'd hoped—was the suggestion to wait twelve weeks before starting training. In my experience, training starts on day one! That idea of holding off on the puppy's education felt pretty outdated and seemed like a real flaw in a book that’s supposed to be a guide.
The core message of "Love! Love! Love!" is poetic and emotionally spot-on, but I felt it lacked the practical substance needed to back up the preachy side of the book. It reads more like Maurice Sendak's philosophical take on a guide than an actual, useful manual.
Despite my gripes about the execution, the book did touch me in a way that goes beyond dog training. At the end of the day, it turns into a subtle metaphor for human coexistence. I started to see that the principles the author champions for treating a puppy—kindness, patience, and understanding—are the exact same ones we should use when dealing with anyone out in the big, wide world.
The affection and the unique touch that Maurice Sendak brings to his characters are definitely there, but the heavy-handed "lesson" and the instructional vibe end up dragging down the flow of the story. I feel like the intention behind the book is noble and focused on animal welfare, but for me, the final execution just wasn't strong enough to make it a truly memorable read.
August 3, 2020
En underbart vacker illustrerad berättelse av Maurice Sendak. Två barn får en egen valp att ta hand om! Oj som de önskat! Oj så glada de blir!
Oj, oj, oj...
Att ta hand om en valp var visst inte bara en dans på rosor. Den kissar och bajsar inomhus, morrar åt folk, biter sönder saker och lyder inte. Barnen blir allt mer frustrerade och börjar bete sig väldigt illa tillbaka. De ropas, skriks och ryts åt valpen. När det slutligen vankas smisk kliver så äntligen en auktoritetsfigur in och börjar styra upp. Han läxar upp barnen på ett lugnt och pedagogiskt sätt och lär så både barnen och läsaren hur man bör ta hand om unga ouppfostrade valpar.
Författaren blandar lika mycket humor som allvar och gör det till en väldigt underhållande, men pedagogisk berättelse.
Oj, oj, oj...
Att ta hand om en valp var visst inte bara en dans på rosor. Den kissar och bajsar inomhus, morrar åt folk, biter sönder saker och lyder inte. Barnen blir allt mer frustrerade och börjar bete sig väldigt illa tillbaka. De ropas, skriks och ryts åt valpen. När det slutligen vankas smisk kliver så äntligen en auktoritetsfigur in och börjar styra upp. Han läxar upp barnen på ett lugnt och pedagogiskt sätt och lär så både barnen och läsaren hur man bör ta hand om unga ouppfostrade valpar.
Författaren blandar lika mycket humor som allvar och gör det till en väldigt underhållande, men pedagogisk berättelse.
February 22, 2022
Maurice Sendak never disappoints. This lovely tale teaches kids what a ‘normal’ puppy does and the proper response to baby animals: gentle love and supervision. So good.
Found on a friends bookshelf
Found on a friends bookshelf
January 22, 2017
A brilliant book to get kids ready for owning a puppy and how 'naughty' they can be. Sendak is so ACE!
December 3, 2022
One of the weirder and darker Sendak books and I absolutely love it.
May 22, 2012
I thought it was okay because the puppy would kind of act like a person. The kids would not liste to learn how to take care of the pup.-mb
I thought this was a very good lesen on how to take care of a pupy.
I thought this was a very good lesen on how to take care of a pupy.
June 6, 2012
A sweet little book wherein Sendak expresses his love of dogs as well as some basic foundations for having and raising a puppy. Would be an excellent book to help teach a youngster, not to mention many adults, how to be a good puppy daddy or mommy!
October 4, 2012
One of those rare children's books that recognizes that children have intelligence and can recognize sarcasm.
July 18, 2013
Dear dear Maurice Sendak. Tells the story of a couple of kids who want to adopt a dog and what they had to learn about owning a puppy.
November 28, 2011
I loved this book when I was little.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews