Who Was Maurice Sendak?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Janet B. Pascal, Stephen Marchesi (Illustrations), Nancy Harrison (Illustrations)

It seems entirely fitting that Maurice Sendak was born on the same day that Mickey Mouse first made his cartoon debut--June 10, 1928. Sendak was crazy about cartoons and comic books, and at twelve, after seeing Disney's Fantasia , he decided that he was going to become an illustrator. His love of childrens books began often sick and confined to bed, little Maurice read and read and read. Though many of his own stories were light and funny, the most important ones-- Where the Wild Things Are , In the Night Kitchen , Outside Over There --dealt with anger, jealousy, abandonment, content that had never before been the subject of picture books. As well as covering career highlights, this easy to read, illustrated biography also describes the personal life of this genius.

Who Was Maurice Sendak is perfect for kids wild about one of the most influential children's book artists of the twentieth century!

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Art, Childrens, Audiobook, Chapter Books

112 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2012

About the author

Janet Pascal, author of many YA biographies and Viking’s senior copy-editor, lives in New York, New York.

Reviews

[Vera]

The book Who Was Maurice Sendak? is pretty good but kinda gets boring as it ends. Maurice is the author of many books and is the main character of this book. I think that this book could be improved by one little thing, that is describing more of his time when he was doing Mozart. I feel like this book could have been a little more less boring for me to want to read those again. I recommend this book to people who like history and don't get bored easily.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series of books. You learn a great deal about the person's life and a time line of their accomplishments and achievements. This book follows the life of Maurice Sendak and I must say that I was amazed learning all that he did in his life and even the little easter eggs he added to his illustrations. I definitely want to revisit his children's books now that I know how much extra intentions he added to them. I highly recommend this book as well as the series to everyone of all ages. The books give you a tidbit of info on their life which will make you want to know more.

[Garrett Zecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great little bedtime biography of the life of Maurice Sendak – an interesting and well-traveled life of a children’s book author that we are all familiar with. I enjoyed reading this with my youngest as he drifted off, learning about a Jewish author whose impact on children’s literature is unmistakable. His life seemed to be set up to help him succeed in every artistic venture at a time when the genre was exploding to become the next big thing with cutting-edge, dangerous art and thematic approaches to what childhood literature can be. The best parts of this book were honestly the super surprising ones that added a dimension to the life of a pretty awesome man – that he was with his lover he could not marry for fifty years, an intense, beautiful relationship we all wish we could have. He became considered for illustration after creating beautiful department store window displays and being noticed by a publisher strolling down the street. He also never forgot the horrific impact the holocaust had on his friends and family, and published elements that symbolically referenced that as well as other important events in his life into his work. He never stopped being on the cutting edge of children’s expectations and needs as an audience, and also never admitted to being a strictly children's book author. A great nutshell of a biography by Janet Pascal. We truly enjoyed it together – every time we pick up a “who was...” children's biography we are always happy with the results and the time we spend together.

[Ennika A]

Who was Muarice, by Janet B.Pascal, is a biography about a man who was famous for his picture books and his illustratings. In a young age, he started drawing, and telling stories. Although he was sick a lot, his window was the only way to see the real world. He says, “the window became my movie camera, my telivision set. . .” As he got older, he became more andf more famous, and was a beloved author. Want to learn more? Than you should read this biography. I chose to read this because I wanted to learn more about this unfamiliar person, and I recommend this book to people who want to learn more about him. I hope you enjoy this biography about such a talented man.

[Daphne Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter rated this two stars lower than others in this biography and history series, because not much exciting happened in it and a lot of bad things happened.

I really liked it. I only knew "Where the Wild Things Are" previously. I enjoyed hearing about his other books and look forward to reading them. I can appreciate that he was never afraid to introduce children to topics that weren't necessarily nice and polite. I had no idea that he had been involved in opera. I am reminded that knowing about a person's life adds depth and color to the books they've written.

[Talea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this little book. These Who Was books are amazing at introducing kids to people they might not have heard of otherwise. I admit I often go to children’s nonfiction books to get an idea about a topic I don’t know to see if I want to invest more time and effort into the person or topic. This little gem opened my eyes to the author of one of my family’s favorite books, Where the Wild Things Are! I had no clue! I’m going to be looking for more of his books.

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man of his time: having family killed in the Holocaust, the Lindberg baby's kidnapping. He knew the world was not all sunshine and flowers, therefore, he wrote what he knew. Also, his way of writing would shape children's books. This series is a delight for ages eight and up. Perhaps my favorite parts are the timelines, showing how the subject relates to the world overall.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fascination with Maurice Sendak started when I read Making Mischief: An appreciation of Maurice Sendak by Gregory Maguire. Read Making Mischief and you too will find yourself at the library seeking books about Maurice Sendak like this book by Janet Pascal and a few others. Fun Read.
Confession: it sent me down a path reading about Dr Seuss aka Theodore Geisel as well.

[Joey Oborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, Maurice Sendak was an author and an illustrator, and he liked to draw, so he wanted to become a artist and he did, and people loved his work. In 1963 he made a really good book that people loved and it was called , Where the Wild Things Are.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

OOPS I guess I did know his work.I actually think everyone or almost everyone knows Where the Wild Things Are.I didn't know he illustrated for Little bear which was one of my favorite things as a child.

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maurice Sendak is a hero. He was born with Mickey Mouse... that is on the same day. Sendak was an artist who became one of the world’s best story tellers. His personal history and accomplishments are beautiful. Everyone should become familiar with this writer.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

when I started reading this short book, I didn't know who Maurice Sendak was. I have read a few a the book he illustrated. I now know what a very talented person he was. And now I will read more of his books.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maurice Sendak was the author and illustrator of "Where the Wild Things Are". It was interesting to learn a bit about him. The most interesting fact to me was that there was an opera based on the book "Where the Wild Things Are".

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very descriptive. Great Book.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't even finish this thing. ugh.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy biography of author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. loved that this focused on his real life connections to his work along with some lesser known works. upper elementary

[Reving · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://revingsblog.blogspot.com/2018...

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. I found it to be thorough. Although there was much about the author's life I did not know, there was even more I discovered even if I had already known more about him!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

He seems like a really cool dude.

[Sondra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and deals graciously with difficult topics.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. Makes me want to read all of his books.
If all the other "Who was?" books are of this quality, as an elementary school teacher, I would recommend them for upper elementary students.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't even know he wrote some of those children's books! Great information about his life.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Maurice Sendak!! I figure if James Holzhauerr can make 2.5 million on jeopardy, gaining knowledge from children's books, I should start there. Please don't loose sleep..

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

we have the same birthday

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Who Was series...So honest. I respect that. Maurice Sendak's story is no different.
An amazing and gifted author and illustrator and future designer...
Check out his unique story

[Judy Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great bio, depicts wonderfully the gift of a genius and his remarkable achievements. Highly recommended for kids and young adults.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I love this series, this book was not a favorite for me. I’m not sure why Sendak’s books are favorites for children. Thought I might find out by reading this book. Not a fan of Sendak.

[Cindy Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read - amazing talent!

[Paula Claunch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely biography about the life of Maurice Sendak.

[Elexndra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great one from the who was series.
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