Where the Wild Things Are Resources

In 2013, on the 50th anniversary of the publication of Where the Wild Things Are, the Maurice Sendak Memorial Exhibition was created. You can see some of the featured pieces and read about the tour. Be sure to check out the pages under the "fifty" link—all of which contain some great inspiration and information.

The official site for the 2009 Warner Bros. movie contains video footage, a photo gallery, and a few free downloads…like wallpaper and a screensaver for your computer.

HarperCollins has a Where the Wild Things Are page with information about Maurice Sendak, his books, and the movie. And under "extras," they have some printable coloring pages with scenes from WtWTA. Fun!

Yes, the official Where the Wild Things Are Facebook page already has well over 2 million likes, but that shouldn't stop you from visiting.

In 2009, Dave Eggers and Spike Jonze put out a film version of Where the Wild Things Are that was pretty well-received. It was nominated for and won a few awards.

Get two-and-a-half minutes of wild things with this glimpse into the Spike Jonze/Dave Eggers version of Sendak's story.

Opera? Yes, opera. Before the big live-action movie production in 2009, there was an operatic version of Where the Wild Things Are, produced in part by the BBC. Maurice Sendak wrote the libretto (the words), and Oliver Knussen wrote the music and conducted.

The operatic version of Where the Wild Things Are, which was co-written in 1984 by Maurice Sendak and Oliver Knussen, is still being performed. It opened in Brazil in 2016 and in Germany in 2017.

If not, you can see the score of the Where the Wild Things Are opera (all 141 pages of it) in Faber Music's score library.

This 2003 Spike Jonze documentary predates the Jonze/Eggers Where the Wild Things Are movie adaptation, but it's highly likely that Jonze's interview with Sendak was a big influence on the production. In this documentary, Jonze interviews Sendak, and they discuss his life, his work, his obsession with death, and much, much more.

This Guardian article reviews a 2012 production of the Where the Wild Things Are opera, written collaboratively by Maurice Sendak and composer/conductor Oliver Knussen in 1984.

This 2004 interview of Sendak by Bill Moyers covers everything from Sendak's early career to his views of childhood, his thoughts on children's literature, and the Holocaust.

In an interview with POZ.com, Sendak discusses his mural at the Gay Men's Health Crisis building in Manhattan. He also weighs in on just what is—and is not—appropriate to talk about with children. Hint: Sendak thinks that just about everything is fair game.

BBC News' tribute to Sendak offers up several interesting facts about the author and his life, including that more than 19 million copies of Where the Wild Things Are had been sold worldwide by the time of his death.

In this comprehensive 1966 profile of Maurice Sendak from The New Yorker, writer Nat Hentoff details his interview with Maurice Sendak, discusses Sendak's work in depth, and even meets Jennie, the little white terrier featured in many of Sendak's illustrations.

This 1975 video features Sendak's original illustrations, music by Peter Schickele (of the Schikele Mix), and narration by Allen Swift. Think of it as video storytime.

Watch President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama read Where the Wild Things Are at the 2016 White House Easter Egg Roll.

Singer Alessia Cara acknowledges that her song "Wild Things" is a nod to Sendak's classic children's picture book. And, indeed, in the official video, she and her friends dance around in animal masks enjoying their own wild rumpus.

In this nearly 20-minute interview with Terry Gross from 2011, Maurice Sendak discusses his views on life, his desire to have (and not have) children, the death of his longtime partner, being gay, and, of course, his books. Among other things.

Maurice Sendak talks about the process of creating and drawing the wild things for their eponymous book.

NPR remembers Maurice Sendak's contributions to the world of children's literature in this six-minute piece.

This still from a production of the Maurice Sendak/Oliver Knussen Where the Wild Things Are opera shows the orchestra, some of the players, and an illustration done by a student.

A portrait of Maurice Sendak.

You know it, you love it, you'd recognize it anywhere.

Here's the official movie poster for the 2009 adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are.