Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation by Gregory Maguire


Published in 2009 by William Morrow

Maurice Sendak is a staple of children's literature, much like Dr. Seuss. And, much like Dr. Seuss, there's much more going on in the books than a snappy text and some neat pictures. There's breadth and depth that don't don't have to be noted to appreciate a good surface story. Maguire brings to light some of the these oft-overlooked aspects to Sendak's work in this coffee table book.

I have long been a casual fan of Sendak. I love the unique personalities of each of the monsters in Where the Wild Things Are and just a few days ago my daughter delighted with a bedtime reading of One Was Johnny: A Counting Book.

Making Mischief was interesting in that it showed some of the many themes that have run throughout Sendak's career as an author of more than 20 books and the illustrator of dozens more. It is easily accessible by the serious fan and the more casual fan. The book is loaded with pictures and they are given great respect since the book is printed in color and on very high quality paper.

The text is derived from a speech given at a symposium by Maguire in 2003 at MIT.

 I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

 This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation by Gregory Maguire.

 Reviewed on May 27, 2010.

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