Maurice Sendak (born 1928, Brooklyn, New York) brought family stories, Yiddish culture, opera, and European illustration traditions to his work. His stories took children’s inner lives seriously, honoring their fears, desires, and impulses towards testing boundaries through adventure. Where the Wild Things Are, the most celebrated of these, focused on imagination and mischief, expanding the scope of what a picture book could be. Over a career spanning nearly one hundred books, Sendak earned the Caldecott Medal and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. 

This poster was made for the 1990s congress of IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People. Max, the protagonist of Where the Wild Things Are, appears in this signature wolf suit alongside a horned, clawed Wild Thing. Beyond his books, Sendak produced posters and materials for organizations dedicated to children’s reading.