A new book from Maurice Sendak
Let the wild rumpus start!
Maurice Sendak, beloved author-illustrator of “Where The Wild Things Are” and more than 100 other titles, has a new book coming out in the fall.
The Wall Street Journal’s blog “The Juggle” said it’s the first book that the 82-year-old has both written and illustrated in nearly 30 years.
A Journal article reported that Harper Collins will publish the new Sendak work, Bumble-Ardy, “the story of a pig who has his first-ever birthday party when he turn 9.” The seed for the story was planted in 1971 with an animated “Sesame Street” short by Sendak. (Bumble-Ardy was a boy in that story, though, not a pig.) Sendak told the Journal that he had been unable to forget the character: "He was funny. He was robust. He was sly. He was a sneak. He was all the things I like."
A You Tube clip of the Sesame Street short shows the story of a boy inviting nine pigs to his home for birthday cake and wine. (In a sign of modern times, the Journal reported that the “wine” will be changed to “brine” in the new book.) Bumble-Ardy’s mother, coming home to find the pack of “swilling swine,” shrieks this glorious epithet: “Split, get lost, vamoose, just scram, or else I’ll slice you into ham.” Fortunately, the story does end happily. It’s vintage Sendak, fitting right in with anti-heroes like Pierre and like Max, king of all the Wild Things. How exciting to return to one of these worlds that we love best of all.
Sendak's books have sold nearly 30 million copies in the US and have been translated into more than 30 languages. He received the 1964 Caldecott Medal for "Where the Wild Things Are." "Bumble Ardy" is the first book he's illustrated and written since "Outside Over There" in 1981.
Seattle writer Rebekah Denn blogs at eatallaboutit.com
