Where the Wild Things Are is hailed as the king of the Wild Things and enjoys a playful romp with his subjects. However, he starts to feel lonely and decides to return home, to the Wild Things' dismay. Upon returning to his bedroom, Max discovers a hot supper waiting for him. Sendak began his career as an illustrator, but by the mid-1950s he had decided to start both writing and illustrating his own books. In 1956, he published his first book for which he was the sole author, "Kenny's Window" (1956). Soon after, he began work on another solo effort. The story was supposed to
Where the Wild Things Are "The Art of Maurice Sendak", Sendak discusses "Where the Wild Things Are" along with his other books "In the Night Kitchen" and "Outside Over There" as a sort of trilogy centered on children's growth, survival, change, and fury. He indicated that the three books are "all variations on the same theme: how children master various feelings – danger, boredom, fear, frustration, jealousy – and manage to come to grips with the realities of their lives." Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". Five years later