Higglety Pigglety Pop!: Or There Must Be More to Life [Hardcover]

Maurice Sendak (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: K and up

‘A daring imagination has woven a simple rhyme into a brilliantly original tale [about Jennie, the Sealyham terrier, who seeks Experience and becomes the star of the World Mother Goose Theatre].' 'H. ‘Superb fantasy.' 'BL.

Notable Children's Books of 1967 (ALA)
1968 Fanfare Honor List (H)
Best Books of 1967 (SLJ)
Children's Books of 1967 (Library of Congress)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As a tribute to his dearly departed pooch, Maurice Sendak wrote this odd little tale in 1967 about Jennie, a Sealyham terrier who is not content with having everything but must go out in the world to find something she doesn't have. Right off the bat, she comes across a pig wearing sandwich boards advertising the need for a leading lady in the World Mother Goose Theatre. Jennie leaps at the opportunity. Unfortunately, the position requires someone with experience, so she sets off to find it. One hungry lion and a stubborn un-hungry baby later, Jennie definitely has experience, if nothing else anymore, and off she goes to play the leading role in a nursery-rhyme-turned-theatrical-production:

Higglety-pigglety pop!
The dog has eaten the mop!
The pig's in a hurry
The cat's in a flurry
Higglety-pigglety pop!

This dreamy, slightly dark story, illustrated in Sendak's renowned pen-and-ink style, tells of a gluttonous dog's transformation from someone who cares only about her next salami sandwich to one who would risk her life for a weaker being (while still wondering where that next sandwich is coming from). Caldecott Medal artist Sendak is the brilliantly quirky creator of such classics as Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter

About the Author

Maurice Sendak received the Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are. He has also received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the National Medal of Arts, and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006028479X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060284794
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > New Experiences

More About the Author

For more than forty years, the books Maurice Sendak has written and illustrated have nurtured children and adults alike and have challenged established ideas about what children's literature is and should be. The New York Times has recognized that Sendak's work "has brought a new dimension to the American children's book and has helped to change how people visualize childhood." Parenting recently described Sendak as "indisputably, the most revolutionary force in children's books."
Winner of the 1964 Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are, in 1970 Sendak became the first American illustrator to receive the international Hans Christian Andersen Award, given in recognition of his entire body of work. In 1983, he received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association, also given for his entire body of work.
Beginning in 1952, with A Hole Is to Dig by Ruth Krauss, Sendak's illustrations have enhanced many texts by other writers, including the Little Bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik, children's books by Isaac Bashevis Singer and Randall Jarrell, and The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm. Dear Mili, Sendak's interpretation of a newly discovered tale by Wilhelm Grimm, was published to extraordinary acclaim in 1988.
In addition to Where the Wild Things Are (1963), Sendak has both written and illustrated
The Nutshell Library (1962), Higglety Pigglety Pop! (1967), In the Night Kitchen (1970), Outside Over There (1981), and, We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy (1993). He also illustrated Swine Lake (1999), authored by James Marshall, Brundibar (2003), by Tony Kushner, Bears (2005), by Ruth Krauss and, Mommy? (2006), his first pop-up book, with paper engineering by Matthew Reinhart and story by Arthur Yorinks.
Since 1980, Sendak has designed the sets and costumes for highly regarded productions of Mozart's The Magic Flute and Idomeneo, Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen, Prokofiev's
The Love for Three Oranges, Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, and Hans Krása's Brundibár.
In 1997, Sendak received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton. In 2003 he received the first Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, an international prize for children's literature established by the Swedish government. Maurice Sendak was born in Brooklyn in 1928. He now lives in Connecticut.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Belongs on every shelf, April 12, 2001

By 

Erik K (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or, There Must Be More to Life (Paperback)

This book belongs on every shelf, possibly next to The Little Prince or Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. This beautifully illustrated fable (Sendak wrote to deal with the death of his beloved Sealyham Terrier, Jennie) stars the always hungry, always selfish and always charming little dog Jennie. Though Jennie has everything, she decides there must be more to life and sets off to find it.

Along the way, there are feline milkmen, job applications to theatre companies, babies who won't eat, lions and the bit of Mother Goose rhyme from which the book takes its title. Somehow, the ending manages to be both uplifting and very sad at the same time, and when you're done, the little voice in your head will plead "read it again!".

Sendak's art is brilliant, carefully rendered black and white illustrations with charming characters and whimsical details that add to the text of the story. Sendak's storytelling as at it's peak here as well. It's much wordier than Wild Things, and also aimed at an older audience. If your kids are too young for this, buy it anyway. That way, it's there when they're ready.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great first chapter book for the youngest ones, June 15, 2001

By 

Ruddy "ruddy64" (South Pasadena, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Higglety Pigglety Pop!: Or There Must Be More to Life (Hardcover)

I have read this book to my daughter since she was about 3 and we return to it at least 3 times a year. The language is simple and witty, with a wonderful depth of feeling for Jennie and her desire to gain "experience". The darkly humorous chapter with Jennie attempting to placate the Baby is one of Sendak's best pieces of writing and both child and parent will find themselves imitating Baby's shouted speech with glee. This is a wonderful book to read aloud, but take time to savor the illustrations. Their off-kilter warmth caps a great reading experience.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book, two generations of fans!, June 23, 2001

By 

Byebyebuttercup (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Higglety Pigglety Pop!: Or There Must Be More to Life (Hardcover)

I loved it as a kid and had my husband read it years ago. Some of Jenny's quirks became permanent jokes between us (like when she passes out yet still wants syrup on her pancakes...)My 7-year-old son, a tough customer, also thinks the book is hysterical. It's funny on so many levels and the illustrations are beautiful.