莫里斯·桑達克是著名兒童文學圖畫書作家及插畫家。他最著名的作品為1963年出版的《野獸國》（Where the Wild Things Are），這個作品曾被改編成電影《野獸冒險樂園》。他曾經五度獲得美國圖畫書最高榮譽凱迪克獎（Caldecott Medal）。同時他也是第一位獲得國際安徒生插畫大獎（Hans Christian Andersen Award）的美國人。2012年5月8日於美國康乃狄克州丹伯里逝世，享年83歲
莫里斯·桑達克生於美國紐約布魯克林，雙親皆為波蘭猶太籍移民，而父親是一名裁縫。 桑達克形容自己的童年為“可怕的光景”，因為他的親戚死於大屠殺當中，讓年紀小小的他一早就已經體會到死亡。早年他因健康問題長期臥床，卻培養了喜愛閱讀的習慣。十二歲那年他看過了華特·迪士尼的幻想曲後，就志願要成為一位插圖家。而他第一份工作，就是為玩具店F.A.O. Schwarz設計櫥窗。 一九四七年，桑達克的插畫首次出版，出現在一本名為《Atomics for the Millions》的教科書，作者是Dr. Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff。一九五○年代，在桑達克開始寫自己的故事之前，他多數在為其他作者的童書畫插畫。
當桑達克在Harper & Row公司編輯的桌上看到Isaac Bashevis Singer第一篇兒童故事《Zlateh the Goat》的稿件時，他主動表示要為這部作品畫插畫。這本書在一九六六年首次出版，獲得紐伯瑞獎。桑達克對於這次的合作感到愉快，有滿腔熱忱。他曾經以揶揄的口氣說他和Singer合作，“終於”讓他的父母對他們最小的孩子留下深刻印象。
桑達克的《廚房之夜狂想曲In the Night Kitchen》（格林出版）於一九七○出版，這部作品經常涉及審查議題，因為書中的小男孩在畫面中都是裸身走動著。這本書在美國好幾個州都遭到非議，包括伊利諾伊、新澤西、明尼蘇達及德州。《廚房之夜狂想曲》經常出現在美國圖書館協會的“常禁書單”。在一九九○～一九九九年間一百本最常遭非議的書單當中名列第二十一。
一九八一年出版的《在那遙遠的地方Outside Over There》（麥田出版），故事是關於一個叫做Ida的女孩，探討她對於兄弟姐妹的嫉妒情結及其責任感。她的父親離家，Ida被留下來看顧妹妹，這使她相當失望。她妹妹遭小妖精（goblins）綁架，Ida必須展開一段奇幻旅程去解救妹妹。一開始她並不真的渴望找到妹妹，在尋找的過程中，她受神奇的事物吸引，幾乎與妹妹擦身而過。最後，她救出妹妹，毀滅小妖精，返家並許諾在父親回家之前會擔起照顧妹妹的責任。
文集
Kenny's Window (1956)
Very Far Away (1957)
The Sign on Rosie's Door (1960)
The Nutshell Library (1962)
Alligators All Around (An Alphabet)
Chicken Soup with Rice (A Book of Months)
One Was Johnny (A Counting Book)
Pierre (A Cautionary Tale)
Where the Wild Things Are (1963)
Let's Be Enemies (written by Janice May Udry) (1965)
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life (1967) ISBN 0-06-028479-X
In the Night Kitchen (1970)
Ten Little Rabbits: A Counting Book with Mino the Magician (1970)
Some Swell Pup or Are You Sure You Want a Dog? (written by Maurice Sendak & Matthew Margolis, and illustrated by Maurice Sendak) (1976)
Seven Little Monsters (1977)
Fantasy Sketches (1981)
Outside Over There (1981)
Caldecott and Co: Notes on Books and Pictures (an anthology of essays on children's literature) (1988)
We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy (1993)
Maurice Sendak's Christmas Mystery (1995) (a box containing a book and a jigsaw puzzle)
Mommy? (Sendak's first pop-up book) (2006) ISBN 0-439-88050-5
Bumble-Ardy (2011) ISBN 0-06-205198-9
插畫
Atomics for the Millions (by Dr. Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff) (1947)
The Wonderful Farm (by Marcel Aymé) (1951)
Good Shabbos Everybody (by Robert Garvey) (1951)
A Hole is to Dig (by Ruth Krauss) (1952)
A Very Special House (by Ruth Krauss) (1953)
Hurry Home Candy (by Meindert DeJong) (1953)
The Giant Story (by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers) (1953)
The Tin Fiddle (by Edward Tripp) (1954)
The Wheel on the School (by Meindert DeJong) (1954)
Happy Hanukah Everybody (by Hyman Chanover & Alice Chanover) (1955)
Little Cow & the Turtle (by Meindert DeJong) (1955)
Singing Family of the Cumberlands (by Jean Ritchie) (Oxford University Press, 1955)
What Can You Do with a Shoe? (by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers) (1955, re-colored 1997)
Seven Little Stories on Big Subjects (by Gladys Baker Bond) (1955)
I Want to Paint My Bathroom Blue (by Ruth Krauss) (1956)
The Birthday Party (by Ruth Krauss) (1957)
Little Bear, by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Sendak (there was also a TV series based on this series of books)
Little Bear (1957)
Father Bear Comes Home (1959)
Little Bear's Friend (1960)
Little Bear's Visit (1961)
A Kiss for Little Bear (1968)
Along Came a Dog (by Meindert DeJong) (1958)
No Fighting, No Biting! (by Else Holmelund Minarik) (1958)
What Do You Say, Dear? (by Sesyle Joslin) (1958)
Seven Tales by H. C. Andersen (translated by Eva Le Gallienne) (1959)
The Moon Jumpers (by Janice May Udry)(1959)
Open House for Butterflies (by Ruth Krauss) (1960)
Best in Children's Books: Volume 31 (various authors and illustrators: featuring, Windy Wash Day and Other Poems by Dorothy Aldis, illustrations by Sendak) (1960)
Best in Children's Books: Volume 41 (various authors and illustrators: featuring, What the Good-Man Does Is Always Right by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrations by Sendak (1961)
Let's Be Enemies (by Janice Udry) (1961)
What Do You Do, Dear? (by Sesyle Joslin) (1961)
The Big Green Book (by Robert Graves) (1962)
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present (by Charlotte Zolotow) (1962)
The Singing Hill (by Meindert DeJong) (1962) (Harper Row)
Dwarf Long-Nose (by Wilhelm Hauff, translated by Doris Orgel) (1963)
The Griffin and the Minor Canon (by Frank R. Stockton) (1963)
How Little Lori Visited Times Square (by Amos Vogel) (1963)
She Loves Me...She Loves Me Not... (by Robert Keeshan AKA Captain Kangaroo) (1963)
McCall's: August 1964; VOL XCI, No 11 (featuring The Young Crane by Andrejs Upits, Illustrated by Sendak)
The Bee-Man of Orn (by Frank R. Stockton) (1964)
The Animal Family (by Randall Jarrell) (1965)
Hector Protector and As I Went Over the Water: Two Nursery Rhymes (traditional nursery rhymes) (1965)
Lullabyes and Night Songs (by Alec Wilder, edited by William Engvick) (1965)
Zlateh The Goat (by Isaac Bashevis Singer) (1966)
The Bat-Poet (by Randall Jarrell) (1964)
The House of Sixty Fathers (by Meindert De Jong) (1966)
The Saturday Evening Post: May 4, 1968; 241st year, Issue no. 9 (features Yash The Chimney Sweep by Isaac Bashevis Singer)
I'll Be You and You Be Me (by Ruth Krauss) (1973)
The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm: Volumes 1 & 2 (translated by Lore Segal with four tales translated by Randall Jarrell) (1973 both volumes)
King Grisly-Beard (by Brothers Grimm) (1973)
Pleasant Fieldmouse (by Jan Wahl) (1975)
Charlotte and the White Horse (by Ruth Krauss) (1955)
Fly by Night (by Randall Jarrell) (1976)
The Light Princess (by George MacDonald) (1977)
Shadrach (by Meindert Dejong) (1977)
The Big Green Book (by Robert Graves) (1978)
Nutcracker (by E.T.A. Hoffmann) (1984)
The Love for Three Oranges (The Glyndebourne Version, by Frank Corsaro based on L'Amour des Trois Oranges (by Serge Prokofiev) (1984)
Circus Girl (by Jack Sendak) (1985)
In Grandpa's House (by Philip Sendak) (1985)
The Cunning Little Vixen (by Rudolf Tesnohlidek) (1985)
Dear Mili (written by Wilhelm Grimm) (1988)
Sing a Song of Popcorn (by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers with various illustrators including Sendak) (1988)
The Big Book for Peace (various authors and illustrators, cover also by Sendak) (1990)
I Saw Esau (edited by Iona Opie and Peter Opie) (1992)
The Golden Key (by George MacDonald) (1992) ISBN 0-374-42590-6
We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy: Two Nursery Rhymes with Pictures (traditional nursery rhymes) (Harper Collins) (1993)
Pierre: or, The Ambiguities: The Kraken Edition (by Herman Melville) (1995) ISBN 978-0-06-118009-5
The Miami Giant (by Arthur Yorinks) (1995)
Frank and Joey Go to Work (by Arthur Yorinks), also has additional illustrations by Ky Chung (1996)
Penthesilea (by Heinrich von Kleist, translated and introduced by Joel Agee) (1998) ISBN 0-06-095632-1
Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom (by Ursula Nordstrom, edited by Leonard S. Marcus) ISBN 0-06-023625-6
Swine Lake (by James Marshall) (1999)
Brundibár (by Tony Kushner) (2003)
Sarah's Room (by Doris Orgel) (2003)
The Happy Rain (by Jack Sendak) (2004)
Bears! (by Ruth Krauss) (2005)
作品集
The Art of Maurice Sendak (by Selma G. Lanes) (1980) ISBN 0-8109-1600-2
The Art of Maurice Sendak: From 1980 to the Present (by Tony Kushner) (2003) ISBN 0-8109-4448-0
Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation (by Gregory Maguire) (2009) ISBN 0-06-168916-5
電影
1973: Where the Wild Things Are (story)
2009: Where The Wild Things Are (story)
2009: Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak, documentary filmed by Lance Bangs and Where the Wild Things Are directorSpike Jonze. Released in the US on DVD by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
2010: Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life (story), an animated/live action short adapted and directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Clyde Henry Productions), produced by Spike Jonze, Vincent Landay and Marcy Page (National Film Board of Canada)
其他著作
他自己寫作並配插圖的作品還有：《堅果圖書館》（Nutshell Library）（1962年）、《亂七八糟，砰！》 （1967年）、《七個小妖怪》（1977年）以及講述發生在一名嬰兒和兩名流浪人之間的故事的《我們與傑克和蓋伊都沮喪》（We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy）（1993年）；由他設計插圖的的作品還有：《七個故事》（Seven Tales）（1959年）、《刺松樹及其他故事》（The Juniper Tree and Other Tales）（1973年）和《親愛的小莉》（1988年）；《凱迪克獎與公司：書籍圖片注》（Caldecott & Co.: Notes on Books and Pictures）（1988年）是桑達克的兒童文學隨筆集；桑達克還為《魔笛》等歌劇和其他舞台表演設計場景和服裝；他還與美國劇作家托尼·庫什納合作創作了劇本《大黃蜂》（2003年），這本圖畫書描寫了二戰期間德國集中營內的一群孩子表演的一場戲劇。
莫里斯·桑達克
野獸出沒的地方
在那遙遠的地方