The storyline evaporated as soon as I opened my eyes, but I can say with certainty that the Wild Things starred in my dream last night. I’m taking their appearance as a prompt to send you one of my favourite anecdotes of all time. It was shared by Maurice Sendak in April of 1986 in a Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross, and soon after was quoted, as follows, in Applause magazine.

Terry Gross: Can you share some of your favourite comments from readers that you’ve gotten over the years?

Maurice Sendak: Oh, there’s so many. Can I give you just one that I really like? It was from a little boy. He sent me a charming card with a little drawing. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters—sometimes very hastily—but this one I lingered over. I sent him a postcard and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, “Dear Jim, I loved your card.” Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, “Jim loved your card so much he ate it.” That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.