Today is 24th January, which can mean only one thing: it’s National Compliment Day
. For that reason, I am legally obliged to share—and not for the first time—an anecdote from Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, which never fails to make me smile. I hope you feel the same.
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.
Fresh Air
NPR
April 1986
I really like what you’ve done with your hair.
Thanks for the warm laugh.
That is so sweet!