Despite his many awards, Sendak's books have at times met with controversy. He has been criticized for writing books that are considered too scary or not comforting enough for children.

In response to criticisms about the political content of We Are All in the Dumps and the frontal nudity of a character in In the Night Kitchen, Sendak criticized adults' tendency not to appreciate the interests and passions of children.

By overprotecting children, Sendak said, "we have become dumber and dumber and dumber."

Sendak also talked at length about the authors, poets and musicians who have influenced his own work, including Keats, Dickinson, Shakespeare, Mozart, Shostakovich and Melville.

His stay at Harvard was timed to include visits to the Keats and Dickinson rooms at Houghton Library where he plans to look for inspiration for his current project. The author revealed that he has been working on a book for the past four years, and hopes to have a draft ready by this fall.

In response to a question posed by Professor of German Maria M. Tatar about Sendak's favorite book, the author cited Shakespeare's play, "A Winter's Tale."

"I read it over and over, mystified, thinking, 'How can I steal this?' And I will," he said.