What do you think?
Rate this book
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life
Amazon Editors recommend this book for readers who enjoy chapter books with more complexity or entry-level middle grade novels. 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)
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)
69 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1967
About the author
Maurice Sendak
334 books2,033 followersMaurice Bernard Sendak was an American writer and illustrator of children's literature who is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963. An elementary school (from kindergarten to grade five) in North Hollywood, California is named in his honor.
Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, and decided to become an illustrator after viewing Walt Disney's film Fantasia at the age of twelve. His illustrations were first published in 1947 in a textbook titled Atomics for the Millions by Dr. Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff. He spent much of the 1950s working as an artist for children's books, before beginning to write his own stories.
Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, and decided to become an illustrator after viewing Walt Disney's film Fantasia at the age of twelve. His illustrations were first published in 1947 in a textbook titled Atomics for the Millions by Dr. Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff. He spent much of the 1950s working as an artist for children's books, before beginning to write his own stories.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
January 7, 2018
This is a darker Children's book. The dog is not happy with everything so she goes out to find Experience. There is also a theatre company and it turns out she wants to act. She ends up in an audition and doesn't know it.
The dog is not satisfied and she is seeking. She does end up being happy in the end. It is like a child needing to leave home and make their own life.
The art is stunning in this book.
The dog is not satisfied and she is seeking. She does end up being happy in the end. It is like a child needing to leave home and make their own life.
The art is stunning in this book.
December 4, 2022
A funny nonsensical story about a little Sealyham terrier who has a lovely home but longs for adventure.
Sendak's illustrations of Jenny, the Sealyham terrier are really lovely, they are wonderful observations and very endearing pictures.
Slightly scary as you might expect from a Sendak but it all ends well.
Sendak's illustrations of Jenny, the Sealyham terrier are really lovely, they are wonderful observations and very endearing pictures.
Slightly scary as you might expect from a Sendak but it all ends well.
June 13, 2007
This is one of the most special books of my childhood, and admittedly an unusual one. This is a somewhat dark book for a child - really, it's not meant for children. It's about a dissatisfaction with the norm and with perfection, and the (often futile) quest to find "experience" and "something more." It's not a book with a heartwarming lesson, and it's actually quite surreal. Sendak wrote it to deal with the death of his beloved dog Jennie. I love this book dearly and recommend it to anyone going through a mid- or quarter-life crisis.
December 5, 2022
I've had this in my collection for, um, decades, but somehow it just kept missing me. Finally, I have grabbed it and finished reading it, though I tried to pretend it was going to go on forever (because I wanted it to never end).
This is Jenny.
She is the very proud owner of one round pillow (upstairs) and one square pillow (downstairs). Her treasured possessions include a bottle of eyedrops, a bottle of eardrops, some pills, a comb and brush, and a red sweater. But Jenny isn't satisfied.
I am discontented. I want something I do not have. There must be more to life than having everything!
So Jenny leaves home.
She learns she must gain "experience" in order to get a job. However, she certainly never dreamed of the type of experience she would, er, experience.
I was never a big Sendak fan, but this story is different. The drawings/engravings are simply the best, with the expressions and movements of a Sealyham Terrier perfectly captured. Jenny is a bit spoiled and more of a taker than a giver, which is why it is a good read-together for parent and child. The wee ones will learn that we must also sacrifice every once in a while.
Book Season = Spring (when dogs go places and look life in the face)
This is Jenny.
She is the very proud owner of one round pillow (upstairs) and one square pillow (downstairs). Her treasured possessions include a bottle of eyedrops, a bottle of eardrops, some pills, a comb and brush, and a red sweater. But Jenny isn't satisfied.
I am discontented. I want something I do not have. There must be more to life than having everything!
So Jenny leaves home.
She learns she must gain "experience" in order to get a job. However, she certainly never dreamed of the type of experience she would, er, experience.
I was never a big Sendak fan, but this story is different. The drawings/engravings are simply the best, with the expressions and movements of a Sealyham Terrier perfectly captured. Jenny is a bit spoiled and more of a taker than a giver, which is why it is a good read-together for parent and child. The wee ones will learn that we must also sacrifice every once in a while.
Book Season = Spring (when dogs go places and look life in the face)
May 8, 2008
I must have read this book every night before bedtime for years and years of my childhood. There's just something so creepy and fascinating about it -- I think it's impossible to put your finger on it, but I remember being drawn to it even when there were plenty of new books to tackle. The illustration is particularly chilling. If it seems a little odd (or completely bizarre) when you first check it out, give it another chance. Sendak is a genius.
February 27, 2022
Thanks to my aunt Téa, the fine artist, for gifting me this treasure of a book when I was small. I thought of it again today... Wonderful illustrations and story!
June 26, 2018
For some reason, I was determined to read more of Mr. Sendak's books, hoping to find one that I could appreciate for his unique artistic style and abstract humor.
The black and white illustrations are humorous and really help to convey the strange plot of the story. No matter how hard I try, though, it just didn't do anything for me.
Meh.
The black and white illustrations are humorous and really help to convey the strange plot of the story. No matter how hard I try, though, it just didn't do anything for me.
Meh.
March 23, 2023
Who wouldn't give Maurice Sendak four stars? I love the absurdity of this little book and the illustrations are superb. However, the repeated message is that it's okay to have everything and be dissatisfied. Then, instead of working out why you are dissatisfied, you just leave and (of course) there must be something better. The moral of the story is, if the going gets tough, don't stick around, look for greener pastures and they will be there. Not a great life lesson but if you're looking for a little fun, this book is marvellous!
February 14, 2017
For years and years I have tried to find a book I read as a child. It filled me with such a feeling of wonder, and I remembered that, but I couldn't remember much else. I thought it had "yonder" in the title, but when I searched and searched, nothing came up. I felt like there was a "fairy tale" or "Mother Goose" vibe, though I couldn't place it -- I had a strong recollection of Old Mother Hubbard. I thought I remembered an illustration of a girl, looking out over the land while sweeping a stoop. I remembered a moon. I remembered she went on a journey.
I have googled up and down, browsed through so many books and asked and asked and asked. Nothing came close. Then just yesterday, at a stop at a thrift store, I looked up at the top shelf and saw something familiar: "Higglety Pigglety Pop!" I pulled it down, surprised to see a Maurice Sendak book that I didn't know anything about, and then I started shaking because I knew, right away, that it was this book. This was the book that charmed me just enough to stay with me nearly two decades later after reading it a single time; this was the book that got away, that try as I might I couldn't find.
At first, I thought I had just made up the whole "yonder" thing, but once I reached the part with Castle Yonder, I grinned until I thought my face would fall off.
And do you see all the other ways in which my memories were so so jumbled but ultimately right? That the Mother Goose vibe I had came from the Mother Goose theatre! And being based around a nursery rhyme! And the main character is female, if not strictly a girl. And she totally looks out over the land before going on an adventure. And those illustrations with the moon later on! And sweeping the stoop? She never did, of course, but a broom features heavily -- of course I would associate a broom with the book. And Old Mother Hubbard -- Jennie is a dog!
I'm impressed with my memory for hanging all to all of these scraps for all these years. Sometimes I start to think that some of the books I'm remembering never really existed because the memories are so faint and vague. Finding this book certainly gives me hopes -- there are a few more out there that I'm still looking for.
This book is fantastic, and what a relief to find a once-loved book and still love it.
I have googled up and down, browsed through so many books and asked and asked and asked. Nothing came close. Then just yesterday, at a stop at a thrift store, I looked up at the top shelf and saw something familiar: "Higglety Pigglety Pop!" I pulled it down, surprised to see a Maurice Sendak book that I didn't know anything about, and then I started shaking because I knew, right away, that it was this book. This was the book that charmed me just enough to stay with me nearly two decades later after reading it a single time; this was the book that got away, that try as I might I couldn't find.
At first, I thought I had just made up the whole "yonder" thing, but once I reached the part with Castle Yonder, I grinned until I thought my face would fall off.
And do you see all the other ways in which my memories were so so jumbled but ultimately right? That the Mother Goose vibe I had came from the Mother Goose theatre! And being based around a nursery rhyme! And the main character is female, if not strictly a girl. And she totally looks out over the land before going on an adventure. And those illustrations with the moon later on! And sweeping the stoop? She never did, of course, but a broom features heavily -- of course I would associate a broom with the book. And Old Mother Hubbard -- Jennie is a dog!
I'm impressed with my memory for hanging all to all of these scraps for all these years. Sometimes I start to think that some of the books I'm remembering never really existed because the memories are so faint and vague. Finding this book certainly gives me hopes -- there are a few more out there that I'm still looking for.
This book is fantastic, and what a relief to find a once-loved book and still love it.
October 30, 2010
Don’t be expecting ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ because this is wilder and far more quirky. If you are only familiar with the illustrative style Sendak uses in ‘Wild Things’ or ‘Night Kitchen,’ this will serve as a good introduction to a darker and more intricate Sendak, steeped in Doré and Dürer.
Jennie, a terrier who seems to pop up in other Sendak books, packs her black leather bag with gold buckles and is off on a mission to answer the question implicit in ‘Higglety’s’ subtitle. The answer is, of course, yes.
It’s the oddest version of positive affirmation I’ve ever come across, though. Be prepared to be astonished, delighted, and maybe a little frightened.
Highly recommended for weird children of any age.
Jennie, a terrier who seems to pop up in other Sendak books, packs her black leather bag with gold buckles and is off on a mission to answer the question implicit in ‘Higglety’s’ subtitle. The answer is, of course, yes.
It’s the oddest version of positive affirmation I’ve ever come across, though. Be prepared to be astonished, delighted, and maybe a little frightened.
Highly recommended for weird children of any age.
May 8, 2012
This was one of my favorite books as a child and has remained so in my adult years. It is the longest of Sendak's works, perhaps because it covers so many themes: the meaninglessness of materialism, dissatisfaction with one's lifestyle, the value of unusual experiences, the cunning necessary to survive, the true "having it all."
5/8/12 - I reread it today, after learning Sendak had died. Jennie is based on Sendak's own dog, Jennie, and the book was written as her memorial. Even as a child, I read this as a version of Doggie Heaven, and it offered me great comfort when my best dog friend died, and it offers me comfort now with the passing of a great author.
5/8/12 - I reread it today, after learning Sendak had died. Jennie is based on Sendak's own dog, Jennie, and the book was written as her memorial. Even as a child, I read this as a version of Doggie Heaven, and it offered me great comfort when my best dog friend died, and it offers me comfort now with the passing of a great author.
November 4, 2012
"There must be more to life than having everything!"
This book was recommended to me very recently by a friend who loves Maurice Sendak with all of his heart. So, I definitely expected something lovely, but was surprised by just how much this story endeared and moved me.
This book is:
-delightful
-wisely written
-frothing at the brim with whimsy
-beautifully illustrated (I MEAN, COME ON! IT'S SENDAK!)
-full of good lessons
Also, there is a narration by Tammy Grimes that truly is remarkable. Her voice makes me feel like a child at a fireplace hearing a tale from his grandmother. It is perfect. Like this book.
This book was recommended to me very recently by a friend who loves Maurice Sendak with all of his heart. So, I definitely expected something lovely, but was surprised by just how much this story endeared and moved me.
This book is:
-delightful
-wisely written
-frothing at the brim with whimsy
-beautifully illustrated (I MEAN, COME ON! IT'S SENDAK!)
-full of good lessons
Also, there is a narration by Tammy Grimes that truly is remarkable. Her voice makes me feel like a child at a fireplace hearing a tale from his grandmother. It is perfect. Like this book.
January 17, 2010
Sendak once again creates a children's book with very adult themes. Dissatisfaction with your life, clinging to the dream and possibility of what you could be, and what it really means to have everything. The story itself is about a terrier who has seemingly has everything but wants more. In particular, Jennie wants to be the leading lady in The World Mother Goose Theater. The book is rich and densely layered with the themes. The illustrations are intricate black and white drawings. It appears that Maurice Sendak had a terrier named Jennie which explains the terrier that stole the show in One Was Jonny. Also, there is another example of a character being eaten by a lion. A very challenging children's book that also can resonate quite a bit with adults.
January 8, 2022
I read this aloud to my dog. She enjoyed it.
December 19, 2022
a certified hood classic.
September 13, 2008
I found this book at a used book store. Many may be familiar with the author Maurice Sendak who also wrote “Where the Wild Things Are,” but this is not the same kind of book in many ways. From the lines of Mother Goose, Mr. Sendak elaborates a modern tale of multiple themes. Its comic surface is the tale of Jennie the Sealyham terrier, who packs her black leather bag with the gold buckles and goes out into the world to look for something more than everything. Besides the story, it is also the many marvelous, quality pen and ink drawings that provide the dark counterpoint to Jennie’s story. This is an excellent book that belongs on everyone’s shelf, especially the hardcover edition. You can go to a ‘silly’ movie of whatever genre, be somewhat entertained, but come away with the same blank canvas you had before you saw the movie, but reading this ‘children’s literature’ book affords you with not only a foray into another type of world, but will, may, or indeed should give you pause to reflect about certain aspects of your own life’s values and what is really important. It acts as a catalyst for deeper thought.
I would be interested to hear what others have to say about what came to mind while they were reading and after they read this book. What really does “pop” in our “higglety pigglety” lives, as well as other questions?
I would be interested to hear what others have to say about what came to mind while they were reading and after they read this book. What really does “pop” in our “higglety pigglety” lives, as well as other questions?
February 26, 2016
Jennie the dog has everything a dog or man could ask for. Seeking adventure, she leaves her life of comfort. Meeting characters from the World Mother Goose Theatre, she longs to become a member.
Alas, she must first have real life experience and adventures. When she lands a job as a nanny to a spoiled baby, her adventure begins. Unable to get the baby to eat, previous nannies were eaten by the family lion. Instead, this time, the lion eats baby.
As the tale ends, Jennie joins the troup, the lion and baby return and all is well.
Sendak created this story from the lines of a Mother Goose poem. I didn't like the book. The illustrations were harsh, particularly the face of the baby, which seemed adult like and down-right scary.
Alas, she must first have real life experience and adventures. When she lands a job as a nanny to a spoiled baby, her adventure begins. Unable to get the baby to eat, previous nannies were eaten by the family lion. Instead, this time, the lion eats baby.
As the tale ends, Jennie joins the troup, the lion and baby return and all is well.
Sendak created this story from the lines of a Mother Goose poem. I didn't like the book. The illustrations were harsh, particularly the face of the baby, which seemed adult like and down-right scary.
June 21, 2015
This is one of my favorite books from childhood. And who doesn't love Maurice Sendak? This is a slightly longer book and has some humor that I noticed my almost-5-year-old didn't get. We had to read it over two sessions. When I was a kid, my favorite illustration was the one where Baby is about to bite Jennie's tail. I've always loved this book!
May 29, 2013
The story is cute, but the art work is staggeringly good. Make me want to rush out and get a dog just like Jennie.
June 11, 2016
Love Maurice Sendak's books and this one doesn't disappoint!
December 4, 2017
All I can remember is crying, from the beginning to the end.
June 3, 2023
I read this book over and over at my friend’s house back when we were in 3rd grade. Recently, I watched the lovely Spike Jonze documentary about Sendak in which the author admitted this much-loved (by me) book was also his favorite. It inspired me to revisit this strange, delightful little book—and, finally, to purchase a copy of my own.
September 18, 2023
Part picture book and part novella, this Mother Goose-like fable follows a little dog who leaves her cozy domesticated life to find something that she doesn’t have and it will lead her on a surprising journey to find what she was looking for.
A charming and very unique type of Maurice Sendak book that’s about discovery, self-confidence and finding who you are. A- (91%/Excellent)
A charming and very unique type of Maurice Sendak book that’s about discovery, self-confidence and finding who you are. A- (91%/Excellent)
Read
March 22, 2021What a strange little book. I loved the illustrations though, and the fact that it featured a Sealy.
July 14, 2018
I have thought about this book for years. I couldn't remember the title and though I had ransacked my parents' bookshelves, it wasn't one that had made the cut from childhood to empty nest.
I remember being fascinated by this book. I remember reading it, at about age 7, and being fixated on things - the dark theme, the deeper meanings I didn't understand, the illustrations.
I've been looking for this book for 22 years. All I could recall was a gigantic baby, an animal (I though penguin?) with a sandwich board (I believed proclaiming the end of the world). I knew the illustrations were black and white, and that it was a chapter book. But --- it's amazing how unhelpful Google is when you're searching for random memories you can't quite trust from a 7 year old brain.
Thanks much to Andria who finally solved the mystery! I have an order pending from Amazon. I am dying to receive this by mail. 22 years later, I finally get to re-read this.
---
Read (finally received it via mail) --- and a little sad. It's not quite what I had remembered! I think as a kid, the illustrations must have been very striking. They still are now. Rhoda the milkmaid and "Baby" are both very distinctive to me. What a beautiful and haunting little book!
---
Watched Maurice Sendak on the Colbert Report - what a funny man. I wish I could have met him. I originally looked for the Colbert Report interview because I had heard he mentioned Higglety Pigglety Pop as his favorite book on this interview - but this is not the case.
I did find an obit by the Guardian which had this wonderful line:
"His dog was his idea of perfect company, he said, and he declared Jennie, the Sealyham heroine for whom Higglety Pigglety Pop! (1967) was created as she lay dying, to have been the love of his life."
In the obit, it mentions The Night Kitchen as his most personal story and his most favorite.
---
Maurice and Jennie on the left.
I remember being fascinated by this book. I remember reading it, at about age 7, and being fixated on things - the dark theme, the deeper meanings I didn't understand, the illustrations.
I've been looking for this book for 22 years. All I could recall was a gigantic baby, an animal (I though penguin?) with a sandwich board (I believed proclaiming the end of the world). I knew the illustrations were black and white, and that it was a chapter book. But --- it's amazing how unhelpful Google is when you're searching for random memories you can't quite trust from a 7 year old brain.
Thanks much to Andria who finally solved the mystery! I have an order pending from Amazon. I am dying to receive this by mail. 22 years later, I finally get to re-read this.
---
Read (finally received it via mail) --- and a little sad. It's not quite what I had remembered! I think as a kid, the illustrations must have been very striking. They still are now. Rhoda the milkmaid and "Baby" are both very distinctive to me. What a beautiful and haunting little book!
---
Watched Maurice Sendak on the Colbert Report - what a funny man. I wish I could have met him. I originally looked for the Colbert Report interview because I had heard he mentioned Higglety Pigglety Pop as his favorite book on this interview - but this is not the case.
I did find an obit by the Guardian which had this wonderful line:
"His dog was his idea of perfect company, he said, and he declared Jennie, the Sealyham heroine for whom Higglety Pigglety Pop! (1967) was created as she lay dying, to have been the love of his life."
In the obit, it mentions The Night Kitchen as his most personal story and his most favorite.
---
Maurice and Jennie on the left.
October 15, 2016
The world is black and white in Higglety Pigglety Pop? or There Must Be More To Life by Maurice Sendak. Conveying a mysterious personified animal/ human world, the black and white leaves the reader the opportunity to fill in the holes. The text also leaves room for interpretation as motives are not completely explained and setting is never truly defined. The overall presentation feels half chapter book and half picturebook; there are moments when the illustrations are pleasant, yet unnecessary, and moments when they are crucial for meaning making. However, both text and picture develop our protagonist, Jenny, who begins the tale by leaving home. We are never given the identity of her master, or the full layout of her current abode, just a list of the possessions that represent that she has everything. From this list, me may deduce a number of possibilities for the abrupt departure; including, that she is simply crazy.
Jennie's shag dog hair covers her eyes, the reader discerns her idiosyncrasies from the dialogue and actions described. Unsettled about life, the dog ventures forth for "experience." After eating her way through several encounters with minor characters, the plot progresses to a meeting with the giver/ helper, who is guised as a terrifying lion. The lion actually advances Jenny's "experience," which is to star in a Mother Goose play. At this point, the reader becomes audience to the play as text disappears and drawings of the play dominate 15 pages. The play features typical Sendak style, a nonsensical Mother Goose parody. The reader is left with more questions than answers. Sendak is a master of creating texture and movement in his animal characters. The drawings on phenomenal, but the story line leaves me wondering about the moral.
Jennie's shag dog hair covers her eyes, the reader discerns her idiosyncrasies from the dialogue and actions described. Unsettled about life, the dog ventures forth for "experience." After eating her way through several encounters with minor characters, the plot progresses to a meeting with the giver/ helper, who is guised as a terrifying lion. The lion actually advances Jenny's "experience," which is to star in a Mother Goose play. At this point, the reader becomes audience to the play as text disappears and drawings of the play dominate 15 pages. The play features typical Sendak style, a nonsensical Mother Goose parody. The reader is left with more questions than answers. Sendak is a master of creating texture and movement in his animal characters. The drawings on phenomenal, but the story line leaves me wondering about the moral.
November 13, 2017
This story is about a dog named Jennie who has everything you could possibly want in life, but for some reason still can't find happiness in her life. To change the path of her life happiness, Jennie sets out to find something that makes her happy. Throughout this book she comes across a lion, milkman, baby and pig. As she meets all of these different characters, each one of them teaches her something different along the way. They all teach her ways to find happiness in her life and lead her to decide to become an actress because they believe this will make her happy. This story is a sweet and cute story that has a strong message. This would be a good children's book to keep in a classroom because it shows what passing along kindness can do and that you can always find happiness in life. I don't have a strong opinion about this story either way, I believe it is a cute book with a sweet storyline but I don't see it as one of the best children's books I've ever read, or the worst.
June 30, 2017
I could not find an y info on this book to scan... but his is by far on of the most incredibly oddly,beautifully,illustrated books I've ever owned in my life.
It is both funny and dark, weird and wonderful, with Jennie the terrier who packs her bag and sets off to find..." something more than everything".
She finds the World Mother Goose Theatre, and things progress from there in a most bizarre manner that I can only advise you to enjoy this on your own.
It is both funny and dark, weird and wonderful, with Jennie the terrier who packs her bag and sets off to find..." something more than everything".
She finds the World Mother Goose Theatre, and things progress from there in a most bizarre manner that I can only advise you to enjoy this on your own.
February 5, 2016
This book has been described as "wildly imaginative" which I now realize means "makes no damn sense".
May 16, 2017
Great sense of humor, fantastic art.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews