A Hole Is to Dig

Ruth Krauss & Maurice Sendak
Cover of A Hole Is to Dig
  • ISBN: 9780062645012
  • Page count: 48
  • Published: 2025
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Publisher: HarperCollins

Back in print with gorgeously restored artwork! From beloved children’s book creators Ruth Krauss and Maurice Sendak, this iconic hardcover book of first definitions is a clever, humorous read-aloud.

"A brother is to help you, a package is to look inside, arms are to hug with, and a book is to look at," as award-winning author Ruth Krauss and the many children who made suggestions, revisions, additions (and subtractions) say in this book.

Since it was first published in 1952, generations of children have taken this book of words and black-and-white pictures to heart. With wonderful illustrations from Caldecott Medal winner Maurice Sendak, this is the funniest book of definitions you’ll ever read!

Don’t miss these other books by Ruth Krauss and Maurice Sendak:

Somebody Else’s Nut Tree

I'll Be You and You Be Me

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Categories: Children's Books

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About the Author

Ruth Krauss & Maurice Sendak

Ruth Krauss was one of the most widely celebrated children’s book authors of all time. Her long list of award-winning books includes The Carrot Seed, The Happy Day, A Hole Is to Dig, Open House for Butterflies, A Very Special House, and many others. Her books continue to be read and cherished by children throughout the world.

Maurice Sendak’s books have sold over 50 million copies and have been translated into more than 40 languages. He received the 1964 Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are and is the creator of such classics as In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, Higglety Pigglety Pop!, and Nutshell Library. In 1970 he received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration, in 1983 he received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association, and in 1996 he received a National Medal of Arts in recognition of his contribution to the arts in America. In 2003 Sendak received the first Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, an annual international prize for children’s literature established by the Swedish government.