Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Let The Wild Rumpus Begin: Maurice Sendak (1928-2012)

Maurice Sendak, as the New York Times aptly put in today's obit, is "widely considered the most important children’s book artist of the 20th century, who wrenched the picture book out of the safe, sanitized world of the nursery and plunged it into the dark, terrifying and hauntingly beautiful recesses of the human psyche."  He was 83.

His books, particularly Where The Wild Things Are, resonated with me as a kid.  But, interestingly (at least to me) was my rediscovery of Sendak as a parent and how much I enjoyed reading his books to my children.  Family favorites included In the Night Kitchen, Very Far Away, Outside Over There and Kenny's Window, as well as the countless books he illustrated.

In January, he was interviewed by Stephen Colbert in an epic two-part episode in which Colbert sought advice on how to write a children's book.  Sendak's wonderfully acerbic wit was on full display:



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