The great children's author Maurice Sendak has died at 83. That's the headline, but I'd rather think of the news as being "Maurice Sendak lived." A son of immigrant Brooklyn, he lived long enough and vividly enough to give the world books of hallucinatory wonder, to give us Mickey in his night kitchen and Pierre, for whom the moral is: CARE. From an interview almost a decade ago with Fresh Air:
"Do parents sit down and tell their kids everything? I don't know. I don't know. I've convinced myself — I hope I'm right — that children despair of you if you don't tell them the truth."
Thanks, mister. Let the wild rumpus start.
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As the father of an almost 5 year old, Maurice Sendak's books are very much a part of my family's life these days. The kid doesn't just like his more friendly books such as Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen, he also enjoys the strangeness of books like Outside Over There.
Thanks for everything, Mr. Sendak. You may have left this world, but you've left riches behind for the rest of us to enjoy forever.
I have a tatoo on my shoulder of the cover of Where the Wild Things Are. It meant alot to me as a kid and on into adulthood obviously. Too bad there werent more lik him.
Thank you for the memories .. St. Peter .. let the romping begin.
Such a lively, outspoken, honest and wonderful man - just his recent Colbert interview alone would make him immortal.
I saw an interview on Cobert (thanks Mark!), the man was brilliant, would that I had him in my close circle of friends!
It's "start" -- "Let the wild rumpus start". It's important to get it right! Sendak will be very much missed.
You win.
I LOVE where the Wild Things Are (yes, I'm an adult)! Thank you Mr. Sendak!
Loved Mr. Sendak and his writings. I used to teach elementary school and always used his books to help start discussions. When I saw his interview with Stephen Colbert I knew why I liked his books. What a wonderful sense of the imagination.
Thank you Laura!
We never had any of the books he wrote when our kids were little over 40 years ago but we had one little book illustrated by him and written by Ruth Krauss "A Hole is to Dig." Our two favorite sentences "mashed potatoes are so everyone has enough" and "when you meet some parents you know you will not like their children." As teachers we found that to be very true.
For those who haven't seen the Colbert interview with the now late great Maurice Sendak here it is.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/406796/january-24-2012/grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-pt--1
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/406902/january-25-2012/grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-pt--2
"Sadly I liked it"
Maurice Sendak
Laura, this is the way I remember Sendak, sung by Carole King:
Pierre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70U47cNi7sA
Chicken Soup With Rice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syAtmgKqc9c&feature=related
Alligators All Around: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3DRUJUWgOA
Leave it to Sendak to write an ABC book about having headaches, shockingly spoiled, throwing tantrums, and being very vain. Sendak didn't sugarcoat childhood.
And may all the children have a hot supper waiting for them in their rooms, when they return from, "Where the Wild Things Are"...
Listen to the four great interviews by Terry Gross on NPR's FreshAir.
Thanks Maurice for many, many wonderful memories - stories and songs we shared with our children. They are timeless treasures.