'Where the Wild Things Are' Author Maurice Sendak Dies
Some very sad news has hit the desk here at Truffle Towers today. Children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak has died early this morning at age 83.
Sendak, who was born in Brooklyn in 1928 and was dubbed by critics as 'the Picasso of children's books', illustrated more than 50 books during his long career and also won a number of prizes for his amazing drawings.
In all, Sendak penned 17 books but was best known for his 1963 story Where The Wild Things Are, a children's classic in the US and sold more than 19 million copies worldwide.
This childhood classic told the story of a boy called Max who after being sent to his room without supper as punnishment, goes on a journey through his own imagination in a mysterious forest full of fearsome-looking monsters, later becoming the king of all wild things. However, he soon finds himself lonely and homesick and returns home to the safety of his bedroom where he finds his supper waiting for him. Sorry for those who haven't read it yet!
Often seen as quite scary and controversial due to its monster imagery (which we love!), this much-loved tale earned him the hugely prestigious Medal for the best childrenâs book of 1964 and became a hit movie in 2009.
Sendak also created costumes for ballets and staged operas, including the Czech opera âBrundibar,â which he also put on paper with collaborator Pulitzer-winning playwright Tony Kushner in 2003.
Although having a vast portfolio of work, he wholly embraced his kids book author title stating:
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'So I write books that seem more suitable for children, and that's OK with me. They are a better audience and tougher critics. Kids tell you what they think, not what they think they should think.'
>Creating some of the best children's stories written giving us a darker side to literature, he most definitely made his mark on the industry as well as our hearts and will be sadly miss by all. xoxo