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In Memoriam

Maurice Sendak, Children's Book Author, Dies at 83

May 8, 2012 10:21AM
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Children's book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak died Tuesday morning from stroke complications at a hospital in Danbury, Conn. He was 83.

 

Most famously known for his children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak changed the way people viewed children's literature, offering a darker psychological narrative of "children and their survival" and their unflinching courage. His themes were culled from a combination of despondent memories being a sickly child, family members dying in the Holocaust, and reading about the famous murder of Charles Lindbergh's baby.

 

With his distinctive usage of "pen-and-ink drawings and watercolors," Sendak illustrated more than 100 books and also authored a dozen of them, according to the WashingtonPost.com. He went on to sell millions of copies and was the recipient of the highest children's literary awards, most notably the Caldecott Medal and the Hans Christian Andersen Award.

 

Of the many prized quotes in his book, Where the Wild Things Are, Biography.com would like to note this one in honor of the author:

 

"Please don't go. We'll eat you up. We love you so."

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Maurice Sendak

Illustrator, Author / 1928 - 2012

Maurice Sendak is a Caldecott award-winning children's book author and illustrator best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are.

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