With the Berenstain Bears author dying in late February, the realm of children’s books is having a rather sad year.
Today, we find that Maurice Sendak, best known for authoring the infamous “dark fantasy” Where the Wild Things Are, died early this morning in his Connecticut home. The 83-year-old suffered a stroke four days ago.
Along with his signature book, which was turned into a movie in 2009, the “Picasso of children’s books” was also awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1996 by President Bill Clinton. In 2009, President Obama read about Max’s wild journey for the annual Easter Egg Roll.
Sendak said of his work to the Associated Press in 2003 “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.”
Photo via AP, Tim Knox for The Guardian
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Michelle Mass
