Maurice Sendak, author of my favorite children's book Where the Wild Things Are (ranked #5 in the NEA's poll of teachers) and collaborator with Carole King on the great children's album, "Really Rosie" (a project that grew out of his Nutshell Library collection), was born on June 10, 1928.
Sendak's picture books, which some have criticized as being too dark for children but which always captivated me, were influenced by a childhood of ill health and dealing with the emotional trauma of losing many relatives in the Holocaust. Still, I've always found his work positive and affirming. Another huge influence on his art was his friendship and apperenticeship with Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss, creators of the sublime The Carrot Seed. He would illustrate eight of Krauss's books in all, including the classics I'll Be You and You Be Me, A Hole Is To Dig and the re-issue of Bears (which he illustrated after Ruth Krauss's death and in which he brought back the character of Max from Where the Wild Things Are as an homage to his great mentor).
"One of the criminal acts of my life was that I didn't meet Ruth in time to do Bears," Sendak said. More than a half century after the book was published, Sendak finally got his chance. Though Krauss, Johnson and Nordstrom are all gone now, Sendak has found a way to pay homage to those who so influenced his life and work, through his artwork for Bears. Krauss's text, just 27 words, discusses only bears—"Bears, bears, bears, bears, bears/ on the stairs/ under chairs." Yet Sendak makes his Max, still decked out in his white jumpsuit, complete with ears and tail, look like he belongs in this sea of paws and furry legs. As the young hero pursues his jealous dog, who has kidnapped his Teddy bear, Max seems to continue the "wild rumpus" he started in Wild Things.
. . .Sendak credited Krauss and Johnson with paving the way for Where the Wild Things Are: "She turned me into the monster I became, free to express what she knew about children and the bloodlusty child—themes that had not been entertained in the publishing world. In Europe, yes, but not here." On weekends, Sendak visited them with the manuscript for Wild Things. "Dave [Crockett] gave me the word 'rumpus,' " Sendak said. "[Max] was like our child." And that's why Max had to be the hero of Bears. Read more about Sendak and Krauss in this great article.
For more on Sendak in his own words, including thoughts on his difficult relationship with Mickey Mouse, listen to his comprehensive 2005 interview on NPR, A Conversation With Maurice Sendak.
Happy Birthday Mr. Sendak!
Related posts: The Carrot Seed, Sendak
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