Showing posts with label maurice sendack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maurice sendack. Show all posts
A Tribute to Maurice Sendak
It's a sad day for anyone who's ever fallen in love with a children's book. Influential, unrivaled and famous author Maurice Sendak died this morning, at age 83, four days after he suffered a stroke. Maurice "revolutionized children's books and how we think about childhood simply by leaving in what so many writers before had excluded. Dick and Jane were no match for his naughty Max. His kids misbehaved and didn't regret it and in their dreams and nightmares fled to the most unimaginable places" (Associated Press).
If you've never had the privilege of being taken away by one of Maurice Sendak's books, here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Alligators All Around: An Alphabet
Pierre : a Cautionary Tale in Five chapters and a prologue
Very Far Away
Where The Wild Things Are
Also, make sure to take a look at this awesome blog inspired by the beloved Where The Wild Things Are, called Terrible Yellow Eyes. The pieces presented on this site were done as a tribute to his life and legacy.
And enjoy this brief and lovely adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are," almost undoubtedly his most famous book:
Then view this 2006 NBC interview with Maurice Sendak.
"Sendak spoke often, endlessly, about death in recent years - dreading it, longing for it. He didn't mind being old because the young were under so much pressure. But he missed his late siblings and his longtime companion, Eugene Glynn, who died in 2009. Work, not people, was his reason to carry on" (Associated Press).
We'll miss you, Maurice... but the wild things cried, "Oh please don't go! We'll eat you up, we love you so!"
Where The Wild Things Are Screening!
Last Wednesday was the Where The Wild Things Are private screening in NYC, and I had the opportunity to attend, along with fellow children's librarian, Nadine of the Sysosset Public Library. We were so excited; we planned and talked about it for weeks, and when we got there, it was all we had hoped for! Both before and after the movie, we got to take part in a Q&A with bunch of people from the cast and crew (and by "take part," I mean "listen to."), including Max Records (who plays Max), author Dave Eggers, director Spike Jonze (who also touched my camera!!!), comedian John Hodgeman (PC!), and musician Karen O. from the Yeah Yeah Yeah's who composed the soundtrack. Following the movie and the Q&A was a reception, just a few blocks away, where we got to do a bit of mingling with the stars. Here are some pictures of the exciting event.
It was so much fun and the movie was awesome; beautifully written and directed and PERFECTLY adapted; touching and fun at the same time. Some people say it's not for kids, but I disagree. If you haven't seen it yet, I think it's fine for younger children, but I absolutely agree that adults, teens, and older kids will get more out of its deeper meanings and darker undertones, and will probably be able to draw more parallels to real life. But no matter what age you are, I'd definitely recommend seeing this movie! It was one of the best I've seen EVER.
And don't forget to check out Maurice Sendak's book, the original Where The Wild Things Are. Reserve it here. Or if you want you can reserve the movie's soundtrack here!-Ms. Laura, Children's Librarian
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)