As most of you know by now,cherished children's book author/illustrator Maurice Sendak passed away earlier this week at the age of 83.
His work includes such time honored classics as Where the Wild Things Are,In the Night Kitchen,Pierre and Chicken Soup with Rice completely written by him and illustrations done for other titles such as the Little Bear series. Sendak won several awards in his field,including a Caldecott medal for Where the Wild Things Are and a National Book Award in 1982.
What some might not know or remember is the animated special based on his books that came out in the 70s. Really Rosie was a collection of Sendak's stories from his Nutshell Library series with songs performed by Carole King.
The connecting thread that tied these tales together for the show was Rosie,the boisterous little girl who dreamed to become a star. She charges all of the neighborhood kids to audition for the imagined movie of her life story,which happens to be called "What Happened to Chicken Soup?"-Chicken Soup being her baby brother. You have to admit that's a catchy title:
Chicken Soup does make an appearance during the course of the special,with his big musical tribute to that particular style of soup that goes well with every month of the year. Even devoted vegans couldn't resist the charms of that edible ode:
More recently,Sendak did a pair of interviews with Stephen Colbert,speaking frankly about the state of children's literature and offering amusingly blunt opinions regarding Colbert's efforts to produce his own celebrity kiddie book(which actually will be out in stores),I Am A Pole(And So Can You). Those appearances were some of the best moments on The Colbert Report this year and the timing was oddly appropriate,something no doubt Mr. Sendak would have appreciated:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 2 | ||||
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Maurice Sendak gave joy to many people over the years with his art yet battled many personal demons throughout his life such as his all time favorite writers,William Blake and Herman Melville. Nevertheless,he managed to showcase his creative genius to the world and impart a sense of wonderment about childhood for generations to come. It's a pity that he couldn't stay with us a little bit longer. However,the beauty that he left behind in the pages of his books will be cherished in the hearts of readers everywhere:
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