It was sad to hear of Maurice Sendak’s passing a few weeks ago. He graced the world with Where the Wild Things Are along with many other books and illustrations. I’ve read Where the Wild Things Are to my children dozens of times because they enjoy it so much. I’ve seen some of his work in Chicken Soup with Rice and the Little Bear series, but I hardly knew much about his more recent work and personality in general.
A friend recommended I listen to the recent Fresh Air segment about Sendak. I quickly uploaded it on my ipod to check it out. Fresh Air compiled highlights from four Sendak interviews by Terry Gross. Sendak was cranky, honest, and sentimental. His painful family history and words of wisdom made these highlights quite fascinating.
Listen to the segment and tell me what you think. I haven’t listened to the original interviews, but they are also posted on that page.
I started searching a bit more for some interviews and info about Sendak. In January, Stephen Colbert interviewed him. Check out these clips— part 1, part 2, and the uncensored clips. They are hilarious!
Listening to him helped me understand and appreciate his work even more. I do hope you take some time to listen to these interviews and take a look at some of his work if you haven’t already.
Are you familiar with Sendak’s work? Any favorites?
Was he what you expected in the interviews?



