Maurice Sendak was a famous American illustrator and author of children's books. He was born in 1928 in Brooklyn, New York and illustrated over 100 children's books while writing more than 80. Some of his most famous works include Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen. Sendak drew inspiration from his childhood and influences like Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, and Mozart. He is widely considered one of the most important authors and illustrators in children's literature.

1. The Biography of Maurice Sendak By: Melanie Sanborn

3. Maurice Sendak *Born June 10th 1928 in Brooklyn, New York *Illustrated over 100 children's books *Written more than 80 children’s books *Is also a designer of opera and ballet productions *Youngest of 3 children, each born five years apart *Parents came from Poland before WWI *Very poor *Many of his family died in the Holocaust during WWII. *Jewish- doesn’t practice *Was very sick as a child *Didn’t like school *Terrible at sports http://www.nndb.com/people/275/000023206/

4. Inspirations for Writing He has been quoted as saying, "My gods are Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, Mozart. I believe in them with all my heart.“ So he spends his days pondering his heroes: Mozart, Keats, Blake, Melville and Dickinson. He admires and yearns for their “ability to be private, the ability to be alone, the ability to follow some spiritual course not written down by anybody.” Mozart John Keats Herman Melville Emily Dickinson Typee and Moby Dick http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/arts/design/10sendak.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2

5. Robert Louis Stevenson Mark Twain *Got him books from library when he was a kid A Child's Garden of Verses The Luck of Roaring Camp The Prince and the Pauper *His father was his favorite storyteller *He told Maurice stories about the gruesome deaths suffered by relatives left in the old country. Bret Harte Sister http://www.nndb.com/people/275/000023206/

6. Inspirations for Illustrating *At the age of twelve, Sendak saw the film Fantasia and decided to become a cartoonist. *He loved to draw, often inspired by the efforts of his older brother. *Strong influences from Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse, as well as Francisco de Goya and Pablo Picasso. Marc Chagall Henri Matisse Francisco de Goya Pablo Picasso http://www.nndb.com/people/275/000023206/

7. Toulouse LauTrec

8. Who he has Inspired “ Without Sendak, an enormous void would exist in contemporary American children's books. We can only try to imagine what children's literature would be like without Sendak's fantasies and the characters and places visited in them.” Professor of English at the University of Florida and a past president of the Children's Literature Association. “ Perhaps no one has done as much to show the power of the written word on children, not to mention on their parents, as Maurice Sendak.”—President Clinton, January 9, 1997. “ He’s one of the most important, if not the most important, writers and artists ever to work in children’s literature. In fact, he’s a significant writer and artist in literature. Period.” Tony Kushner http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0801320.html http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/arts/design/10sendak.html?_r=2 http://childrensbooks.about.com/cs/authorsillustrato/a/sendakartistry.htm

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