Maurice Sendak, King of the “Wild Things” Gone

Let the wild rumpus begin!

This is my favorite Maurice Sendak line, from Where the Wild Things Are. It’s one of those book many parents and children have memorized from reading it so often.

So it comes with great sadness to report the children’s book illustrator and author has died of complications from a stroke.

Although best known for “Wild Things”, Sendak wrote 20 books, and illustrated dozens more. Other titles he wrote and illustrated include “In the Night Kitchen” (1970) and “Outside Over There” (1981), part of a trilogy with “Where the Wild Things Are”; “The Sign on Rosie’s Door” (1960); “Higglety Pigglety Pop!” (1967); and “The Nutshell Library” (1962),“Alligators All Around,” “Chicken Soup With Rice,” “One Was Johnny” and “Pierre.”

In September, a new picture book entitled “Bumble-Ardy” was issued. It was the first book in 30 years for which Sendak produced both the text and illustrations.

In January, Sendak sat down for an interview with Stephen Colbert:

What are common complications of stroke?

• Brain edema — swelling of the brain after a stroke.
• Seizures — abnormal electrical activity in the brain causing convulsions.
• Clinical depression — a treatable illness that often occurs with stroke and causes unwanted emotional and physical reactions to changes and losses.
• Bedsores — pressure ulcers that result from decreased ability to move and pressure on areas of the body because of immobility.
• Limb contractures — shortened muscles in an arm or leg from reduced range of motion or lack of exercise.
• Shoulder pain — stems from lack of support of an arm due to hemiplegia or exercise of an arm. This usually is caused when the affected arm hangs resulting on pulling of the arm on the shoulder.
• Deep venous thrombosis — blood clots form in veins of the legs because ofimmobility from stroke.
• Urinary tract infection and bladder control —urgency and incontinence.
• Pneumonia — causes breathing problems, a complication of many major illnesses.

Source: American Heart Association/American Stroke Association