Let's Be Enemies

Maurice Sendak died early this morning at the age of 83. Maurice was the talented author and illustrator behind the children's book Where the Wild Things Are. That beloved book with its beautiful illustrations is a classic and probably Maurice's most popular and well-known book. That being said, he had many other literary accomplishments, so I thought I would honor his life by writing about my top three favorite books that Maurice Sendak illustrated.

#1) Let's Be Enemies by Janice May Udry. This was one of my favorite books growing up. I'm not sure why since it captivated me so since it is a rather short, simple book with humble illustrations (compared to some of the other illustrations Maurice has done), but I dearly loved it (and still do).

#2) The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I first read this book for a report when I was in eighth grade. We had to do several book reports in my English class that year and we were only allowed to pick classics. I wasn't an avid reader at that time in my life, especially when it forced on me for a school assignment. It makes me sound like a total slacker, but I chose The Little Prince solely for the fact that it was a) a relatively short book and b) had pictures; two things that are rare for classics since they are often long and void of pictures.

#3) The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann. We have this exact copy of the book with the Maurice Sendak illustrations. I always loved looking at the pictures since they are so intricately detailed.

And finally, some of the deliciously detailed pictures from Where the Wild Things Are.  "Let the wild rumpus start!" What a wonder it would be to be able to draw/create like this!