Sendak, Maurice

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Maurice Sendak was born June 10, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. He began his art career as a cartoonist and display artist, and in the 1940s he started to illustrate children's books. Sendak illustrated many well-known author's books in the early years of his career, including Meindart De Jong, Ruth Krause, Charlotte Zolotow, and Janice Udry; he also illustrated Else Holmelund Minarik's Little Bear series. In the 1950s he began to write children's picture books. Throughout his long career he has continued to illustrate his own and other author's works, retellings of folk and fairy tales, and to write and direct plays for children, as well as to write for adults. He has been honored many times by the Caldecott committee, winning the Medal in 1964 for Where the Wild Things Are, and the Caldecott Honor for A Very Special House; Little Bear's Visit; The Moon Jumpers; Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present; In the Night Kitchen; Outside Over There; What Do You Say, Dear? . He has also illustrated a number of Newbery Honor books. He was one of the first authors/illustrators to deal honestly and openly with the feelings of young children, and their emotional reality. He vividly brings to life their dreams and fantasies, and how they make discoveries about themselves and their world. He also uses flights into adventure and/or fantasy to help children deal with their feelings of anger, sadness, etc. recognizing that all of these are present in the young child, and they need to be able to come to grips with them. Some of Sendak's detractors claim that he is too serious in some of his works, but Sendak, and many other critics, assert that children should not and can not be shielded from reality and harsh truths. Sendak continues to write and and illustrate children's books that challenge readers and critics to look at the world of the young child from new perspectives, and to appreciate the way Sendak brings this world of young children and their feelings and fantasies to life. Biographical Sources: Something About the Author, vols. 1, 27, 113 Children's Literature Review, vol. 74

From the guide to the Maurice Sendak Papers, 1951-1965, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])

Epithet: writer of children's books

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000001569.0x00023d

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Minarik, Else Holmelund. Papa-ours revient [Multimédia multisupport] / Else H. Minarik, Maurice Sendak, aut. adapté. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Minarik, Else Holmelund. Maman-ours [Multimédia multisupport] / Else H. Minarik, Maurice Sendak, aut. adapté. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Autograph File, S, 1556-1996. Houghton Library
creatorOf Correspondence, contracts and press cuttings of reviews relating to Maurice Sendak's Caldecott & Co, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1988 and by Reinhardt Books, 1989. Correspondents include: Reinhardt, Sendak, Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, Amanda Ha..., 1987-1993 British Library
referencedIn Lore Segal papers, 1897-2009, 1939-1990 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf Sendak, Maurice, 1928-. Artist file. Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives
creatorOf Minarik, Else Holmelund. Maman-ours [Multimédia multisupport] / Else H. Minarik, Maurice Sendak, aut. adapté. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Collection of Ira Nowinski Photographs of Glyndebourne Festival Opera Season 1986/87, 1986-1987 V & A Department of Theatre and Performance
referencedIn Edna Edwards Interviews with Children's Authors and Illustrators, 1966-1976 Loyola Marymount University. Library. Department of Archives and Special Collections.
referencedIn Minnesota Orchestra Visual Entertainment (MOVE) Records, 1995-2003 University of Minnesota Libraries. Performing Arts Archives, Manuscripts Division
creatorOf Moore, Marianne, 1887-1972. General correspondence, 1901-1972. Rosenbach Museum & Library
referencedIn Max Reinhardt papers, 1899-2006 British Library: Western Manuscripts
referencedIn Randall Jarrell collection of papers, 1914-1969, 1927-1967 The New York Public Library. Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature.
referencedIn Bookstore Press Records., undated, 1967-1976. Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Center.
referencedIn Reynolds Price Papers, bulk, 1927-2010 and undated, 1956-2006 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
creatorOf Maurice Sendak Papers, 1951-1965 University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections
referencedIn New Directions Publishing records Houghton Library
referencedIn Frank Wigglesworth papers, 1895-1996 The New York Public Library. Music Division.
referencedIn John MacKay Shaw Collection, 1737-2007
referencedIn Coleman Dowell Papers, 1925-1993 Fales Library & Special Collections
creatorOf Minarik, Else Holmelund. Papa-ours revient [Multimédia multisupport] / Else H. Minarik, Maurice Sendak, aut. adapté. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Muir, Percy H. (Percy Horace), 1894-1979. Muir mss. II, 1892-1981 Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington)
referencedIn Ruth Krauss Papers., undated, 1929-1992. Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Center.
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
correspondedWith Bookstore Press. corporateBody
associatedWith Composers' Forum (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Created by John MacKay Shaw person
associatedWith Edwards, Edna. person
associatedWith Jarrell, Randall, 1914-1965 person
correspondedWith Johnson, Crockett, 1906-1975 person
correspondedWith Krauss, Ruth. person
associatedWith Minnesota Orchestra Visual Entertainment Staff corporateBody
associatedWith Moore, Marianne, 1887-1972. person
correspondedWith Muir, Percy H. (Percy Horace), 1894-1979 person
associatedWith New Directions Publishing Corp. corporateBody
associatedWith Nowinski, Ira person
correspondedWith Price, Reynolds, 1933-2011 person
associatedWith Segal, Lore Groszmann person
associatedWith Wigglesworth, Frank, 1918-1996 person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
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Activity

Person

Birth 1928-06-10

Death 2012-05-08

Americans

English

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