Where the Wild Things Are author Maurice Sendak dies
'In my books, I like children to be as ferocious, and inventive and troublesome as they are in real life'
Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator of the children's classic Where the Wild Things Are, has died at age 83 in Connecticut.
The writer died early Tuesday morning at a hospital in Danbury after suffering a stroke on Friday night, said his longtime friend and caretaker, Lynn Caponera.
Brooklyn born and raised, the author and illustrator is best known for 1963's Where the Wild Things Are, about a rebellious boy named Max who sets off on a fantastical journey in his imagination after being sent to bed with no dinner.
The book's myriad fans include U.S. President Barack Obama, who read it for one of the White House's annual Easter Egg Roll events, and the story was adapted into a 2009 movie of the same name, directed by Spike Jonze.

When it first debuted, however, Where the Wild Things Are sparked controversy. It was both acclaimed (winning the Caldecott Medal for the best children's book of 1964) as well as criticized for its portrayal of a wild and disobedient young subject, and for Sendak's creation of a dark imaginary world that could frighten children.
"In my books, I like children to be as ferocious, and inventive and troublesome as they are in real life," he said in an interview in 2011.
"We're painting pretty pictures about the world and there are no pretty pictures to paint. I like interesting people and kids are really interesting people, and if you don't paint them in little blue, pink and yellow, it's even more interesting."
Holocaust infused into Sendak's work
Born to Jewish-Polish immigrants, Sendak was profoundly affected by the Holocaust. Hearing of the deaths of relatives and family friends in Nazi concentration camps weighed heavily on him, and he would later incorporate loved ones into his writing and illustrations.
Tributes to Sendak
"Maurice Sendak is a genius who revolutionized children's literature with his books Where The Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen. We will all miss him." —Robert Munsch, children's author
"His art gave us a fantastical but unromanticized reminder of what childhood truly felt like. We are all honoured to have been briefly invited into his world." —Stephen Colbert, TV satirist
"He was laceratingly honest at a time when few others were." —Gregory Maguire, author and longtime friend
"Maurice Sendak has died. I cannot put into words what I am feeling, what he and his work meant to me." —Judy Blume, young adult author
"He drew children in a realistic way, as opposed to an idealized way ... His children weren't perfect looking. They didn't resemble the people seen on advertising or in sitcoms. They looked more like immigrant children. It was a big change for American children's books." —Leonard S. Marcus, children's book historian
"He was unique, grumpy, brilliant, gay, wise, magical and made the world better by creating art in it." —Neil Gaiman, author
"Maurice Sendak has left us for the land of the wild things. May he carry on adventuring." —Elijah Wood, actor
"A sad day in children's books and for the world." —R.L. Stine, children's author
"It's almost impossible to overstate his importance...He's a North Star in the firmament of anyone who makes children's books, in particular for his dark and clear-eyed view of the world that was kindred to me when I was in kindergarten and kindred to me now."