Prickly, witty, wise and ground-breaking children's book author Maurice Sendak died today in Connecticut. He was loved and cherished by many, many children, adults, teachers, librarians, scholars, and filmmakers.
I found out about this sad news in the middle of a typical school day. Another teacher received the news via a text from his phone. When he told me, I decided to stop the class and read from his infamous From the Night Kitchen and of course, Where the Wild Things Are. Before I knew it, 20 curious 4th graders sat in our meeting area watching Miss Lou cry. "Miss Lou! Are you going to be okay?"
Now I will be remembered as that teacher who cried in class. I'll blame it on Maurice. It was a sad, sad day for me.
What was your favorite children's book?
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New York Times
The Washington Post
The Philly Inquirer
The Huffington Post
The Guardian UK
Alzajeera News
NYT on Sendak's Concerns
Publishers Weekly
