Rest in Peace, Maurice

Children's author Maurice Sendak died yesterday at age 83. I think the New Times article and slide show combined make the perfect tribute to this iconic artist of children's books. I think he must be a part of every children's author's literary life. But the truth is, for most of us, he was a part of our lives way before we even thought about being authors.

How did Maruice Sendak inspire me to be a children's writer? Well, this book was the first wordless picture book I chose to share with my children. It still sits on their bookshelf today, amongst other worn favorites. I often tell the story about how I decided I wanted to write children's books. I don't remember the precise moment I made this decision, but I do remember it was during the time I was reading picture books aloud to my two young children. So, there were many authors that inspired me to tell stories through picture books and Mr. Sendak was one of them. For that I thank him.

Rest in peace, Maurice.