Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak was born in 1928 in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, and died in 2012. An American author and illustrator, he is best known for his children's books, particularly the innovative trilogy beginning with Where the Wild Things Are (1963), which won the Caldecott Medal, followed by In the Night Kitchen (1970) and Outside Over There (1981). He received numerous honors including the Hans Christian Andersen Award and was hailed as the most important children's book artist of the 20th century.