Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Where The Wild Things Went...





The world will be reminded for many weeks to come of the life and times of Maurice Sendak.  Stories will recount his accomplishments, and his incredible talent as an illustrator will be remembered as the industry standard for future artists.  But what about those of us left behind?  How will we pay tribute to this great man of the 21st century? Through tears of loss? Or smiles in celebration of a life lived well and loved by many?




Albert Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge.  I agree.  Knowledge allowed NASA to envision space travel, but it was imagination which lead to the moon landing.  Knowledge allowed scientists to create the first super computer, but it was imagination which allowed one man to build a technology empire.  Knowledge allows writers to sharpen their skills, but it is imagination which allows their stories to soar.




So who will pick up the torch laid down by Mr. Sendak and help carry the love of children's picture books to the next generation?  We all will.  As long as we stay true to the idea he had of discovering the best part of ourselves through the eyes of the children.  Only then will we have paid the proper farewell to the genius of one man who only wanted to draw, yet ended up changing the way we see the world.

And although Mr. Sendak has left behind a legacy of rich imagination to entice readers for many years to come, I still believe that wherever the wild things might have taken this wonderful illustrator, there are lots of children waiting to greet him...






18 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Awww, thank you Lori! I'm sure there will be many others out there who will be able to write a more beautiful farewell post than mine, but it is a heartfelt tribute just the same...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  2. Wonderful, Wonderful tribute! I especially love your last line: "There are lots of children waiting to greet him." This Donna is such a great place for inspiration. A great read, my Bayou Babe!

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    1. Hi Pam! Thank you so much for your kind words and I'm loving my new 'title" of Bayou Babe...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  3. I did read about his passing away in another blog and online. I believe that he was an inspiration to many of us and this post was a really heartfelt tribute to his talent. Thanks.

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    1. Hi Jeremy! Thank you for your kind words. I believe that no matter what genre we write in, talent is appreciated by all writers and Mr. Sendak certainly was a talented man...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  4. Replies
    1. Thanks, Susanna...I always try my best and throw away the rest...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  5. Knowledge can be gained by anyone, imagination is a real gift.

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    1. Hi JP! I think you have both. You have the innate knowledge of how to weave an interesting story and I think you will discover that you probably have the imagination to go farther with your writing that you ever thought possible...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  6. My son still loves having Where The Wild Things Are read to him. Such a great talent. I suppose in these digital times the art will be lost at some point - but I really hope not!

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    1. Hi Annalisa! I think it will probably be the same with illustrating as it is with books in general. There are some readers out there, like my son, who enjoy digital stories and then there are readers out there, like myself, that enjoy the reality of touching...smelling...holding a good book in our hands and staring in awe at the beautiful hand drawn art discovered within the pages. I might be naive, but I refuse to believe that talent like what Mr. Sendak had is a dying art form.

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  7. Congratulations on receiving the Sunshine Blog Award! You can check it out on my new blog post at
    http://www.kidscandoit.com/blog/
    and then please pass the Sunshine Blog Award on to 10 bloggers who inspire you!
    Have a Sunny day!

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    1. Thank you Sandra for showering me with Sunshine...;0)...I am honored! I will continue to true my best to provide inspirational post for as long as there are people to read them!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  8. Tears. He made the world just a little bit wilder.

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    1. Hi Stephanie! Yes, he did indeed...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  9. Hi Donna! Beautiful tribute.

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    1. Hi Susanne! Thank you for your kind words...he will be missed.

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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