Maurice Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1928, as the son of Polish immigrants. He started his career as an illustrator while still in high school, assisting on the 'Mutt and Jeff' strip by Bud Fisher. He studied at the Art Students' League and was co-creator of the book 'Atomics for the Millions' in 1947.
Maurice Sendak went on to become a writer and illustrator of children's books. His 'Where the Wild Things Are' won him the prestigious Caldecott medal in 1964. This book, the first of a trilogy, was followed by 'In the Night Kitchen' (1970) and 'Outside Over There' (1981). He has also made other succesful titles, such as 'Max and the Maximonsters' (1968), 'Seven Little Monsters' (1977), 'In Grandpa's House' (1985) and many others.
Apart from being a writer and illustrator, Maurice Sendak also worked as a designer for ballet and opera, and theater and film producer. In 2001, Art Spiegelman asked him to try his hand at comics, which resulted in 'Cereal Baby Keller', published in 'Little Lit' #2. Sendak died on the morning of May 8, 2012, in Danbury, Connecticut, from complications of a stroke.
