Leave it to college to keep me out of the loop, but today, beloved children’s author Maurice Sendak died after complications from a stroke. He was 83.

Sendak will always be one of the storytellers with a prime influence on my life. “Where the Wild Things Are,” despite being turned into a mediocre movie, is still one of my favorite books. I believe it connected to every child, or at least this one, who wishes their bedroom was a jungle filled with monsters. “Let the wild rumpus start!” is still one of the great rallying calls for both children and adults alike.

But Sendak himself was quite an interesting man. As seen in his excellent series of interviews with Stephen Colbert on “The Colbert Report” earlier this year, Sendak was still so sharp and full of wit, even at his age. The loss of his talent as a writer, and his warmth as a human, will be missed. Watch him on “Colbert” below and you’ll see what I mean:

The Colbert Report	Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 1
www.colbertnation.com
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