Spotlight: Maurice Sendak has childhood memories of his relatives leaning over him "with their bad teeth and hairy noses, and saying something threatening like 'You're so cute, I could eat you up.'" Those relatives became the monsters in Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. When they say, "We'll eat you up, we love you so," the protaganist Max says, "No!" The book was first published in 1963 to very mixed reviews. It was the Caldecott Medal winner for 1964, but many psychologists and parents felt that it was too harsh and violent for young children. The children did not agree. It has gone on to be a classic favorite of young and old alike. Happy birthday to Maurice Sendak, who turns 80 today.

Quote: "There must be more to life than having everything." — Maurice Sendak

Question of the Day: What is Maurice Sendak's famous trilogy of books and what unifies them?
Maurice Sendak considers his books Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There to be a trilogy. In his book, The Art of Maurice Sendak, he writes that they "are all variations on the same theme: how children master various feelings — anger, boredom, fear, frustration, jealousy — and manage to come to grips with the realities of their lives." More

Tsunami

Word of the day: tsunami (tsooh-nah-mee)
A large wave on the ocean, usually caused by an undersea earthquake, a volcanic eruption, or coastal landslide. A tsunami can travel hundreds of miles over the open sea and cause extensive damage when it encounters land. Also called tidal waves. (© Houghton Mifflin Company)

Today's History:

Chartres Cathedral

• Chartres Cathedral: was destroyed by fire (1194); it was rebuilt, and remains a foremost example of High Gothic architecture
• Lidice: Nazis massacred and burned Czech village as reprisal for the killing of Reinhard Heydrich (1942)
• Kosovo: Slobodan Milosevic pulled troops out of the city (1999)

Today's Birthdays:

Prince Philip

• Hattie McDaniel (1895-1952): Oscar winner for her portrayal of Mammy in Gone with the Wind; other actors born on this date include Judy Garland (1922-1969), Lionel Jeffries (82), Jürgen Prochnow (67), Gina Gershon (46), Elizabeth Hurley (43), Shane West (30) and Leelee Sobieski (26)
• Saul Bellow (1915-2005): Pulitzer Prize winning author of Humboldt's Gift and Herzog
• Prince Philip (87): Duke of Edinburgh and royal consort to Queen Elizabeth II
• Tara Lipinski (26): Olympic gold medal-winner in figure skating