Here's a clip from the 2009 HBO documentary Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak in which the recently deceased and eternally beloved children's author reflects on the beauty and importance of life and death.

With the passing of author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, the world of children's literature loses a colorful, beautifully rendered giant. But despite the fact that he was best known for his child-friendly creations, Sendak wasn't all rooms full of teddy bears and vague gentle platitudes about how he believed The…

Maurice Sendak, author, illustrator, and all-around mensch, has passed away. He was 83.

In this week's TV roundup, Stephen Colbert gets a lesson in children's literature, Jim Carrey's daughter auditions for American Idol and Anderson Cooper goes crazy for Fonzie.

In a recent interview, 83-year-old Maurice Sendak, known for classics like Where The Wild Things Are and In The Night Kitchen, calls Salman Rushdie a "flaccid fuckhead," Roald Dahl a "scary guy," and says Stephen King is "bullshit." When asked about Gwyneth? "I can't stand her."

A new book by the author of Where the Wild Things Are has parents upset over its supposedly scary content. But are moms and dads overestimating the dangers of a frightening read?

I had five main concerns going into Where The Wild Things Are.

Maurice Sendak's advice to young people, in Spike Jonze's short documentary: "Quit this life as soon as possible. Get out. You're doing a documentary about a brain-dead person." [LA Times]

Maurice Sendak: "I would tell them to go to hell. That's a question I will not tolerate… If they can't handle it, go home." [Page Six]

[New York, October 1. Image via Getty.]

Am I the only one who’s kind of apprehensive about the Spike Jonze-helmed Where the Wild Things Are movie? Yes? Okay, then. But here’s why: