In this Sept. 25, 1985 file photo, author Maurice Sendak poses with one of the characters from his book "Where the Wild Things Are," designed for the operatic adaptation of his book in St. Paul, Minn.
DANBURY, CONN. -- Maurice Sendak, the children's book author and illustrator who saw the sometimes-dark side of childnood in books like "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In the Night Kitchen," has died. He was 83.
According to The New York Times, Sendak was one of the most important children's writers of the 20th century.
Longtime friend and caretaker Lynn Caponera says she was with him when he died early Tuesday at a hospital in Danbury, Conn. She says he had a stroke on Friday.
"Where the Wild Things Are" earned Sendak a prestigious Caldecott Medal for the best children's book of 1964 and became a hit movie in 2009.
Read more on NYTimes.com.
Did you read "Where the Wild Things Are" as a child? What was your favorite book by Maurice Sendak?
(Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.)
