Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Maurice Sendak

Bibliographic Data:
Sendak, Maurice. Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months. New York: Harper Collins, 1962/1990. ISBN 978-0064432535.


Maurice Sendak died today at the age of 83. He was best known for Where the Wild Things Are, which won the 1964 Caldecott award and was recently made into a movie. However, my family's favorite has always been Chicken Soup with Rice. Even today, if one of my kids says, “Cooking once, cooking twice,” the other two are likely to chime in with “Cooking Chicken Soup With Rice.” Singer Carole King recorded it as a song on her “Really Rosie,” album, a collaborative effort between her and Sendak.

Since this is May, here is Sendak's poem for May:

May
In May I truly think it best
To be a robin lightly dressed
Concocting soup inside my nest
Mix it once, mix it twice
Mix that chicken soup with rice.

Thank you, Mr. Sendak, for providing children with so many hours of entertainment and fond memories. You will be missed.

I think we'll we'll have Chicken Soup with Rice for dinner tonight, "Stirring once, stirring twice, Stirring Chicken Soup with Rice."