Happy Birthday, Maurice Sendak!
The acclaimed creator of many classic books for children turned 80 on Tuesday, June 10. He celebrated with friends at his home in Ridgefield, Conn.
And he's given fans another reason to celebrate: news of a forthcoming picture book that he is both writing and illustrating. According to Sendak's longtime editor, Michael di Capua, Sendak is "hard at work" on Bumble-Ardy, the story of a young boy pig, which di Capua calls a "lively Sendakian romp," written in rhyming text. In keeping with the birthday theme, the book's events take place on Bumble-Ardy's ninth birthday. Bumble-Ardy is currently scheduled for publication in 2010 as a Michael di Capua Book at HarperCollins, under a special arrangement, though di Capua's eponymous imprint is now at Scholastic
