The proceeds of the sale will go to the Maurice Sendak Foundation, which gives grants for artistic endeavors.

WSJ: Private Properties: WSJ Mansion

In 2008, Maurice Sendak revealed that he was gay in an article in The New York Times.

FORBES: Brilliant Curmudgeon: Maurice Sendak Dies At 83

Another ace at storytelling and illustration, Maurice Sendak, turns 82 in June.

FORBES: Picture This

"Maurice Sendak looks kinda like a Wild Thing, " Ludden notes.

NPR: A Conversation with Maurice Sendak

The Harry Potter books (and Jim Dale's terrific readings for the audios ), Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, and even a well worn copy of a dusty old R.

NPR: Books for Children, Books for Life

It may not have the ingenuity and charm of Laurent De Brunhoff's Babar or the deep and wild imagination of Maurice Sendak but when you are Madonna, it probably does not matter.

BBC: NEWS | Entertainment | Madonna teaches children a lesson

This is Maurice Sendak at 76, as Jennifer Ludden found after a trip into the New England woods to interview the famed author and illustrator of books for young readers, best known for 1964's Where the Wild Things Are.

NPR: A Conversation with Maurice Sendak