Chicken Soup with Rice--January by Maurice Sendak

Chicken Soup with Rice--January

In January it’s so nice,
While slipping on the sliding ice,
To sip hot chicken soup with rice.
Sipping once, sipping twice,
Sipping chicken soup with rice.
--Maurice Sendak

I absolutely LOVE this set of poems and illustrations by Maurice Sendak. I have three or four copies of the book in different sizes, just in case. He doesn't use the same poetic devices in each verse, which makes it more interesting, but he does concentrate on something. This month it's alliteration with the letter S.

I remember, just a few years ago, I found out that Maurice Sendak was a man. I don't know why I thought he was a woman the whole time I was growing up, but I did (I had never met or heard of anyone else called Maurice, so that didn't clue me in). It's odd how when you find something like that out, even if it's insignificant in the grand scheme of things, your brain has to do a somersault and suddenly everything in the world looks a little bit different as you reinterpret everything you see with your new understanding.

Maurice Sendak has several other books that are worth checking out. The most famous, of course, is Where the Wild Things Are, but less well known are his version of The Nutcracker (Which he created while designing the sets for what must have been an amazing production), and What Do You Say Dear? (a book about manners in extremely unlikely situations). Those three are merely the tip of the iceberg, though.

On a personal note, if you want to read about our New Year's celebration, you can find that at my other blog. Happy New Year everybody! Have a great 2008!