As most now know, Maurice Sendak died on May 8th. In tribute to an illustrator and author who influenced so many children with stories that never sugar-coated their fears, we’ve put together a handful of tribute drawings for his most popular book, Where the Wild Things Are.

Sendak wrote many other books, including In the Night Kitchen, We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy, and his latest, Bumble-Ardy. A posthumous picture book, My Brother’s Book, is scheduled to be released in February 2013.

The genius of Sendak’s work is that he was never condescending; he never coddled children, never portrayed them as perfect – most of his protagonists are right little jerks and their parents weren’t much better. Coupled with an impressive imagination, these stories resonate with children who can see themselves in the illustrations. From his collaboration with Art Spiegelman (see it here): “You can’t protect kids, they know everything.”

Let the wild rumpus start.

Simone Norohna’s take on the wild rumpus has a particularly disturbing wild thing! See more of her great work here.

Michael Escanuelas’s Max featuring one of Sendak’s most notable quotes. See more of his work here!

Jesse Riggle’s awesome wild thing on wood showing off those terrible teeth and terrible claws! Check out more of Jesse’s work here.

Lisa Cinar’s version of the book’s ending sums up our feelings perfectly. See more of her work here!

Danny Brito’s gender-bender take on Max(ine) has some lovely watercolor work. See more of his work here.

Cody Griffiths tells us exactly where we are! Check out Cody’s work here.

Angela Rizza’s wild thing sporting Sendak’s glasses – he’ll always be part of the books. See more of her stunning work here!

Alexsandra Vetter’s perfectly simple portrayal of Max is simultaneously adorable and melancholy. See more of her work here.

Will Aslett’s, “The Last Rumpus”is the best after-life imaginable. Check out more of his work here.

Steve Schwartz shows that you have to leave in order to arrive. See more of his work here.