Philadelphia: Where Maurice Sendak’s wild things live on

The Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia will be free of charge today (Tuesday) to honor the author of “Where the Wild Things Are” and other children’s books who died Tuesday following a stroke at the age of 83.

“It is with great sadness that the Rosenbach Museum & Library says goodbye to its longtime trustee, supporter and all-around good friend Maurice Sendak, whose work is a cornerstone of the museum’s collection,” director Derick Dreher wrote on the museum’s website.

The museum holds an amazing collection of all things Sendak. For starters, there’s the only surviving mural Sendak made that features a row of characters led by Sendak’s dog Jennie (who would later morph into Max’s dog in “Wild Things”). The mural was painted on a wall in a friend’s apartment in 1961, removed and installed at the museum.

Other items in the museum’s collection include manuscripts and original final illustrations, including the iconic Max and his monster friends howling at the moon in “Wild Things.” Currently on display is a show called “From Pen to Publisher: The Life of Three Sendak Picture Books.” It features “The Sign on Rosie’s Door” (1960), “Outside Over There” (1981) and “Brundibar” (2003).

Contact: Rosenbach Museum & Library, 2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia; (215) 732-1600