EB White & Maurice Sendak

I never learned. Well, at least you didn't bring in a special guest star from our other subject, author Maury Sendek, who famously wrote and illustrated Where the Wild Things Are? Right about that? It's a wild thing, Geraldine, make room on that bookshelf. Wow, Elliot, great jump. Now let me introduce you all to our other guest star, in honor of Charlotte's Web, I also brought this spider. Would you look at that? I didn't, Oh, mice and wild things

were afraid of spiders. Wilsa didn't realize that bookshelf could fold all that weight. It can't. Eric, here you go, What do you think you know about the rates room? This story? The game is on. Get some energy and buckle up your brain because it's signed to play Who Was? Podcast? Because it's time to favorites. Who Knows? Live from Tom Bland or so called so Well Los Angeles. Welcome to Who Was? The history quiz show that gives contestants the

chance to win mega prizes and podcast. Laurie, I'm your announcer, Me and I have definitely earned my stripes. That's a fee joke. And now here's your host, the man who makes as many fashion rules as he breaks. It's Elliott Helen. Thank you be you know today is fashion? Don't? Is tomorrow's fashion? Do? And welcome everyone clue Who Was? Podcast? This show is like Jeopardy, only with secret guests, silly games, and an unpublished secret menu. Okay, if you know, you know.

Our two contestants were sent who Was books about two great figures from history. Now they're here to show off their knowledge in the hopes of winning fantastic prizes. Prizes. Today we're talking about Babe White and Maurice Sendeth to popular children's book authors Pool Club to say any characters just as much as we do. But before we learn about them, let's learn about our contestants. First up, we have Athena. Athena, will you please introduce yourself. I'm Athena

and I have three cats. Alexander Hamilton's young in hammer Claw and we will send off. I wrote my four Johnny chapter book a year ago, and the pronouncer sheher, oh wow, okay, so there was a lot of information in that, thank you. Those were all fun and all facts. I'm interested in this book that you broke. Um it's a twenty chapter book. Yeah? What is it about dragons? That's the best word you could have said. I know, I'm sure what word you were going to say, but

that was the perfect word. I didn't think it was going to be that, but that's a great word for it to be. So what is the title of your book? I have no idea. I wrote it a your Okay, that's in the past. I love. I love this attitude, which is, hey, I don't talk about my old work. That's behind. I'm all about the future. So what are you working on now? You're working on another book? Yeah? Is it also about dragons? Yeah, it's the same series. Oh, it's part of a whole series. Wow, well that is

so exciting. Um, I cannot wait to read this. Um. Once I find out what the title is, I will definitely check it out from my local library. Yeah, I can't wait when I go into a bookstore and I say do you have this book and they say what's it called? And I say, I don't know, but it's about dragons and they say, we know exactly the book you're target exactly. Hey, that's just another instance if you know,

you know, it's the secret venue of books. All right, And with a thank you so much for sharing Athena and with us. Today we also have Caroline, Caroline, will you please introduce yourself. Hi on Caroline Branssa share and I love drafts and you loved giraffe. Wow, that's so cool because giraffes are like the dragons of the zoo of the jungle, or zoo of the jungle, of these two jungle zoon russ. Listen, this is not a show about facts, except wait a minute, this is exactly a

show about fact. So hold on. Yeah, well we'll we'll love to wait for the who was giraffes? Yeah, this is a quiz show. Come on, come on, Who's who's supposed to be doing the quizzic right here, Carolyn, what is it about giraffes you like so much? It's good answer, not the answer I expected. Again getting a lot of would unexpected answers from our contestants today. What I like about giraffes is those knobs on the top of their heads. They're already super tall, they already have super long next,

they're already yellow. They don't need any extras, but they've got them. Those weird knob horns on the top of the head. What do they do? Did they serve a purpose? The knob barns on top of their head? Oh, Producer Jana saying, that's how you steer a giraffe. That makes sense. Okay, see there's the steering knobs. Well, uh, please don't try at home, listeners, don't get on a draft and try steering them with that would have a draft at home,

probably in your attic. It would just have to start on the body floor and then end up in the at it. Yeah, maybe it sticks his head up through the chimney. Also, again, if you have a draft at home, don't put its neck gun through the chimney. But it's very likely you don't have a grab at home, in which case if you'll get one and pick up that book about dragons. Thank you both Athena and Carolin for

being with us today. I'm very excited about this show today, and of course thanks to our musician Eric for providing that lovely mut the contestants music and all the music on today's show. So that's who is. Now Let's find out who was Eb White with four fast facts Prospects. EB White was born Elwyn Brooks White in eighteen ninety nine and died in nineteen eighty five. He wrote over twenty books for adults and kids, but he is best known for writing the beloved children's books Stewart Little and

Charlotte's Web. He was also a poet, an essayist, and a humorist, and contributed writing and drawings to some of the most popular magazines of all time. He is a winner of many awards, including the Children's Literature Legacy Award and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal. Fool Prospects. So, Athena and Caroline were wondering, had you read any of EB White's books before you read the

book about EB White? Caroline, had you ever read either like Stewart Little, or Charlotte's Webb or Trumpeter of the Swan. I don't think I've read that, but I definitely have watched Charlotte tried it's reading. Okay, cool. What about you, Athena? Had you read any of those books? Um? I almost read The Stewart Little in fourth grade, but um instead I read am About Jackets. That's a good guess. That's a good guess about what the other book was. So have you seen any of the any of the movies

like Caroline has Nope, I didn't know they existed. Well, the books themselves, they're really beautiful books. Their favorites in our household. They're very interesting children's books because there's something very sweet about them, but there's also something a little

grown up about them. I feel like when I was a kid, eb Whites books were the most grown up children's books that I read, and they really made me feel special that way, because it felt like I was getting something more than more than I was used to from kids books. They're really beautiful and a little sad, so be per pair you've been worn. If you're reading an ev White book, make sure you've got a box of tissues next to you, because you're gonna be a prion and we need to drive those two ears. Yeah,

thank you both so much for joining us. And let's punctually this delightful conversation with our first game, one that honors Evie White's poetry as much as his pros. It's everyone's favorite rhyme with two lines, it's a couplet. One it's a couplet. It's a couplet. In this game, we have a rhyming couplet with one word missing. Fill in

the blank with the correct rhyming word. So, for example, if I said something like, when I look out the window, I see a tree and on a branchise by my co host named the correct answer is b which rhymes with tree. Also, be get down from there, be get back in the Cdo I told you I prefer to work under dangerous conditions. Fine, and since this is our first game, each question is worth one point. Take it away,

be Athena. Here is your couplict E B. White was certainly no fool, But when he was a kid, he did not like going to school. That's right, The answer is school. Young Eb disliked school. That Pobe was still always writing. He kept a journal for his entire life, starting at age nine. He also won prizes for his writing.

At the age of nine. He went on to be the editor of his college newspaper, and he enjoyed a class about grammar from one of his college professors, William Strunk, Jr. And he revised Strunk's book The Elements of Style later in his life. Okay, the next question is for Carolyn. For a while, Ebe once worked on a cruise ship, but before that went with his pal on a cross country road trip. That's exactly right. The ANSWER's road trip.

After college, Ebe wasn't sure what he should do next, so he and his friend decided to go across the country in a Model T car they called Hotspur pretty coolly in for a car. They drove from New York State and ended up in Washington State, where Evie took a job writing for the Seattle Times newspaper. Pevie later wrote about these adventures as magazine articles. Through his experience, he learned that he wanted to write about life as he saw it. Okay, the next question is for Athena.

Be take it away, Athena, here's your couplet. Before eb wrote Charlotte's web featuring a famous porker. He lived in New York and wrote humor pieces for a magazine, The New Yorker. Exactly right. The answer is the New Yorker, and the New Yorker is a very influential magazine that helps start the careers of some of America's most important writers. But not me. They've rejected several pieces I've submitted. Abe like the way that they combined news articles, humor pieces, poetry,

and cartoons. The New Yorker even helped to shape Ebe's life by introducing him to other writers and to his future wife, Katherine Sergeant Angle, who was a writer and the fiction editor at The New Yorker. Maybe you've never heard of Catherine, but she was instrumental in shaping American literature. The next question is wor Carolyn for e b The character of Stuart Little was a sure bet When he was young. He even had a mouse as a pet. That's right. The answer is pet Ebe kept a house

mouse as a pet. The idea for Stuart Little came to eb and the dream. He talked about it with Anne Carol Moore, an important children's librarian. She didn't think it was a good idea for a book, so he put the idea away for years until a different editor loved the idea. When he published Swart Little and Carol Moore gave it a bad review and he was even banned from some libraries. EB thought he had made a big mistake until thousands of fan letters from kids poured in.

It remains one of the best selling children's books of all time. And that's the end of the game. It's a couple of that. It's a couple of amazing. Now let's scurry over to producer Jane with the spods HELLI and B. I don't mind telling you we have a tied game with two points each. Thank you Jane. And now, ladies and genm and mice, spiders and pigs, please welcome to the show. EB whites bangs who was wandering in the best? Hey, e B? Did anyone ever call you EBB?

Like ed but with a B? Yeah? Absolutely not cool? That can be our thing? Then may I refuse? Wait a minute here. The lesseners at home can't see this, but EB has a soundboard in front of him and he's hitting a different key at the end of his sentences, and I sure, am there's that point again, what gives Well. I'm best known for my work as a children's book author, but certainly more influential was my revision of the writing manual,

The Elements of Style. I thought that was a book about like how to pull off wearing fancy clothes or how to match shoes and all that. Oh, romm it be. The Elements of Style is the book on the American English writing style and punctuation. It's been named one of the best and most influential books of all time by critics and authors. Alight, okay, but it's a grammar book. But grammar can be fun. I went up this soundboard here to play a different sound effect to represent different

punctuation for your listening audience, grammar and funny noises. I never thought all my interests with a line so completely. This is genious. Ev I took the liberty of adding an exclamation point on the end of that sentence for you. Now, let me take you through the soundboard. If I were to say, may I have a glass of milk? You'd know it was a question by the violin string sound effect. And if I remember my manners and said may I

have a glass of milk? Please? Then you'd know there was a comma before the please, and those wiggly sounds mean quotations. The tap is just the plane as you please period. Wow? What about apostrophes, ellipses, semi colon? Yeah, now you're getting it. Would you like to try it? Sure, Scooch should ad b I'm pretty sure he was talking to me. I'm the grammar enthusiast here. I turned your statement into a question. You should have hit the tap sound. That wasn't a semi cool and that was a statement.

Oh no, he put your statement in quotations. It's been rendered ironic. I'm just having funned with the Butlins boys. She just flipped three exclamation points on the end of that statement. This is chaos. Oh dear, now she found the anson. You must be stopped. Would the love of grammar do something to just combobulate that? My mind is a jungle of quote some samas. Hello, producer Jane, what I um plugged it? Producer Jane? My hero? Oh I shall never forget you. Now I must be off. I'm

having chicken fingers with Shakespeare. You help me have some new poems. Thanks again for having me, and thanks again? Who was who? Thank you, Jane. Let's take a quick break. We'll be back with more games, So don't go anywhere. Eric, play us some elements of style music, please ye before you we're back on the Who Was podcast. Today we're finding out who was Evie White and who was Maurice

Sendack And now back to your host, Elliott Palin. Thank you. Be. Let's keep the game moving and find out who was Marie Sendak with four fast facts or hoss re. Sendak was born in nineteen and died in twelve. Marie Sendek was the son of Polish Jewish immigrants and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Marie wrote and illustrated many of the most beloved children's books, including Where the Wild Things Are in the Night Kitchen and Chicken Soup with Rice. He is a celebrated lgbt q I, a hero, and

he has two elementary schools named after him. Okay, now we're wondering the same thing that we wondered about Ebe White's books. Had either of you read any of Maurice sendacs books before you read the Who Was Marie Sendeck book? I think in like first grade, our teacher read Where the Wild Things Are but like I'm mostly remember the pictures. Yeah, the pictures are really he drew those. I think Marie Sendeck wouldn't mind that held picture. They're really gorgeous. Marie Sendex.

Arc is very It's very beautiful, and it's also can be very funny, and it can also be very scary, and it can also be very moving. Uh, it's really amazing. I'm speaking about him a lot because I'm gonna let the you and the audience speak behind the curtain. My wife is a children's life Barry, and we talk about children's books a lot in my house, and Recendec is a particular favorite of ours, very special in our house. Carolin, knowing that, knowing how important re Scendec is to me,

have you ever read any of his books? I don't think the wild? Where the wild? Okay, I'll take that. I'll take that. Since we're all familiar with where the wild things are. Let's let the wild rumps start with our next game sound effects Safari sound effects sound fetsioggery sound effects faggery Why did they take a baby on a Safari? In this game, we will play a sound effect inspired by something important from Recendex life our contestants

will tell us what the sound effect represents. Because this is our second game, each question is worth two points. Here is our first sound effect for Caroline. That was Mickey Mouse's iconic laugh. Why is Mickey Mouse significant for Maurice's life? Is it because a Maurice was rejected from a job at Disney or be Mickey Mouse was Maurice's childhood hero? B That's right, The answer is being Mickey

Mouse was born the same year as Maurice. Marie said he loved Mickey Mouse because he was quote sassy and always thinking of ways to outdo people. At least the original version of Mickey was that way. Maurice would see Mickey Mouse films at the theater, he would leap up on his seat and scream. His sister and brother had to hold him down. Maurice named Mickey the main character of his book In the Night Kitchen after Mickey Mouse. Okay, next question is for Athena. Yeah, that sound effect for

you is kids playing outside? Which answer best describes why this is significant to Maurice? Is it a Maurice was often sick as a child and watched his neighbor's play from inside his house. Or be. Maurice was once commissioned by the Borough of Brooklyn to create a Maurice Sendek playground. H A, that's right. The answer is A. Maurice often watched the kids in his neighborhood from his parents window. He said, quote, so many happy memories are being indoors

and looking out windows. Later in life, I'll staying with his parents. Maurice overheard kids in the neighborhood talking to each other. One Katie always noticed was a bold girl named Rosie. He was so delighted by hearing the stories she told other kids. He used her as the inspiration for his book The Sign on Rosie's Door, which became a musical called Really Rosie, another favorite in the Calin household. The next sound effect is for Caroline boy v smra zoltsvaksena.

Okay Carolin. That was Elliott speaking in Yiddish. Why would this be significant to Maurice's life? Is it? A? His favorite musical was Fiddler on the Roof or B. As the son of Polish immigrants, much of his fami only spoke Yiddish. B. That's right. The answer is be. Maurice's parents immigrated from Poland. His family was Jewish, so they spoke Yiddish at home. Maurice's book Where the Wild Things Are was inspired by the phrase of ild Ojaiah, which his mother called him when he was a boy. This

roughly translates to wild animal in English. His Yiddish relatives used to say to him, who looks so good? I could eat you up, which is very similar to what the wild things say to Max, the little boy in the book. The final question is for Athena that is a snippet from a Mozart song. How does this sound effect relate to Maurice senday? Is it a Maurice loved

and was inspired by Mozart's music? Or b he had a beloved pet cat he named mozart A. That's right, The answer is a. Maurice once said, I know if there's a purpose in life, it was for me to hear Mozart. I mean, wow, this guy loved Mozart. Later in his career, Maurice designed costumes from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, and he went on to design over a dozen more operas, including an operatic adaptation of his book Where the Wild Things Are? And That's sound effects Safari

sound effects Safari Sari sound effects. Amazing game, everybody. You're both doing so well. Let's wild rump us over to producer Jane to get the scores. Oh, it'd be We have a tie still with six points each, and don't go anywhere. We'll be back for our final game after this. Pick quick, Eric, please play us some guild Ohaia music. Please you're giving me Saurus Sally. Who was Marie Curie? You may remember me from winning multiple Nobel prizes or FAPs from my episode of the Worst Podcast where I

played myself. I wanted to take a moment to read one of my favorite reviews about the Whoas podcast. This is from Shaken Bay and it reads loved this Me and my little sister love this show more. Please. Our faith is Ariet Toman. If you want to hear your review right on the app, make sure to subscribe, like, and review to the Wah's podcast in the I Heart Radio up or wherever you give your podcasts revoir or

should I stay abiato. We're back on the Whos podcast where we're learning all about who was Ebie White and who was Maurice Kenda? And now back to your host, Elliot Kaitlin, thank you be With not a moment to lose, We're heading on to our last game, Converge of Greatness. In this multiple choice game, we'll explore how our famous

people connect, overlap, or converge. Choose the best answer for each question, and because this is covering double the topics of our last game, it will be worth triple the points. I know it sounds mad, but that's how we do things on the who Has podcast. The first question is for a theme. E. B. White and Marie Sendek worked with this editor who helped publish some of America's favorite children's books. Was that person a Ursula Nordstrom, b Amelia

Badelia or see Mr Popper, Penguins Random House. That's right, the answer is a Ersla Nordstrom was the editor to both Morty Sendek and Evie White. Editors worked with authors to help them improve their books. Ursula helped Morris Land his first illustrating work, and when Ursla read Stuart Little, she knew it was something special. She helped Evie publish it, even after others put it down. She worked with Lebe on Charlotte's Web and the Trumpet of the Swan. Ursula

what a visionary. Okay, next question is for Caroline. World War two greatly affected Maurice and eb White. Sadly, Maurice lost most of his extended family in Poland in the Holocaust. He responded to this terrible loss with the art and words of his books. Eb White responded to the end of the war by writing A Stewart Little Too, Let's Get Tiny, be his first and only rock album. Or see a book about an ideal government called Wild Flag. Yes,

you're right, the answer is see. Inspired by the First Meeting of the United Nations, Evie wrote The Wild Flag, a book filled with ideas on how one world government could give everyone the same basic freedoms. Abe also wrote pieces in support of the civil rights movement in nineteen sixties and was early environmentalist who helped scientist and writer Rachel Carson get published early in her career. We have an episode about Rachel Carson. Go check it out. It's great.

But first before you do that, hold on, no go anywhere. Check out this next question. It's for a theme. Both eb White and Maurice Sendek were dog people. That doesn't mean they had wet noses and floppy ears. It means they love dogs. E b had a dog that would walk him home from school most days, and Maurice wrote a book all about his beloved dog, who was named a Mozart B Max or C. Jenny. That's right, The answer is C. Maurice called his dog Jenny the love of my life. As long as she was alive, Jenny

was featured somewhere in every book Marie drew. When Jenny started nearing the end of her life, Maurice wrote a book all about her called Giggledy Piggledy Pop that ends with her leaving home forever but writing a note to Marie telling him she is very happy. Are so sweet? And the final question is for Caroline. Eb White and Maurice Sundeck were both influenced by the time they spent living in New York City, but they both eventually left

for quieter places. Maurice and his partner Eugene lived in Connecticut, but Be and his family moved to this state. Was it a New Hampshire, be Maine or see Pennsylvania, Um Pennsylvania. I'm so sorry. The answer is be Maine. Maine, and the love of nature, animals and the outdoors played a big role in much of Evie's life, starting when he was a boy, he spent summers in Maine as a way to help his allergies, and as an adult lived

in Maine full time and had a farm. He came up for the idea of Charlotte's web after seeing a spider's web near the pigs in the barn. All this main talk is pretty cool. But if you want to read a great essay about a city, read Ubi Whites. Here is New York. It's a fifty five page delight that's way shorter than a twenty chapter book about dragons and almost as cool. And that's the end of the round That heavenly music means it's the end of the game,

which means it's almost the end of the show. While we wait for Jane to write out everyone's points in her web, I'd love to hear from the contestants, what was something that you were surprised to learn about? Eb White or Maurice sindec Athena, what's surprised you? Yeah, Maurice, at some point in his life wanted to draw till he died. Maurice really loved drawing more than anything else in the world. Seems like even more than Mozart, and

yeah he was. He continued working all the way up until the very end of his life, which is very exciting to me, someone who hopes to never retire and to be always writing and always hosting podcasts until they forced the microphone away from me in the hospital when a very long Again, maybe I'm like a hundred hundred fifty years old, and Elliott I, I steal the mic from you all the time, and you know you're only

twenty five years so that's true, that's true. Wait a minute, was that a laugh from Athena at the idea that I might be twenty five years old? Which it's true. I am not at tring at a while. Let's move on to Caroline. Caroline, what surprised you about eb White or sine that he got inspiration for a Charlotte's web? But seeing a spider web? Isn't it amazing how you can see something so small just in everyday life, and suddenly it can turn into a story in your head.

I myself am also a picture book writer, and my first picture book, which is called Worse Meats Dog, was inspired by one seeing a dog looking at a horse and trying to think about what does that dog think about that horse? And isn't amazing You can just look at animals and then suddenly you've got a story in your head. It can happen anywhere to anybody. I bet tomorrow you will walk by something and you just glance at something and you'll see it, and suddenly a whole

story would jump into your head. Hey, I've got an idea. How about um uh, the giraffe in the attic, the giraffe with the dragons or the giraffe and the dragons. Thank you both for sharing things that particularly spoke to you in a surprising way about these figures from history. Now for the great moment, Jane, please spin that news

in your web and announce our winner. Oh you've been vi I don't mind telling you that once again, a question about Maine has tripped up a contestant, Carolyn at nine points, but my good friend Athena started ahead with twelve. Great job Tina and Carolyn, great job to the super close game. Now Athena as our winner. You have ten seconds for shoutouts. Who are you going to thank for bringing you to this victory? Thanks Mom and Dad and the school, besting m Chenna and altime besties come trying

to marry maryam Ses soon come time Nice. That's great. Now our winner in their library of choice for receiving a selection who Was Books? And I'm going to give my own shout out to intern Zach, to Jane Eric, to Matt Zambrano for being our eb white and to be, and a big thank you to both of our contestants for playing a simply wonderful game today, and of course thank you to you the listener for listening. Next week we'll find out about two more amazing people from the past.

Until then, Mrs Elliott Calin saying we are history. Goodbye. Everybody got a question for any of our famous figures were? Do you want to be a contestant? Send us a voice memo at the Who Was Podcast at gmail dot com it or you might just end up on the show. The Who Was Podcast is produced by a Radio Point, I Heart Media and Penguin Workshop, and is based on the best selling who each q series published by Penguin. This show was hosted by Elliott Caylin with co host

Megan O'Neill as be. It also stars Jane Baker as Jane Eric Shackney as Eric and Matt Zambrano as E. B. White. Our executive producers are Richard Corson, Alex Bach, Elliot Calin, Megan O'Neil, Daniel Powell, and Houston Snyder. Our executive producer for Penguin Workshop is, of course, Francesco Sadda, and our executive producer Fry Heart Media is Lindsay Hoffman. This episode was written by Megan O'Neill, Elliott Caylin, and Devin Coleman.

He was produced by Bernie Kaminski and Taylor Kowalski. The talent was produced by Jane Baker. The theme song and the music were composed and performed by Eric Shackney. It was edited and mixed by Kate moulden Hower. It was recorded by Alison Worth. Special thanks to Zach Timpson, Charlotte DeAnda, Daniel Goodman, Michael Lewis Howard. Special thanks to all of them. The Who Was Podcast was recorded at the iHeart Studios

in Los Angeles, California. Sound services were provided by who Else Great City Posts Podcast because it standard Flavor record