Among the many amazing people I have been lucky enough to know, two of the most amazing are my friend Toni Markiet, and the extraordinary Maurice Sendak. So much as already been said about Maurice that I will only add that in addition to creating some of the most brilliant books the world has ever seen, he made it impossible for me to ever have a bowl of chicken soup with rice and not think about him and smile. As you may know, we lost him just about a year ago, and it's still hard for me to believe he's not out there, sitting at his kitchen table with his faithful German Shepherd at his feet. I asked his dear friend Toni, who knew him so very well, if she would share some of her delicious memories with us. And so in Toni's words...