When I was a little girl, I was absolutely fascinated with The Brothers Grimm’s folktales. Instead of reading "The Babysitters Club" or anything Barbie related, I chose to sneak peeks at the darkly illustrated children’s stories. Maurice Sendak, the mysterious man behind most of the illustrations, was quoted as saying once, “That’s why the children loved them because they were real life. Dreadful things happen. What more could you want?” That is precisely why I was so enticed by the original tales of “Snow White” and “Hansel and Gretel.” They weren’t simply sugar-coated fluff pieces; they actually had something real to say.

            Philadelphia’s Rosenbach Museum and Gallery is paying homage to Sendak’s morbidly moving illustrations in a new exhibit called Dreadful Things Happen: The Brothers Grimm and Maurice Sendak. This intriguing exhibit will take a close look at Sendak’s illustrations for many of the Brothers Grimm’s most notable stories. It will also present guests with detailed notes that Sendak made on his translations of the original stories and the museum also highlights why Sendak chose specific scenes to illustrate and what he chose to draw.

            Dreadful Things Happen: The Brothers Grimm and Maurice Sendak is running now up until Sunday, Nov. 7. For more information please visit http://www.rosenbach.org/learn/exhibitions/dreadful-things-happen.