In the Night Kitchen

Summary: Mickey goes on a dream adventure through the strange and sometimes nonsensical "night kitchen."

Personal impressions: Superb and evocative art. Deeply original poetical storytelling. A narrative that both makes sense, and lacks sense in the manner of a dream. Impressionistic genius.

Every word in this is pretty much perfect. Where the Wild Things Are is great, but it's also a bit more an adult's precious idea of how a kid is sometimes--the everydayness of this one, the way the kitchen and the Oliver Hardy chefs are totally mundane but also totally freaky, and all the things that happen make no sense but all in the service of breakfast ("and that's why we have cake every morning," Sendak says, straightfaced, and I wonder if they did or what?), and Mickey the kid chortles through it all and comes out of the batter looking like a dough octopus--there are worlds hidden behind the ones we know and nothing has any cause or effect but it's still all AWESOME--that's how I remember toddlerhood, as the midpoint between show more "Little Nemo" and Spirited Away. show less

Mickey heard a racket downstairs and demanded quiet whereupon he fell through the dark and lost his clothes.

In a dream like trace, Mickey is transported into the light of the night kitchen were he meets three bakers. The bakers drawn by Sendak very much resemble Laurel and Hardy, with Nazi like mustaches.

Mixing Mickey in the batter, with little concern that he will be harmed, they attempt to bake him in the oven.

Mickey escapes in a pile of dough shaped like a plane, stealing the measuring cup, he finds a large bottle of milk and measures enough for the three bakers to make their morning cake, without him inside!

Mickey slides down the side of the giant milk bottle and is transported back into his bed.

This was, and continues to be a show more controversial book.
Many object to the fact that Mickey is fully nude with exposed genitals.

The large question is: Is child nudity "morally acceptable?"

Interestingly, this book is on the American Library Association list of books banned. It holds the place of 25th of the 100 most frequently challenged books.

Oh, gesh, I say to all those uptight librarians, dust off your pearls! show less

Mickey travels to the night kitchen in his dreams and finds himself mixed into cake batter when the bakers confuse him with milk so he seeks to set the bakers straight and goes looking for the proper ingredient. As usual, Sendak's illustrations are stunningly detailed and inviting, creating a whimsical, imaginative backdrop for Mickey's midnight adventures. While In the Night Kitchen has been challenged for its depiction of Mickey's genitalia, I didn't find the illustrations offensive - indeed, I don't think Mickey's adventures would have made as much sense if he hadn't been nude since he spends a lot of time covered in cake batter and later immersed in a giant jug of milk. Had he been wearing clothing, the illustrations would not have show more flowed as smoothly and Mickey would be lacking the freedom that makes his actions in the night kitchen possible. The story is fun and silly, reminescent of the kind of fantasy a young child might invent as he drifts off to sleep. show less

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak seems innocent enough. The protagonist, 3 year old Mickey, dreams of floating out of his pajamas into a night kitchen, a food making fantasy land with buildings of food containers and three comical identical bakers who resemble Stan Laurel with a Hitler mustache. This stream of consciousness narrative in words and images transports the reader into the silly and ridiculous world of a three year old’s dreams of bakers trying to bake him in a “Mickey-cake”. Covered by cake batter, Mickey escapes by jumping into bread dough and kneading and shaping it into a plane that he flies away in. The bakers demand milk for the morning cake, so Mickey dives into a giant bottle of milk, loses his skin of show more cake batter, and pours the milk into the bakers’ cake batter. After the bakers bake the cake, Mickey crows from the milk bottle and falls back into his pajamas and bed. This children’s dream fantasy has been controversial and frequently challenged for Mickey’s nudity and sexual innuendo. However, the intended readers of this fantasy are young children who do not see what the adults see. Most giggle when they see Mickey naked just because male nudity in children’s books is so uncommon that it’s just cause for commotion. Sendak’s subcontexual references to the Holocaust are completely lost on children, as is the identity of the bakers. What the young reader will see is the fantasy world Sendak has created with pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations of Mickey flying through illustration panels as if in a dream. Sendak’s illustration style for In the Night Kitchen is atypical of his oeuvre; he dispensed with his trademark hatchmarks in favor of a more graphic rendering of pen, ink, and watercolor to create giant comic-like panels that even include speech balloons. As a result, In the Night Kitchen creates a food making fantasy land with characters and events that just like real dreams, are extraordinary and absurd. show less

This book is a fun trip through the mind of a child who desires (like all kids) cake in the mornings. The illustrations by Mr. Sendak are stupendous. There are even variations on old lullabies woven into the text which makes it a treat for young and old. My absolute favorite part of the book is the take on "I see the Moon" rhyme with "I'm in the milk.." It gave a flow to the book that made it more accessible to me when reading it to my son.

My only complaint about the book is the controversy surrounding the "nudity." It is completely overblown and ridiculous.

I have to admit a soft spot in my heart for this book as Mickey and his desire for cake reminds me of my nearly 2 year old son. This really is a great read. Perhaps my new favorite show more in the Sendak library. show less

The illustrations in this book are surreal in both color and tone. The text is written like poetry, with a consistent rhythm and musical pace.The picture book resembles a comic strip, even with speech bubbles above the heads of the characters when they speak. In the Night Kitchen is very dream-like, and in some ways a bit like a nightmare. This book has been held under scrutiny because it has some nudity and some say the storyline is too scary for children. Some libraries have even banned the book because of the nudity. Some publications have dressed the main character Mickey in a diaper, covering up his bare bottom and genitals. Personally, I find the nudity to not be a concern because the nude character looks to be the age of a toddler.