In the Night Kitchen (Caldecott Collection)

I found this book in Japanese at a store, and brought it home, but, unfortunately, the translated version does not show the lovely rhythm of the original. So, I wanted to get the English version of the book. I should have bought a hard cover book !!

It is a very visceral book. Those books stay with me forever. The naked boy bit makes it more so, and I have always enjoyed that. How can nakedness and dough and floating around not be interesting and impressionable, encouraging imagination and fostering a love for reading and art? This was one of my favorite books growing up, and my 3 year old son has enjoyed it too, since he was 1 in fact.

This has been our favorite bed time story for years. Our nine year olds still like having it read to them at night. The pictures are amazing--of course, it's Sendak--but the story is fantastic too. Our children had to explain to Dad that it's just a dream. Some adults may be too literal to get it, if so, just ask your kids to explain!

I remember this book was given to my brother as a gift when we were kids. Just loved the pictures so much would sit forever looking at it. Perfect gift for the kids they can keep it and look back on it like me and my brother do. Fast deliver too and the is beautiful printed.

This is the fourth time I've bought this book. Once for my oldest son, once for the youngest, once for the first grandson, this time for the youngest grandson. Every child simply has to have this book.

I received this book, and it arrived in good shape. I had never read this Maurice Sendak book before, and found it to be a delightful story. And the illustrations are classic Maurice Sendak. The seller did a fine job of packaging and sending it to me.

Rawlins Municipal Library purchased In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. This was a used children's book but in great condition. In the Night Kitchen is a great children's story and will be enjoyed by many. It is a great addition to our children's library collection. Thank you

"In The Night Kitchen" is the bizarre, surreal story of Mickey and his journey into the mysterious night kitchen where bakers are preparing the 'morning cake.' Mickey is the savior of the story getting the key ingredient, Milk, for the bakers to complete the cakes. Like "Where the Wild Things Are," "In The Night Kitchen" is the dream of the main character. Where Max's room turns into a jungle, Mickey "falls/ floats" down through his room into the fantastical kitchen-world that appears to be below his house. The story is a child's dream. It is not supposed to make perfect sense to adult minds. In all honesty, the book seemed a little weird and disjointed to me at first. But my son instantly loved it. He is now 3.5 and we have been reading this book to him pretty consistently for about a year and a half now. He still loves it. It grew on me as well. The subtleties in the art are very well placed, more so than "Where the Wild Things Are." If you realize the book is just the surreal journey of a child's dream you may not get weirded out by it, and may begin to appreciate the book for what it is, a great child's story. As mentioned, Mickey does get naked as he transitions from his bedroom to the night kitchen and into his 'dough-suit,' then again as he transitions back to his house. As it seems a lot of people get stuck on this one facet of the book. Chances are if a child being naked in a children's book makes you uncomfortable, you probably won't like this one for you kids and should probably just avoid it.

Not a big fan of this book for a couple reasons: I don't really like the story (big fan of the author otherwise) and I don't really like the illustartions (dark, dreary). Also beware if you are easily ruffled-- there's a couple illustrations where the main character is sans clothing and his private parts are just out there for the world to see. My daughter is too young to know the difference, but that would definitely be a conversation starter for older kids.

The book came quickly and was in perfect condition. I had to laugh when I saw that
someone had put s sticker on the front stating that this edition was the "censored" addition. Every picture of the boy's private part was covered by a sticker. Since we had already owned the book I peeled the stickers off and Will enjoyed the book.
Thanks for thinking of parents who may not know the little boy is nude. Very happy with the vendor.

The drawings are attractive and creative, but the over all story is a bit scary. I especially don't like "baking" the kid in the oven. Cooking is fun but I don't want to introduce the wrong idea to children that oven is a safe place to play.

I'm a preschool teacher, and I ordered this book because my students love-love-love "Where the Wild Things Are." Well, of course they do! Everyone loves that book. "In the Night Kitchen" is a very different book. I would keep this book for my own children (although I doubt it would be a favorite), but I can't read this to my class. It isn't just that the little boy is naked throughout the book. He is naked for no apparent reason. His nakedness feels weird. There is a page where he leaps up in all his naked glory and yells "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" And this has no logical reason for being in the book. It's just...odd. Anyhow, with all the different cultures and all their differing levels of comfort with nudity, I simply cannot read this to my little students. I hate to leave negative reviews, but I wanted the teachers out there to be warned.

Book binding and cover looks slightly used. Neither of the books look like brand new crisp books I would purchase at a bookstore. I purchased where the wild things are as we'll and same complaint, almost sent it back.

This book was recommended to me by an elementary school librarian. She loved it, I guess the kids in her school loved it, I didn't love it. It's okay, but reading it to my kids, well, put it this way, there are a lot of other books I think are better.

What a surreal book. A little boy named Mickey, in a very dreamlike sequence, falls through his bed and out of his clothes. For most of the book, he's naked. I don't mind personally, but apparently the visible genitalia has caused this book to be banned repeatedly. Anyway, three larger-than-the-average-human bakers (or maybe they're regular-sized and Mickey is a bit small?), "The bakers who bake till the dawn so we can have cake in the morn," are mixing cake. Mickey falls into their batter, and they mix it together and put him in the oven and he comes out as the cake is baking and says, "I'm not milk!" (Did they mistake him for milk? I'm not 100% sure what's up with that.) So he leaves the oven and falls into some bread dough and makes the dough into an airplane. The bakers, who all look like Oliver Hardy, demand milk, so he flies his plane up into a giant bottle of milk, dives in, gets some milk, and pours it into their batter and they're super happy. Then he goes back to bed. The last page is this image that looks almost like a "seal of approval," but the text around it says, "And that's why, thanks to Mickey, we have cake every morning." What?

I don't know what this book is supposed to mean. I don't know if there's some kind of message he's trying to impart with it. I've heard that Sendak himself, in his later years, claimed that it was some kind of allegory to the Holocaust (with the bakers having Hitler-esque mustaches and baking people in the oven), but that's a real stretch. For the most part, it just seems completely surreal. Because he's certainly happy at the end. He ends up back in his bed, "Cake-free and dried," it says. It's just almost like the kind of weird dream that I suppose a child would have who had been obsessed with the contents of the pantry (given the art style where all the buildings in the background look like various food and cleaning items), knew something about bakers, and a little bit about how cake is made. Is it supposed to be metaphorical for something? Maybe a child getting up in the night, going downstairs and getting lost in the pantry, and hallucinating?

Message: Cake is delicious.

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"In the Night Kitchen" is a funny little book that holds some adult-like topics such as working vs. playing. We follow a young boy who finds himself in "the night kitchen" in which there are chefs preparing the kitchen for opening time most likely in the early morning. This introduces the idea of adults having a difficult physical labor intensive jobs. The boy interrupts the work by using the dough to create an airplane that flies over the city. He disrupts the work day and makes the chefs angry by ruining the bread dough.

I didn't really understand the significance of the boy and the constant mention of milk. Is it because his skin is pale and he looked like milk in the batter? And why does he float in a bottle of milk naked? And why is he saying "milk" over and over again? I'm thinking that the boy is naked for the majority of the book because it represents the child-like mindset of mixing pleasure with work. He must symbolize the reminder to keep work fun.

The art style is beautiful and the story is interesting, different from other children's books I've read before. I recommend this book if you or your child enjoy "Where the Wild Things Are."

I love this book and this is why: it encompasses the child dream experience in one multilayered narrative. That narrative is not a straight line, and it isn't necessarily predictable, but it is original, interesting, funny, and real. Children love realness. It is comforting. Nudity, rhythm, and a story where the child is swept into an adult agenda, and then responds by both helping the adults and making decisions by taking care of his own needs is empowering for children. Like many many other children both my sons love the part where Mickey takes himself out of the bread dough and flies over the Milky Way. The bakers get what they want, Mikey participates in the dream in a way that is helpful, and self defining. Adults, even if you are confused, and/or upset by the fact that Mickey (in cartoon form) is naked for a few pages, please consider getting this book for your kiddo. Just like Where the Wild Things Are it helps kids incorporate their own desires in a heavily defined adult world. We need many more like it.

A standalone picture book with warm and cozy illustrations of a populated kitchen with an heroic Mickey dreaming to the rescue.

In 1970, In the Night Kitchen won the Best Books of 1970, Outstanding Children's Books of 1970, Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1970, Children's Books of 1970 (Library of Congress), and Notable Children's Books of 1940–1970. In 1971, it won the Caldecott Honor Book and received an Honor Citation for the Carey-Thomas Award. In 1973 and 1975, it won the Brooklyn Art Books for Children. In 1982, it won the Vlag en Wimpel Penseeljury. And it's one of those awarded books that truly deserve it!

My Take
Just like Mickey, I was falling — into the story's illustrations, fascinated by the "kitchen" Sendak created. I loved the buildings of pantry goodies with mixing blades, light bulb cages, and handles acting as building toppers in those warm, soft browns and reds.

The kids will get a perverse giggle out of a full-frontal Mickey landing in the cake batter *snicker*. (There is/was a lot of controversy about this and resulted in In the Night Kitchen becoming a banned book. I can understand why conservatives who react without thought would freak, but I don't see that it's a big deal (no pun intended *grin*) And like I said, the kids will find it funny.)

There is a lot of imagination in Sendak's In the Night Kitchen, from its pantry-product buildings with their appliance toppers. The crazy chefs who simply see Mickey as yet another ingredient out of which he must escape. I suspect the kids will get another laugh at the idea of being baked in a cake. Makes me think of that nursery rhyme, "Sing a Song of Sixpence", with its own version of pie, *laughing*.

See if the kids can find the inspiration for Mickey's bread dough plane.

Yep, that Mickey's a hero, and I did enjoy the "seals" (front and back) of a heroic Mickey in his cake batter suit!

Who knew so much went on in the kitchen at night…and why haven't they visited me!

The Story
It's that thump, dump, clump that wakens our hero who finds himself falling through the house only to land in a bowl of cake batter. At least it's a soft landing!

It's up to our hero to retrieve the missing ingredient. Or else there will be no cake in the morning!

The Characters
Mickey is a child who had been sleeping in his bed until woken by a thump in the night.

A triplet of fat, happy chefs with mustaches all decked out in their cooking whites and hats.

The Cover and Title
The cover is warm and cozy browns with Mickey wearing a milk pitcher on his head and cake batter as a flying suit, soaring in his bread dough airplane over the "city" skyline of beans, bread, cream, cake, and 10¢ coupons. The title is a muted burgundy at the top, arching over the author's name in cocoa brown.

The title is what Mickey discovers In the Night Kitchen.

Um, I'm all for the fun, eccentric books. However, this one was so so odd, my son was confused (I was confused) on what the heck the story was about. There was a little nude boy in it (tastefully drawn, but shows a certain 'part' of the body so my son was wondering what I was showing him!) All in all, returned it. Too much crazy for this household.

I bought this book because my former students loved the book. I thought it was because of the novelty of the naked boy illustrations. So, I thought my baby would like it some time down the line. I started reading it to him when he was a few months old because I like the off beat rhymes. Now my son is almost 10 months old and LOVES this book, particularly when I read it. I lay out several books every night and he always chooses this one, often times twice in a row. He tolerates most other books and will pay attention off and on, but he will listen with rapt attention to the whole book every time I read it. I've considered taking it out of rotation because even though I enjoy it, you can only take so much of a good thing! But I'm so happy he loves it!

As for the cake controversy, it's clear that this is a narrative of a child's dream and cake isn't literal. The cake is a metaphor for the sun. The bakers bake in the night kitchen all night so the cake(sun) can rise every morning, with the crowing of the little boy. Thanks to Mickey sleeping and dreaming the sun rises each morning. That's how I plan to explain it anyway. As for the nakedness, there is nothing lewd about a cartoon boy and his vague nakedness. It's natural and innocent. If you think nudity is something shameful then don't buy or read the book!

The style of pictures in this book are totally unique and awesome! Be aware that there is some nudity in the pictures, so if your son is anything like mine at age 3, he'll be pointing out the "who-ha" over and over and over. The story itself is a bit weird, but definitely imaginative, and one I remember from my childhood.

My son borrowed this from the library, because the library was out of all of the many copies of Sendak's "Where the wild things are". I was a little hesitant because I'd never heard of the book before, in contrast to Where the Wild Things Are. The story is presented from the perspective of a child's dream, as he would experience, complete with nonsensical transitions. I wasn't thrilled with the book, but every night my 4 year old son would request "Mickey in the Night Kitchen".

From a 4-year-old: Yes, you should read this book. It is about Mickey in the Night Kitchen. He jumps out of his pajamas and becomes naked. Then he goes into the night kitchen where bakers bake the cake. Stir it, cook it, bake it. The put it in the oven to bake a delicious Mickey cake. The punched and kneaded the dough until it was just right. Then Mickey got milk the Mickey way, then he flew, then God bless me and God bless you. Then he comes into the milk right now and then he's not naked in the milk, then he's a little naked then he's all naked. The End. It's a funny book.

Although I absolutely ADORE Sendak's better known Where the Wild Things Are, this Caldecort Award winner is among the beloved childhood artifacts that I saved and transported from place to place over the years, and finally unpacked when my daughter was born. After all, few children can resist the idea of floating naked through an urban dream scape; Gently landing in a huge bowl of yummy cake batter; Deftly evading the giant bakers who try to mix and bake him into a cake; Saving the day as the heroic pilot of a bread-dough airplane and flying up to the mouth of a giant glass bottle of milk (remember those?) to fetch the desperately-needed "milk for the morning cake;" and; Floating softly back into his own warm, cozy bed? In his dream, Mickey shows independence and resourcefulness. As usual, Sendak spins a compelling narrative with JUST the right amount of scariness to send a thrill up your child's spine without inducing nightmares. His incomparably detailed, fantastical, and charmingly grotesque artwork laced with humor (a sky scraper topped with egg beaters, and a giant oven emblazoned with a "Mickey Oven" logo that suspiciously resembles Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse logo) is irresistible, and my daughter and I would stare at the pages for hours.

Mickey, who is in bed, hears a commotion downstairs and gets up to shout "be quiet down there." He proceeds to fall out of his bed, out of his pajamas, floats past his sleeping parents, and right into the midst of the night kitchen where a lot of bustling is going on. He encounters three chef's (with Hilter- mustaches) busily cooking up a cake for morning. They pour Mickey right into their cake batter and start stirring him in. They pour him into a cake pan and put him in the oven to cook, but luckily Mickey escapes and falls right into the bread dough which is rising. He manages to create a bread-dough plane and and flies up and up to a huge bottle of milk. He grabs the bakers some milk for their cake creation. Mickey happily pours the much needed milk into the batter which satisfies the bakers. As his dream fast forwards, Mickey finds himself waking up in his own bed, in the morning, "cakefree and dried." We learn "that's why, thanks to Mickey, we have cake every morning."

I bought the book because my son is always fascinated by stories that are a bit out of the ordinary and lend a lot to the imagination (Where The Wild Things Are, Moondog, Harold And The Purple Crayon, Dr. Seuss, etc.). He is 4, and believe me, my son is seriously no prude. Sometimes I'm embarrassed by that, but whatever. The story is a bit odd, and I'm not sure that I get it, but I'm not reviewing the book how I see it (parents, you get THAT?), but by my son suggesting it every night at bed time. I enjoy the imagery, the artwork is pretty amazing. There is really not much of a story, more of a bit of words accompanying a great picture book. As far as the 'nekkid' kid (as the rednecks seem to refer to it as), it's pretty harmless unless you are from another planet. You can plainly see that it's a boy, and even my son laughed at it the first time and said 'Daddy, that's me!' If you like the other books that I mentioned, and you don't go to a church where you have to hold snakes (believe it or not, I'm a practicing Baptist), then this is a great book for your collection.

In The Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak is my favorite of the Sendak oeuvres. Maurice Sendak (1928-2012) was a writer and illustrator of many award-winning children’s books, the most well-known being his 1963 publication, Where The Wild Things Are.
In The Night Kitchen was published in 1970 by Harper Collins. It won The Caldecott Award in 1971. The story is the chronological first in a trilogy series about a young boy coming of age. In Night Kitchen, the boy is intended to be very young age, about three. In Where The Wild Things Are, the boy is pre-K age, and in the third book, Outside Over There, he is pre-adolescent.
Sendak tells a magical story, about a little boy who falls out of his bed, out of his pajamas, and “into the light of the night kitchen.” He then falls deeper, into a big bowl of batter of three bakers, who are up in the middle of the night, baking “the morning cake.” Mickey, the little boy, pops his head up to protest that he is not to be part of their baking plan. An adventure ensues with bakers, Mickey, airplanes, and a larger than life bottle of milk, all taking place in the Night Kitchen. Mickey eventually ends up back in his bed, thankfully just in time for morning.
The plot is satisfactorily concise. There is a clear beginning, middle and end to the story. There is conflict and resolution. Mickey is a great hero/protagonist. He is assertive and self-possessed for a very young boy. He is adventurous and inventive. He is a likeable character.
Sendak is also the illustrator of In The Night Kitchen. The pictures are wildly artistic and imaginative. Mickey’s facial expressions are provoking to the reader. The color scheme is monochromatic, based on mostly on dark muddy tones such as umber and brownish violet. It is an unusual color scheme for a children’s book but it works with the mood of the night, being dark and mysterious and full of adventure.
Sendak is well known for his exquisite illustrations. In Where The Wild Things Are, he used the technique of fine line cross-hatching. Here instead, he has a thicker guided pen. He does not use cross-hatching. He uses panel blocks to illustrate the sequence of events. For example, when Mickey builds his plane, he illustrates the process over a series of 10 panels, from dough to final airplane.
The bakers, the three other characters in the story, are drawn disproportionately large in the picture frames. They have big red noses and large bakers hats that sometimes stick out of frame. They are quite jolly and WC Fields-esque. All the characters in fact, are drawn true to pure human physicality, which can sometimes be lumpy, pasty, and traditionally unattractive. I like the realness of Sendak’s illustrations.
The controversy surrounding In The Night Kitchen is a result of Sendak’s illustration of genitalia. Mickey falls out of his pajamas and into nakedness when he enters the Night Kitchen. The book’s nudity unfortunately has the capacity to outweigh the strength of this excellent work of children’s literature. This is the shame of censorship. It is disappointing that people would not read this story to their children to try to shield them from simple humaness. I’m not sure what good can come out of censorship here.
Thankfully, the book has never been officially censored. It has been ranked 25th of the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000" list compiled by the American Library Association.
I recently read In The Night Kitchen to my Kindergarten class of twenty-five students. There was only one comment, “Look he’s naked!” The class overall thoroughly enjoyed the story. I personally love this book. It transports me into a world of adventure even to this day. The story has a non-traditional feel, even though it is magical, sequential, and literarily simplistic. In The Night Kitchen activates the imagination. I would recommend this book to both children and adults alike.

I remember reading "In The Night Kitchen" as a little boy, and it definitely surprized me with it's fantastic story, wonderful illustrations, and even the naked moments, but it still is a Maurice Sendak original.
In the story, Mickey is woken up by a racket in the middle of the night, and after shouting at it, he finds himself falling in the air without his clothes and then finds himself in a nighttime kitchen world. Next, he lands in a batter of cake mix and three bakers stir him and put him in the oven, but manages to poke out and helps the bakers bake their cake.
When I first read it, i was no doubt surprised by a naked character in the book, but when I continues with the story, i just went along with and the book just won me over. Some will be shocked by the nude parts, but readers who have read Sendak's masterpiece "Where The Wild Things Are" will very much enjoy the book as much as a fresh-baked cake from the oven.

This nursery rhyme allows children to follow Mickey on a journey through his dream. Mickey journeys through a baker's kitchen and helps to bake a cake that had to be ready by morning. He is swept through the streets of the town as he attempts to find the milk that the chef's need. He is then baked into a cake and finds his way back to his home in an airplane formed from dough.

The nursery rhyme itself has a playful flow that keeps even younger children engaged. There are a lot of things that can be discussed as a family after sharing this interesting story, such as what drew Mickey into kitchen? Maybe your older children will notice the historical annotations, such as the baker with a hitler mustache.

The Controversy

Although difficult to pick up on, simply because the pages are so beautiful and the rhyme so delightful, Mickey is naked. Because of this the book was considered dangerous when it was released. There was a lot of controversy and many librarians and schools felt the need for censorship, by marking out the private parts. Although the private parts were drawn with the loop of a line which some may say is hardly graphic at all, it was disturbing to many. Sendak did mention that he simply did not want to be bothered by the idea of having to figure out the problem with his clothing as he was baked into the cake. His motives were not negative, he did not intend in creating so much controversy.

Is This a Book You Should Read With Your Children?

That fact depends on you. Everyone is different, what one mom may feel comfortable sharing with her child, another mom may not be able to do the same. Neither one is wrong, it is just a different method of parenting. As I mentioned the images were not graphic however you have to be prepared to speak about the topic of nudity if you have a very observant child. If that is not something you feel comfortable discussing with your children, depending on their ages, then this book is not for you.

This book came out when I was three years old, although I think I was a little older when I read it, maybe five or six. And I can PROMISE you I was not scared by the bakers or shocked by the nudity or confused about it being real. I liked it almost as much, or maybe even as much, as "Where the Wild Things Are." I loved the artwork, and I loved the bakers' chant, "Milk in the batter, milk in the batter! We bake cake, and nothing's the matter!"

As an adult, I can see that a lot of the appeal about it was that Mickey was having a bad dream and he took control of it and escaped. I think that's something every kid wants to know how to do. And Mickey's triumphant exit line, "I'm not the milk and the milk's not me - I'm Mickey!" had a definite "be who you are, not what other people want" message. Apparently Sendak said the only reason Mickey is naked is to avoid drawing the mess of batter-soaked clothes, but I think it also adds to the message of standing up for who and what you are.

Maurice Sendak really can do it all. He can take gorgeous artwork and give you a short yet effective story to go along with it. He can give make realistic illustrations somehow go along with very weird stories too. Then there's the stories by Sendak that just plain look weird and -are- weird, and that's where In the Night Kitchen falls. I've read a lot of Sendak's books over the years, from when I was a child to now, now that I have a daughter, and I actually hadn't read this one until just the other day. It was one of those books that I'd always forget about when at the book store, despite loving the artwork I'd seen in The Art of Maurice Sendak. In the Night Kitchen isn't going to be for every parent to read to their kids, due to nudity, but it's still a fun story and very Wild Things-ish.

Mickey is a young boy who goes to sleep one night, but hears a sound from the floor below his. Without warning, he starts to float, loses his clothes and ends up in a place called Night Kitchen. Mickey falls into a giant mixing bowl of cake batter while three bakers mix it up to prepare for baking, and either don't notice or care that there's a little boy in there. He proclaims that he's not the milk for the batter and takes off, now wearing an outfit made of batter. Mickey then makes an airplane out of dough so he can fly to the top of a milk bottle, dives in, and then pours some milk down for the bakers so they can finish their cake. Finally, Mickey crows like a rooster, goes down the bottle, and is back in bed, safe and sound.

Ok, it might not sound like Where the Wild Things Are much, but it follows the same lines as having minimal dialogue or plot, and having the illustrations do the talking. Plus it ends the same more or less, with the hero escaping a strange world, and is quickly back in his room as if nothing happened. Mickey looks a bit like Max too. My daughter's almost 4 and really got a kick out of seeing Mickey suddenly lose his clothes, and loved how he looked like a cookie with his batter suit. Of course, not all parents will be ok with this, and there are some out there that actually make sick accusations about this being a 'dirty' book not just because of the few pages of nudity, but because of the flowing milk and shape of the milk bottle. I'm usually one to notice anything inappropriate and keep it away from my daughter or brothers/sisters, but I really didn't see anything wrong with them. All I saw was some great art by one of the best in the business.

You're better off taking a look at this book in a book store yourself to see if you consider anything here inappropriate. Mickey isn't naked that much in the book, and he gets the dough suit pretty quickly, but hey, you know how some people are. I love how the art here is different from some of Maurice Sendak's other major titles, and has its own unique look. It's classic and cute, especially the image explaining why we can have cake every morning. This is one that kids can read at an early age too, so it's great for all ages.

This book immediately takes the reader into a fantasy world of wonder. It is an easy read suitable for a five year old. It would be easier to read this book to a younger group of children because they are not as critical to fantasy books like In the Night Kitchen.
I noticed the structure of the city is labeled and shaped as an ingredients or tools used in a kitchen. The bakers in the story are characterized to be these huge figures surrounding the city as Mickey( the main character) sneaks into the kitchen. They were at least three times Mickey's height. The author, Maurice Sendak, attracted the readers with the consistency of the way each page was layout, and use of borders in this book. The layout of the illustrations encouraged me to read it a few more times. So when I read it again, I discovered how the background details of what is happening in the story. I did not quite understand if it was necessary for Sendak to illustrate nudity in a children's book. What the character does not wear should not be the focus of the book

As a mother and a teacher, I am always looking for quality books to read to my fourth graders as well as my 3 year old daughter. Although I would never be able to read In the Night Kitchen to my class (parent complaints and such), it didn't take long for my little girl to fall in love with this book.
Sadly, many children today are lacking a tremendous amount of imagination, getting caught up in video games and the newest electronics. This is the primary reason why I knew I would expose her to Maurice Sendak. She's loved Where the Wild Things Are since she was a baby. I just checked out this book in the public library last week.
In my Children's Lit class in college many years ago, our teacher lectured us about the Freudian undertones of this children's book. Being young and impressionable, I vowed to myself to NEVER expose my future child to a book like this. Well, what can I say? I've learned quite a bit since then.
I'm a firm believer that nothing is a big deal unless you MAKE it a big deal. Sure, the book is certainly different from any other children's book you normally see. However, Sendak wrote this in 1970 and wanted it to be a nostalgic piece and he brought it into his illustrations. He was brought up reading comics of the 1940s, which is clearly seen in the story.
It's a whimsical, mystical story showing a journey through the imagination of a little boy. My daughter adores it and I often hear her quoting, "Quiet Down There!" and "Good bless me." I'm sure I will have a difficult time bringing this one back to the library, so I plan on purchasing it for her very soon. Thank goodness she has the Scholastic Video Collection that includes "Where the Wild Things Are" as well as "In the Night Kitchen."

Maurice Sendak is one of my very favourite children's authors and illustrators. However, I wasn't introduced to "In the Night Kitchen" until my husband insisted we buy it for our child. He loved it when he was a kid and loves it still (by the way, and this may be irrelevant, he's a great cook).
The story is about a little boy whose dream takes him to the Night Kitchen where the bakers are making the morning cake. The bakers have a glitch and Mickey is able to come to the rescue. And of course, Mickey is the reason why there are delicious things to eat in the morning (hooray for Mickey).
The whole idea of bakers working in the wee morning hours creating yummy things for our breakfasts is an intriguing idea and one that isn't talked about very often. However, those croissants, bagels, and delicious pastries are made in "Night Kitchens" the world over. This book, besides being entertaining, is actually educational.
The illustrations are vivid and are reminiscent of big cities (like NYC). The style is bold and engaging. Yes, Mickey is nude sometimes but I don't feel the drawings are graphic. Unless you have strong feelings against any portrayal of nudity, don't let that put you off. The book is certainly is worth a read (and you can always preview it before you share it with your kids). You may love it as we do.

In the night kitchen, we don't do labor too terrible, at hours that are inconvenient at best, for low wages--we bake and are jolly about it! In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak seems to be a book which introduces children to the world of labor as a fantastical, expansive, happy world in which working-class citizens make menial, rote tasks into magical jobs.

More interesting than the prospect of this story as a sort of reality is imagining In the Night Kitchen as a book set in Mickey's own dreamscape. If such is the case, it is fascinating and troubling that little Mickey dreams not of a bakery in which he can eat cake for free, or a party full of cake, but instead of entering the world of the working class as a helper, as a sort of worker himself. The landscape of the book seems to imply that it is in a state of unreality, with each of the buildings in the city being items from a kitchen or pantry rather than actual buildings.

Disturbingly, In the Night Kitchen seems to co-opt the plight of the worker as a way to indoctrinate children into believing that this is a life to aspire to. This is not to say that working-class citizens are not respectable; rather, they should not be romanticized for capitalistic ends. What is Mickey's role in this story? Though he himself helps the night bakers, he is at first thought to be the milk in the batter of their cake. This seems to show that the bakers are so caught up in their own work that even a child falling into the batter cannot remove them from their working trance.

Further, what is the role of a child reading or listening to this story? What are we meant to think of Mickey's dream or real adventure, about the people he meets? The illustrations, and the bakers' exclamations imply that they are happy to do this work, and Mickey himself wants to help the bakers. Should children reading this book aspire to do the same? This is a dangerous message to give to young children about work and the necessity of labor: that it is fun, that it is not a chore, and that it is altogether removed from a wage.

One night my adult son, who is raising a five year old, texted me and said "what was the book you read to me all the time when I was kid that had the words 'shape it bake it'?" I couldn't quite remember either, 20 years had passed, but I knew the book he meant, just couldn't quite place it. So I googled the words and In the Night Kitchen came up. I ordered it immediately for his five year old. It is still a classic, as is anything Max Sendak touches. What a way to help a child love to read!!!! I would like to order a zillion copies nd just hand them out to every child I see.

Yes, the book is odd. Very surreal in my opinion, but my boys just love it. The story has a very nice rythym to it and makes it very easy to read. It's a favorite at bedtime for both boys (age 3yrs and 16mos). They love the bakers, and the airplane made of bread dough. Like most reviewers, I think the nudity is not a problem. It's actually very cute, and different since you don't see that very often unless it's a book about potty training. I also found the review that said the book would be frightening for children to read to be odd. Did they read it to their child and they were frightened? Mickey is so cute and having so much fun, that I don't really see how a kid would think it was frightening, unless they've had a bad milk experience in the past! "Milk! Milk! Milk for the morning cake!!" My 3yo son likes to cook and bake with us, and we like to talk about the bakers and cooking while we read the book.

This book is a little weird, but my kids enjoyed it. They especially liked the parts where the little boy was naked. It’s funny what entertains kids. They also liked the storyline as well. They don’t like this book as much as Where the Wild Things Are, but they definitely enjoyed it nonetheless. I think the illustrations are great, the book is easy to read, and it has great pacing. All kids should read this book at least one time.

T.S. Charles
Author of young adult book, "Consumed." Available on the store.

The plot is weird, yes, but encourages some good plot discussion between preschooler and parent. For instance, "Do you think this really happened, or was it just a dream?" The hand drawn (so nice to see in this computer type age) letters are attractive and much larger than you usually see in a picture book for preschoolers. The rich colors in the artwork is beautiful. Better than in Where the Wild Things Are. The detail in the pictures is beautiful. You can see the brush strokes, pen strokes and lines. The visual richness and the typography makes the story and words more compelling to a child, I think. We have four packed shelves of children's books and this is the first book that has encouraged my just turned three daughter to start pointing to words and demanding me to sound them out. She wants to read it every night. This is one of the first steps towards reading and literacy, so I am grateful. Yes, if you have a very vivid imagination you could see some sexual theme. Before he wakes up from his dream, the naked boy yells "Cock a Doodle Doo" at one point. I had to stifle a snicker. However, a child will remain innocent of any imagined sexual content if you don't mention it and don't let it become a point of obsession for you.

Those of you who like Maurice Sendak, will like this book, but dont expect any "wildthings". This story is full of the true joy of experiencing of a childs dreams. Mickey is an adventurer in the world of the night kitchen, he flies his own plane that he makes from dough. He is only too happy to assist the baking that goes on during the night so there will be cake in the morning. Mickeys wild adventure takes him out of his pajamas, he is quite naked throughout the story...talk about every little childs dream! Mickeys adventures are fun, and makes us want to have the same dream when we close our eyes at night. We should all remember how much joy the simple things can bring to us. The smile on Mickeys face says it all, happiness is easy to find, just close your eyes and dream.

From the author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen takes you on a nocturnal foray into the fantasy kitchen world of a little boy named Mickey. Startled by a noise in the night, Mickey plummets into the "light of the night kitchen," where he flies through the air, falls into cake batter, zips through the milky way, and dives into milk. He saves the night by finding milk for the batter of the morning cake, prepared with vigor by the three rotund cooks who resemble Stan Hardy. Wonderfully narrated and beautifully illustrated, Sendak delivers an imaginative book worthy of its Caldecott Honor. That it takes place in the kitchen makes it a special book for parents who love to cook and want to pass on their enjoyment of the kitchen to their children.

But children's dreams are often strange - and, unlike us, they don't always know that a dream is a dream. Reading a book about a strange dream where everything ends up all right is a good thing. They don't have to be scared of the real dreams, right?

I'm frankly stunned by the people who complain about the nudity. He's a toddler. Toddlers run around naked. Adults see toddlers naked. Your little boy knows what little boys look like, and chances are your little girl either does know (if she has brothers) or will know eventually. The facts of life? Just say "boys are like this, girls are like that". That's easy to understand.

I'm even more stunned by the comments "nudity is all right, but it doesn't belong here". If nudity is all right, why does it matter if a boy is drawn naked or clothed? Clothing might be inappropriate as well! Don't tell me *you* haven't had a dream of being naked.

My two-year-old niece loves this book. She loves the pictures "see that? see that?", and she likes the rhythm of the words. And she likes the idea that we have cake eeeeeeee-v'ry morning (even though we don't). I can hardly think of a better introduction to the world of dreamlike fantasy.

What kid has NOT had a dream like this? I know I have! The bold colors, and sequencing are great. However, I do find myself squirming, not at Mickey's nakedness, but at the appalling food sanitation practices in this so-called "Night Kitchen". Mickey, please, if your going to swim in your baking ingredients, at least wear a hairnet. Your religious sensibilities will croon with delight as you read Mickey's benediction, "I'm in the milk and the milk's in me. God bless milk and God bless me." Great read, Amen.

Honestly, we don't even own the book. (yet) We do have Where the Wild Things Are and my friend highly recommended the Scholastic dvd's. I found the WTWTA dvd and picked it up for that story. Lately, my son has been asking for the Night Kitchen- the last story on the dvd. The first time I heard it I was like "huh?" just listening to it- the lyricism of it appealed to me but the "milk in the batter, milk in the batter, we bake cakes and nothing else matters" just didn't make sense to my 31 year old mind. Then I watched it. Yep, it's Laurel and Hardy & their brother baking the cake, the Mickey oven is Mickey mouse (who I adore) and, holy cow, Mickey is NAKED! Majoring in children's literature, I knew immediatly that this book would be threatened to be pulled without having to read the reviews. The fact that it goes back to having a new baby in the house makes a lot of sense. (the most primal outfit we have is our own skin, right?) No, he doesn't HAVE to be naked, but isn't it beautiful how our kids don't have the hangups about it that we instill in them later? I think the images are so vivid and lovely that I am considering getting a copy of the book to tear apart and frame for my son's room.

Not to degrade those who have rated this book low on the scale, I mean, to each his/her own, but it's "not making sense" is part of the beauty of it. I wish I could count the number of times my 5 year old son has told me something that doesn't make sense. Jimbo from Treasure Planet has planted a garden, taken a train, and uses mulch chips from our garden as his surf board.

This beautiful imagry and creative story are masterfully woven together to make this a childhood (and beyond!) classic.

I am hoping to find an autographed copy to add to my son's autographed book collection. That's the ONLY reason why we don't own it yet.

We own around two hundred children's books. Very few of them have only one name on the cover, a single name that says it all. Dr. Seuss. Wanda Gag. David Small. Arnold Lobel. Jan Brett. Maurice Sendak. Of Sendak's masterpieces, only "In the Night Kitchen" is perfectly targeted to the toddler/preschooler. Every baby understands night, naked, milk, and kitchen--that magical place where grown-ups create food. If babies got into baking, if they became an ingredient even, they could cook up something fantastic, experience Mickey's euphoria. They know it. Is your *baby* shocked when Mickey sheds his clothes to gallivant around in the night kitchen? Of course not. The baby would do the same, given half a chance. Elements are unbound by gravity and bedtime, and they don't wear clothes! The beauty of the book is in its simplicity and delicious stream-of-consciousness. The joy of Mickey's discovery is contagious. In a day when most children's books (and food!) consist of mere merchandising, Sendak's classics are a breath of fresh air, and I venture to say there has been no better illustrator. Ever. All of my children have passed the apex age for this book, but I can't wait to grab a grandbaby and dive into the dough.

A friend gave my son this book for a gift. We absolutely love this book. It is so delightful look at and to read.
We love the way it reads and my 2 year old likes us to sometimes swich out mickey's name for his own.
Some seem to forget that Mickey is having a dream. So It's okay to be baked into a cake or dive into a milk bottle in your dreams.
For those of you that have complained about the naked little boy/or just don't get it...you need to go find your imagination, you must have lost it along the way to growing up!
This is a fantastic book!!!

Mickey is a fantastic throwback to the lovely lovely adventures of Little Nemo In Slumberland, an illustrated comic in American newspapers during the early 20th century. Like Little Nemo, Mickey's adventures drift from panel to panel in a dreamlike trance. The cooks who look like Oliver Hardy always struck me as the best part of the book; as well as Mickey floating in the giant bottle of milk as his little dough plane disintegrates.
Why do people find this book controversial? They are the same people who fear and have stifled the powers of their own imaginations. We have all had strange dreams like this, and Sendak has beautifully captured those sleepy moments. Why are they bothered by Mickey's state of undress? Who cares?

I've always loved this book as an adult -- I don't remember reading it as a child. So I was excited to see if my son (now 18 months old) would enjoy it. He loves it, too! He calls it "Mickey!" (the character's name) and loves to point out the milk, the airplane, the dough "pants," and the moon. It's one he says "Again! Again!" to when we're done. So it passes both tests for me -- I enjoy reading it and he enjoys having it read to him. Inventive, whimsical, unexpected, dreamlike fun with colorful, detailed, and (to my mind) gorgeous illustrations! It's a little kooky, just like kids' brains. Sendak really taps into something special here.

I came upon this book by accident as an adult and fell in love with it before my kids did. I made it a point to buy it & now they love it too. I think Mickey's situation can be a bit frightening, depending on child, as he is almost baked into a cake. However, if you explain that Mickey is having a dream...not so weird or scary. Also, one of the best things about the book is that the kitchen world is created of things in a kitchen, like a cheese grater, boxes of food, etc. It is a book to be looked at and laughed at. Also, good when discussing dreams with young children. What Mickey dreams could be nightmarish (almost being cooked) but he ends up safe in his bed...just as any dream ends. It is refreshing & fun!

No better children's book anywhere! I used to read this story to my son when he was a baby; he demanded that I read it to him so often that I can still recite it verbatim 44 years later (with proper intonation intact). He said the illustrations in "Night Kitchen" were the first and perhaps the most significant influence he had to become an artist. This is a wonderful book.

15 or 20 years ago this was one of my favorite childhood books, if not my favorite of all time. Fast forward to the year 2000 where the proliferation of the Internet allows disparate people of all backgrounds to share our thoughts. How shocked was I to read phrases like "should be trashed"!? Now an adult (24 years old), I had to be reminded that the little boy in this book was naked, because I didn't remember. You know what I did remember? - a little boy flying around in an airplane made out of dough!
I am happy to see that as more reviews have been written, they are closer in thought to my own, but for those of you concerned about the nudity and so forth - get used to it. This is not the last naked person that your son or daughter is going to see.

I read this magical, fun book to my daughters and now my daughters read it to their children. Because of active Mickey and the happy bakers who resemble Ollie, the kids often make references to "putting up to bake a delicious Mickey cake," when they bake or assist in the baking of anything, but especially cake. Fanciful, stream-of-consciousness writing. Thanks Mr. Sendak. We miss your storytelling.

This is the book my son memorized when he was two and gave us the first indication he would be an early reader. Some twenty years later he is a sports editor for a newspaper. I will always credit this book for his love of words! He not only loved the stories but the illustrations captured his imagination at that early age. When I know someone who is having a little boy, I give this book as a gift. it will always be one of our favorites for the wonderful memories it invokes.

Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1930's, Maurice Sendak became obsessed with an ad for the "Sunshine Bakers." It featured three little fat guys in aprons and baker's hats, proclaiming: "We Bake While You Sleep!" Sounds innocent enough, sure, but it enraged little Mo, who, already blessed with an artistic temperament, called this concept "sadistic," as HE wanted to watch them mix the batter and measure the milk. He even kept the coupons so he could stare at the little bakers and imagine the wild goings-on inside the bakery.

So maybe THAT explains this tantalizingly surreal book: it could only have come from years of creative festering mixed up with a child's unforgotten rage and desire. The finished product is as close to one of those intense, almost-scary-but-not-quite childhood dreams as has ever been committed to paper.

The story is told in elongated, cartoon-like panels, and the look of it resembles a trippy "Nemo In Slumberland" crossed with a Laurel and Hardy film. The hero, Mickey, falls out of bed, out of his clothes, and through the floor (let's add an Alice In Wonderland reference here, too, now that we're at it) into "the light of the night kitchen." There, he is almost baked into a cake by three red-nosed Oliver Hardy lookalikes, but this is presented in a cheerful, "oops" manner rather than a Grimm's-style cautionary tale. In true dream-logic, they didn't have any malice toward Mickey: they simply mistook him for the milk!

So Mickey's mission is set: he must get milk for the batter, and the milk is only accessible through the top of a skyscraper-sized bottle. Our resourceful hero quickly builds an airplane from some dough, jauntily places the cup atop his head and flies to the top of the milk bottle, where he dives in, losing his dough-suit in the process.

In addition to the never-fail storyline of a kid heroically rescuing some hapless adults, this book is also a five-star hit with my son because of the tactile quality of Mickey's adventures: he falls, naked, into a big warm bowl of dough, swims in a cool bottle of milk, and slides down a giant bottle, in addition to yelling stuff at the top of his lungs whenever the mood strikes. Oh, and there's cake.

But really, trying to explain this book's magic is pointless: just buy it. Trust me, there will be a few used copies available -- this book is still being debated (and banned) by libraries and parents and and schools more than 30 years after its release date. For some unknown reason, the book simply creeps some people out.

It also has amazing collage-like artwork, a million little fine artistic details, and mystery to burn. In other words, it's one of my son's favorite books of all time. Mine too.

In the Night Kitchen was given as a gift to my children, by a friend of the family. I vaguely remember the book from my own childhood. My youngest was thrilled with the book (8 year old) and it has become a favourite.

Night Kitchen certainly contains some nonsense verse, chanting and fantasy and anyone who has studied children's literature will know that all of these elements have an honoured place within children's literature.

My 8 year old loved the illustrations, thought the bakers were funny and liked when Mickey fell into the batter.

In the Night Kitchen is very good children's literature. When you read it to your kids you will see why the author has won so many awards. Not only is this a nice book to own, but a great book to give to friends. It falls into the "richly illustrated yet reasonably priced range" that I like when I want just something little to take to a friend's child when you are dropping in for a visit.

At age four or five I deemed this the greatest picture book ever, and in almost 30 years I have never changed my mind. Every aspect of it is so beautiful and inspired, from the surreal color tones and the supple, flowing line to the swift yet dreamlike pace. But just as impressive is its plot.
Mickey's journey is startling, evocative, and totally convincing as a dream. His story gets deep under your skin because Sendak plays with the tension between some of the most powerful oppositions in childhood: the unknown versus the familiar, vulnerability versus security, dependence versus empowerment, creativity versus consumption. Yet the tone is light, playful, and encouraging.
Besides being a joyous read, this book is perfect for the developing mind because it encourages physical creativity to solve problems: the scene in which Mickey molds the cake-batter into an airplane is pure genius. And his actions blend surrealism, initiative, altruism, and a celebration of the self in a way that no other picture book I've ever seen has. Children will be deeply and wonderfully affected, even if it takes them years to figure out why.

"In the Night Kitchen" is a most unusual children's book. Sendak's flair for the extraordinary and the absurd is continued throughout this particular tale. As is common with most of his books, Sendak's artwork is cartoonish and captivating. Mickey resembles boys in other books by the author/illustrator. The three bakers bear a striking resemblance of Oliver Hardy of Laurerl and Hardy fame. Contemporary readers may not recognize this, but the friendly faces on the three will be comforting for the young child.
This is an obvious fantasy for it appears that the events in the story occur in Mickey's dreams. Even though this is not directly stated, the initial setting in the boy's bedroom and the final return there verify that conclusion. Children may wish to believe that the events actually happened and should not be criticized for such thinking.
The illustrations dominate the book withan accompanying "lyrical" text which adds to the enjoyment of the reading.
The one complaint is the anatomically correct illustration of Mickey when he lost his clothes. There are four respective frontal and rear views of a nude Mickey. The necessity for this is unclear for it neither adds or detracts from the story line.

My kids love two other of Sendak's books - Where the wild things Are (fabulously popular!) and outside over there (again popular with them but without the same enthusiasm) - but they just don't really like In the NIght Kitchen. It could be that I don't really like it and that has transferred to them, but they don't ever request it.

The book is beautifully illustrated - as all Sendak's works are, and the illustrations are both gorgeous and very clever - I love his city made of ingredients where each tall high rise is another type of ingredient.

Perhaps it is the nature of the story. It is a nightmare that the boy is having, I suspect it is anyway, but the surreal nature of the dream is both disconcerting and unpleasant.

In his dreams the little boy here's noise in the kitchen and shouts down be quiet - propelling him into the world of the night kitchen. There three cheerful cooks (as someone else pointed out all look like Oliver Hardy) mistake him for milk and mix him into a batter trying to cook him. He escapes and finds them milk - making some dough into a plane to do so.

The nightmarish qualities for me include the number of almost identical cooks, the baking of the boy into a batter and surreal nature of the escape. As with Sendak's other books the child always has the power at hand, but in this the child hero seems to be on the edge of being baked and I find that uncomfortable.

I was amused to find out this book has been banned because of the boys nakedness, he falls out of his pyjamas into the night kitchen. It seems a strange thing to ban a book for, it is hardly offensive and the boy is clearly very young.

Overall it is beautifully illustrated but it doesn't quite gel for more or my children as a kids book.

I just bought this book for my [...] son and we love it. I am actually jealous that I did not get to experience this book as a child with an unlimited imagination. However, it did not take me long to suspend my adult mind and fall 'into the night kitchen'. This is a fantastical adventure via a dream had by "mickey" the main character of the story. Mickey must help these bakers make the morning cakes!He does so in a series of what may seem like bizarre events. First he falls from his bed into the (beautifully illustrated)night kitchen, into the vat of batter being turned by the bakers and into ( OH NO!) the mickey oven! It took me about two reads to find a lyrical flow that was comfortable for me, as I found it a little choppy at first, however it never seemed to bother my little guy. Prior to getting this book for our son , I had no idea that it was stirring up a little controversy. It would be a shame for someone to pass on this book because reviews deemed it odd or non sensical or (dare I say) immoral, b/c we all know by now Mickey is nude. The best treasure we could give to any child is a collection of books, this book is definitely a gem in that treasure. It is currently on heavy rotation along with Where the Wild things are, Strega nona, and I stink !

My three year old son has heard this story at least once a week since he was born. He is not tired of it yet. Neither am I.
The illustrations are reminiscent of 1960s children's advertisements, and are positively gorgeous! The cityscape made of kitchen containers and cooking utensils stimulates children's imagination and makes for a dreamy, innocent background to the charming story.
Some parents will no doubt fixate on the fact that Mickey is naked and has a penis (gasp!). If you are the parent of a little boy this should not shock you. If you are not the parent of a little boy, you are surely aware that boys do in fact have these things. I cannot understand why this one aspect of the book creates such controversy.
The cadences of the story are fun, and children are likely to take up chanting "Milk in the batter! Milk in the batter!" as they become familiar with the story. My son loves to say the words with me as I read, and the marching rhythm of the story makes it easy for him to remember.
It's a fun, silly book sure to become a favorite in your child's library.
As a sidenote, The Nutshell Kids collection has a video version of this, which is very good.

This is all time favorite for my daughter from about 2-5 and now my 3 yr old son. I can't even put my finger on exactly what both my young children adored about this book, but it certainly resonated with them on some deep level. Some reviewers found the dream-like (and frankly strange) story line to be "creepy" and "scary" as with other Sendak classics. This is an adult reaction of not fully understanding the book. I don't fully understand the book myself, but that's ok. Kids can totally accept not understanding the book and enjoy it on a totally different level of perception. (So much they don't understand anyway that that in and of itself was not scary in the least for my kids- they found it magical).

My son wants to read "Mickey" as well as Outside Over There, frequently at bedtime. I find myself analyzing both books each time. What does it all mean? Does it mean anything? I get a kick out of trying to interpret what may be symbolism or just wacky imaginative-ness.

I am the mother of 4 children and two grandchildren, I went to the local Barnes and Noble looking for this book today, because my oldest son wants this book for his 3 year old son. I was so sad to see they did not have it. It was one of the favorite for all four kids. I have laughed so much just watching my 4 kids laugh and have fun when they were reading this book! How could you not like this book? If my son, which is 27 remembers this story, and I tried to explain it to the clerk in the store today, and she gave me a very weird look, because I could not remember the title, but I did remember the story.... It is so nice to find it on the store and I am able to get it with prime before Christmas! Thank you the store!!

In this book Mickey (who looks a lot like Max from Where the Wild Thigns Are) finds himself floating in a surreal kitchen where he is baked in a cake, makes a suit and airplane out of dough, and eventually saves the day by delivering milk to the chefs. The story is absurd and silly snd there is no real conflict-just pure unapologetic fun.

Sendak's books have touched many different generations of children-I remember them as a child and kids still read them. This is the true test of a great children's book. If each new generation embraces a book then it is truly wonderful, and that certainly goes for Sendak's work. Everyone knows and loves Where The Wild Things Are-his most famous work-and those characters and stories have become staples of children's literature.

Another indication of quality is if when those same children grow up, they still read and appreciate the book. My roomate from California (total surfer dude dharma bum beatnik) brought 4 books to college with him; Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, On the Road, In The Night Kitchen, and Where the Wild Things Are. And i have to agree, his work-particularly his artwork-only grows more fascinating with age. And the art is one of the most striking aspects of Sendak's work. it is incredibly fine and detailed while still retaining a simplistic cartoon-like feel. Great book. Buy it for your kids, for you, for the future.

Shame on all you book burners and imagination stompers!
This wonderful story of a child dreaming of what happens after children go to bed (didn't we all wonder at one point?) is a favorite in my house. My 1 year old and 2 1/2 year old know every word (they read along and dance with the bakers). My daughter imagines flying in a "squishy" plane over the top of the Milky Way and loves to help me cook. Sendak has a unique and irreplaceable grasp of a child's mind and imagination. It's too bad so many other grown-ups have lost that. If that's what growing up involves, I'll stay a kid forever.
BTW, my kids run around the house naked and there is nothing more beautiful than their chubby bare bottoms. But don't worry, I won't inflict YOUR children with such "obscenity". Get a grip, people. It's a beautiful, fun story of imagination.

I love Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, but this book was so strange and left me feeling uncomfortable. The little boy yells at noises, slips out of his clothes and gets put into the cake batter by three of the scariest looking bakers I have ever seen. The whole story felt like an acid trip with no sense or meaning. I am a great believer in using one's imagination, but I did not understand this book and if I were a little kid I would feel frightened by it. I did not find the illustrations to be pleasing either.
Would I recommend this book? NO

Very good picture book! It's true that I've always thought the nudity was a bit odd, though I'm not offended by it at all. People dream about not wearing clothes quite often, and the visual aspect of the nudity in this book is just drawings and therefore not actual photos or anything like that. I would highly recommend this book to anybody, especially people that have children and want to have something unique and surreal to read to them!

Sometimes my job as a children's librarian leads me to think one way or another about a book. For example, if I discover that a book has been banned by a school or public library somewhere, that same book acquires all sorts of interest that it might never have gotten before. "In the Night Kitchen" is one such book. Banned for the nudity of its main character this title has always been considered the second rung in Maurice Sendak's creative and artistic trio (the first being "Where the Wild Things Are" and the third "Outside Over There"). Fuddy-duddy adults everywhere are consistently and predictably shocked by Mickey, the young protagonist who prefers to experience his adventures au naturale. By all rights I should enjoy this book. It has everything going for it! It has been banned, it's by the greatest living children's author today, it is considered a classic, and some of the newest reissues of it are breathtakingly gorgeous. I mean, they just don't reprint books like this twenty-fifth anniversary edition no more. That said, it's probably my least favorite Sendak creation. Sad isn't it? Though I'll fight to the death to keep this book on library shelves everywhere, I must admit that I don't much like it myself. It all just comes down to individual taste.

One night, Mickey hears an awful racket and by a process of falling and clothing removal finds himself in cake batter. The cake batter is in a gigantic bowl tended by three cooks who each bear a striking resemblance to Oliver Hardy. Mistaking Mickey for milk (it could happen to anyone) they mix the batter up with him in it and pop it into the oven. The baking doesn't work though and Mickey, now clothed in a suit of cake batter, fashions a small bi-plane out of bread dough. With a jaunty measuring cup on his head, he flies up to the top of a gigantic bottle of milk into which he dives (thereby losing his clothes again). He then pours some milk down to the grateful chefs and a cake is baked. Then Mickey floats gently downward into his bed once more, "cakefree and dried". The moral of the story? "And that's why, thanks to Mickey we have cake every morning". The end.

So why don't I like it? I do in a way. This is Sendak at his detailed and wholly intricate best. The world of ingredients in which most of this story plays is almost as intriguing as the main story. I guess when you come right down to it, I've never much cared for this brand of surrealism. If something's surreal (like "The Red Book" by Barbara Lehman or "Who Needs Donuts?" by Mark Stamaty) then I need it to see it hold together in some way. "In the Night Kitchen" plays like an odd dream that a child might really have. A child that's watched too many Laurel and Hardy films, that is. I haven't a problem with the nudity. It's the whole baking into a cake aspect, I guess, that sets me off. That and the plot that isn't a plot. Though a tribute to Wildsor McKay's, "Little Nemo", I think I prefer the original itself. Actually, I did love how Sendak slips an oblique tip-of-the-hat to this master of the Sunday funny pages. It happens in a picture where Mickey glares from a bowl. He is being covered in ingredients and below him we see some sugar with tiny words on the label reading, "Chicken Little, Nemo". I'm no genius, but it doesn't take much to remove that comma and see the words, "Little Nemo" float before your eyes. Nicely done, Mr. S.

Of this book, its editor Ursula Nordstrom had this to say: "I think young children will always react with delight to such a book as 'In the Night Kitchen', and that they will react creatively and wholesomely. It is only adults who ever feel threatened by Sendak's work". She also says, "Should not those of us who stand between the creative artist and the child be very careful not to sift our reactions to such books through our own adult prejudices and neuroses?". We should indeed. A former college roommate once bemoaned to me the popularity of this book, citing her own childhood objections to its baking-kids ethic. It's hard to read a picture book and not find yourself weighed down by your own prejudices and hang-ups. Obviously, my friend objected to the book as a kid and that carried over into her adulthood whereas I met this book as an adult and was put off by it late in life. I would never prevent a child from reading it or hesitate to recommend it to someone who was already a fan of Sendak's work. I just don't care much for it personally, though I don't know how much weight that carries with you. This is a book that is going to get a different reaction out of every person who reads it. If you want a title that pleases everyone everywhere, look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you want a highly original picture book for a creative kid who isn't squeamish in the least, "In the Night Kitchen" is the place to start. I didn't like it, but that isn't to say that someone else won't love it.

I don't particularly like reading this book. As others have said, it's totally bonkers and to me the words don't flow well. But my 3-year-old son is obsessed with it. I tried to hide it so I wouldn't have to read it but he found it. I would recommend this book as a gift for a child whom you adore with parents you'd like to torture a bit. :)

As a child, I LOVED this book (and a shoe box, but that's a different story!)! My parents have many many pictures of me starting at the age of two with this book! And in fact, this is the only book that I really remember from that far back. My daughter is now the age that I was when my parents took the first pictures of me with this book, and I have no problems sharing it with her!

I think issues in the story that some folks are thinking may be too scary are just really good ground for the imagination to grow in! As toddlers, children believe they can do anything--and imagining being baked into a cake or making an airplane out of dough doesn't seem unusual to them--especially when they ultimately end up saving the morning by bringing the milk to the bakers!

VERY cute story of a little boys dream. He goes to sleep and next thing you know he's bare bottomed and falling though space into the Night Kitchen. My 2 year old son got a real kick out of that! He ends up making a cake with cooks that look like Oliver Hardy! He has quite a big adventure looking for the milk for the morning cake. The art work is like a comic book, very clear and clean.Funny book , perfect for that "one more book" book.

Im sorry everyone for ONCE AGAIN mentioning the nude thing. God knows theres been enough of that. To the person who said it was their right to have an opinion. Well, thats true, but its our right to think your opinion is wrong and to proclaim your review as "unhelpful". I promise that my speakings of the nudity issue is over. Whew.:)

What more is there to say other than that the book is about a young boy who has a eventful and strange night? Oh and another thing, just because this book is strange doesnt mean it is horrible. The world needs more creativity. And this story and its beautiful illustrations bring the reader with just that. Do we need another reason to like Sendak?

R

This book has survived the test of time and is one of the favorites of my grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A highly unique concept of a boy who has a 'dream' experience in the night kitchen of a baker! Yummy dessert delights as well as a feast for the eyes ... the illustrations are out of this world ... and a feast for the ears ... the chantable text is delightful! Highly recommended for kids of all ages.

Reviewer: Betty Dravis, author of 1106 GRAND BOULEVARD and other novels

As an adult, this has become my favorite children's book. My children loved this story on the DVD that Scholastic offers featuring Maurice Sendak stories. I think viewing this DVD, makes this book better since it lends a sing-song read to it afterwards. My kids & I love to quote the book when baking, singing "milk in the batter! milk in the batter! stir it! scrape it! make it! bake it!"

I discovered this book by accident a few months ago, and picked it up when I noticed that it was a Caldecott Honor Medal winner. I read through it and found it confusing, yet interesting.
My three-year-old goes through 2-3 week periods in which he has a favorite story that must be read every night at the end of our reading time. Lately, it's been "Where the Wild Things Are." So, tonight, I decided to begin the evening with "In the Night Kitchen." My son was transfixed by this story. He immediately wanted me to read it again. To the logical, adult mind it makes no sense. It didn't surprise me at all to read that previous reviewers were reminded of a drug trip. But from my child's point of view, it was a fantastic story. His eyes never left the pages, and he frequently nodded or exclaimed, wide-eyed, with mouth open. I found the rythym and cadence of the words, and it flowed very well.
If you find the book odd, just think of the words to the countless nursery rhymes that you've recited and loved so many times over the years. There are quite a few that make no sense at all! At least, not to grownups:)

My daughter loves it because Mickey pops out in the cake and it's cool how he builds the airplane. The story is very interesting and how he illustrates the backgrounds are amazing. Mickey's spoken parts in the balloons are very funny. It has a strange aspect to it.

I remember reading this book as a child and I have to say that I was neither disturbed by the nudity nor frightened by anything in the book. we must remember that Sendak is writing for children and as much as we hate to admit it adults often have no idea what will or will not frighten a child, at the same time each child is very different and what may frighten one child may not affect another in the least. From what I can tell children at a young age do not think being naked is a bad thing and the idea of playing in cake batter is a pleasent idea.
When it was read to me I was not at all embarrassed that Micky was naked in fact to me that was just part of the fun.
A children's story should be written for the audience and I think that Sendak possesses an incredible talent for telling the stories that children will love. And the really important part after all is that the child loves it.

When we got In the Night Kitchen for our girls, I thought they'd be frightened by a boy awakened by strangers in the kitchen. Silly me! They loved it! My husband and I could recite the whole book, which is a wonderfully rhythmic poem. Now I'm introducing it to my 2-year-old grandson. Soon he'll be joining in with "...QUIET DOWN THERE!" Great art and great writing. A satisfying read for the teddy bear set!

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak was one of the books that we read over and over and over again to our children. All of us can quote much of it by heart. My son (now 30) was a daredevil from day one and he especially identified with this book. This copy was purchased for our newest granddaughter's 1st birthday, who is already a climber and looks like she might become another Mickey aficionado.

I did 12 books till Christmas for my boys. I purchased this book for my 4 year old. Maurice Sendak is a great author, and this has a Caldecott mention. I figured I couldn't go wrong, but I DID! The book starts with the little boy being butt naked with his penis showing. I'm not a prude, but just a bit later my 4 year old was drawing little naked boys. This could be a problem for kids in school. Beyond the illustration, the story was just bland. It was not well written. The premise was very unclear. I'm a bit disappointed.....

It continues to amaze me how much of my childhood I can't remember. All the lesson I've learned from my parents were taking in, whether I truly listened was a different issue entirely. So when I recently mentioned to them that I remember this book. They were surpirsed. They joked how they wish other things they had read or said to me would of stuck as well. I'm 32 now, and what I do remember most about my childhood is a full of books. In The Night Kitchen - is one of those. I remember loving it so much back then that I asked if they still had it. Surprised and grateful - the book remains in our family. I'm looking forward to reading it again. In that instant I become the child in the backseat. "Are we there yet..."

We got this book for our 5 yr old son and he loved it. He laughed hysterically at the illustrations through the whole story. On that note, I'm not sure what to think about the illustrations. Let's just say they are anatomically correct and my son was quick to point it out. If I had a daughter, I may feel stronger about it because though it is anatomically correct, there would be a sense of innocence and unknown I'd want her to keep. That said, overall the pictures are nicely drawn. There wasn't much to the story other than the little boy was cooking in the kitchen. As adults, we are more critical of stories... looking for the plot, climax, etc. It's a children's book. My son didn't seem to mind the simpleness of the story. I'd probably buy it again.

In a very typical American move, the only complaint people seem tohave about this magical book is that the protagonist is sans clothing during a portion of the tale. So freaking what? Just what is it about an illustrated penis frightens you people? Is it going to corrupt your childrens fragile little minds? No, it will be YOU and your Victorian era morals that will cause them harm. I am so glad that none of my teachers had the incredible HUEVOS to dare and paint a diaper on Adam in The Creation. This is a dream people...the authors dream that he is sharing with us. I would love to see some of your dreams...bet you sometimes don't have pants on in yours, either.

This story is very different, and certainly not along the lines of modern banal garbage -- especially the predictable stuff you get from the TV show spin-off books. It is extremely and creative reflects a child's world, rather than an adult's. It has non-sexual nudity. It is a litle bizarre. And I have never seen a child that is not mesmerized by the enchantment of the Night Kitchen. Let the children have their imaginations creatively enhanced.

My children, now grown with children of their own, remember this as the most fun book to hear read out loud. The prose has a wonderful syncopated beat, and they can all repeat parts of it word-for-word. More than in any other children's book we loved, and we read hundreds together, Sendak accomplished the perfect book for parents to read to their children. So, find a child, sit them on your lap with a big blankey around their legs, after the pajamas are on, the teeth are brushed, and the lights are low, and sail them off with Mickey to dreamland as you rock to the syncopated beat!

I am truly surprised at some of the negative reviews regarding this book. My three year old daughter and I both reach for this as a favorite nighttime read. The illustrations, while muted, are imaginative and engaging. The story is whisical and entertaining.
That being said, I can understand if some do not enjoy the illustrations or the story. Art & literature are not the same for every person. However, I am appalled at the controversy over the "naked boy" illustrations. These are clean, fun drawings. I dare say that those who find this book controversial will be banning Huck Finn for our teenagers.

A lovely, imaginitive and unusual book. Sendak is miraculously able to tell a story -- in images, no less! -- as a child might experience it, be it dream or daydream or imaginary adventure. The exercise of the imagination is crucial to the development of inquiring young minds, and Sendak's book is a wonderful medium for that. Children understand it and love it. Adults may find it perplexing -- but hey, it wasn't written for THEM!

I agree with the other reviews, this book is strange at first glance. However, my 2 year old daughter absolutely loves it and has memorized the entire book. The phrasing was a little odd and the flow of the rhyming words and non-rhyming words was hard to read at first. That being said, it's far from an "LSD trip" and closer to something that appeals to little ones with active imaginations.

My kids are 20 and 22 1/2... as though it were yesterday... we all loved it... it went back and forth being one and the others choice every other day. Our hope was to not give 'labels' or make any issue a concept dealing with alleged morality. We 'wanted' free thinkers. We were pretty run of the mill where the kids spent their first 7 and 9 years old... city school. The idea of banning a book is so bizarre to me anyway. It is a wonderful addition to any toddler/child's library.

Actually, Sendak wrote this book to represent strong emotional feelings he experienced as a child. The book is actually a response to another sibling being brought into the family - hence the weird noises the parents are making late at night.
By the end of the book, Mickey has learned to accept his new role in the family. With this in mind, read the book again and see if you can pick up on the imagery. In the last few pages, for example, all of the buildings are made from baby food, etc.

My 2 year old loves the adventures of Micky, even more than my fave, 'Where the Wild Things Are'. Sendak's art is beautiful and it flows from page to page. He loves Mickey's shouts, from "Quiet Down There!" to Cocka Doodle Doo!" and asks for repeat readings befor bedtime.

This is a classic that holds up well and should be enjoyed by all parents and children

I remember having this book as a child, and thought it would be fun to buy it for my son. The story is only okay (a little weird), but it's an easy read for new readers and children enjoy the illustrations.

This book scared me as a child, in one of the most pleasurable ways. I remember staring at the picture where the cooks almost cook Mickey and feeling deliciously shivery. This, and Where the Wild Things Are, are must-haves for my children's bookshelves!

My 18 month old son loves this book as does his 3 year old sister. (My son always points an Mickey's privates and excitedly yells "PENIS!" lol) It's a very creative story and it is beautifully illustrated.

Anyone who has a problem with the nudity must have some serious personal body issues his or herself. There is nothing "dirty" about the innocent way in which Mickey's nudity is presented. This book is about a dream Mickey had- and being nude in a dream is one of the most common dreams of the human race... that and of falling which Mickey also does. Besides, if he wore clothes, he'd get milk all over them. lol

First there's Where The Wild Things are in which Max makes the most of being sent to his room without supper by fantasizing via turning his bedroom into a forest both of which he can walk through as well as where he can board a boat to sail away to an island where he get's to become king of the wild things as well as still learn his lesson that he misses his homelife and wants to return to it.While with In the Night Kitchen in which Mickey both falls into a dream state and out of his pajamas and then into a dough suit & out. It's more than just symbolic of the state that most little kids like to be in the most whether or not it has to do with the parents possibly promoting it as Betty Jones' Shame on you! review of June 29,2002 does show us too.Also who says that the cooks are necessarily looking at him as another reviewer had indicated may be the impression that it may give. Also remember this book's copyright is 1970 when things were different here in the USA.While in the UK these things seemingly are the same then as now.Whether or not it's in a dream many times when little kids are at home it's the state that they're often in as Betty Jone's review also shows us.Also with their parents present and even when they're having company & whether it may concist of other grown ups and whether or not bigger kids may be present. Mickey being mixed into the batter etc. may be even more than somewhat nightmarish but he escapes it before his awakening when most people escape it via an awakening from their nightmare. There's also a Bugs Bunny cartoon in which upon arriving in France Bugs teaches one Chef after another how to cook Rabbit Stew making each one out to be a rabbit,mixes them in a pan,& yes litterally cooks them in the oven too & upon completion they each sing alouette while sprinking themselves with spoons.There's also another cartoon in which Bugs first fakes that the police are coming,hides the crooks in the oven & turns on the gas & throws in a lit match & then when the cops really come & the enactment is rehashed up until when they won't allow him to throw the lit match into the oven again & then they give themselves up & it ends with Bugs as a private eye(ball) so in conclusion in this book as in those cartoons little kids wouldn't take the theme of being litterally cooked in the oven serious and they know that it's only fiction too.Next there is Outside Over There of which truly does concist of both a nightmarish sequence of a baby being kidnapped by goblins as well as little girls running bare. These in conclusion are most significant of the state of which most little kids just as much act in,dream in,and get scared in as well.It was a blatant redundacy for anyone to say "If God..." because obviously all children are born that way.It's a Biblical Saying performed by Preachers that we first enter naked & then we exit naked.As heard at the end of the movie,Being There,based on the book,It's Sunday and Chance is in the Garden.It was both 7 1/2 years since I had bought In the Night Kitchen as well as 4 1/2 years since this guy had faded from the scene before I was about to give it to him that I had finally opened up,read,and looked through that copy of In The Night Kitchen that I'd first found out about the contents inside of this book and before this I had known of how this guy had went to a costume party as the bull creature,while his date had went as Max and yes that's true she really did too.This was the result of why I'd given this guy a number of the Maurice Sendak books of which I'd given to him before I was about to give In the Night Kitchen to him. As for Maurice Sendak's use of child psychology in these three books I give him The Big Thumb's Suck.Next if Maurice Sendak makes it to his birthday in '08 then he'll have reached the age of 80 years old. Speaking of birthdays check out his latest release of which I'd seen online at a bookstore & why I know how old that Maurice Sendak is. Now how much may there be more to say? But Yes this God Bless Mr.S. By the way this book came up on the 3/31/06 episode of Jeopardy!in the category of Author"S".

This brings back memories of going to library as a small child and discovering books for the first time on my own. I couldn't read yet, but I would find this book over and over along with Sendak's other book, "Where the Wild Things Are." And look at the pictures and imagine what the story might be. When I could finally read myself, I enjoyed the book even more!

The real prize here is Maurice Sendek's illustrations. The words are pretty good, too, especially when the bakers start chanting, but even without them, you'd have a striking, imaginative children's book. Just look at how he turns the kitchen items into a cityscape. A wonderful evocation of the dream world.

My daughter loved this book when she was a little girl. We didn't have any problem with the pictures. It is a wonderful book by a great author. What is to get upset about - It is fantasy and kids love that - WHAT IF?

I remember reading this as a little girl in Kindergarten (back in 1994). I don't remember the whole story, but I remember the part about getting baked in the dough scared me a lot and when I see the book that's the feeling I get from it. I also had no idea why the little boy lost his clothes. I wish I could recall more of the book to describe, but because it scared me, it definitely wasn't my favorite book.

I hate this book. My daughter only "likes" it because I despise it in a funny way. If this book had been written by some unknown author, people would never have heard of it because it would have been trashed. This book makes absolutely no sense. I get that it's a dream, but dreams don't make good stories. It's easy to write a nonsensical book, anyone can do it. And if anyone can do it, then there is nothing special about it. I'm convinced that this is a joke from Sendak. "Hey Marty, I'm going to hand in this completely garbage manuscript and see if they publish it! Holy moly, they did! I'm so hot right now!"

The art is good, but incredibly creepy. The story, as I mentioned is completely absurd and does not flow in any perceivable way. I feel dirty and negligent reading this to my children because it's just a bad example of literature. The book ends with a proclamation indicating that the story has logically led the reader to a specific conclusion, when no such logical progression exists at all. It's a literary slap in the face that we should not stand for. Nobody would stand for it in any other format. Imagine watching Star Wars and then being told at the very end, "And that's why we harvest lumber in a sustainable way!" You would turn to your neighbor and say "WTF?" That is this book. Please don't buy it.

I purchased this book for my daughter because I had read so many rave reviews from various sources about it. The story is creative but didn't live up to my expectations and didn't seem to do much for my daughter either. Many people seem to really love it though.

This is my family's favorite book. It's weird and cute and funny and my kids absolutely love it. Those people who have reviewed this book and are disturbed by the pictures should just get over their ISSUES! Give me a break! This book is fun to read for all ages. Maurice Sendak is the best kid's story writer out there hands down!

This book along with the better known "Where the Wild Things Are" belong in every child's library. Great illustrations and text make this book one that parents and children can enjoy over and over again for years.

This was my favorite book growing up, and now that I've got a couple of young nephews, I thought perhaps it could be theirs too. I ordered it in time for Christmas, but then didn't receive it until a day or two after. Didn't end up giving them the book- maybe in the future.

No reason not to get the book though. Just plan in advance if you want to gift it.

Although I remember liking other Sendak books more when I was a kid, our children can't get enough of this book. It's a classic, and it's fabulous. (Our kids are girls, btw, so I don't think it's gender-specific in its appeal.)

this is one of the coolest books ive seen my little daughter loved it.. she really learned alot from the little boy.. even i liked him... i think everyone should read this book... its like i was back in the war on some major drugs..

First, the illustrations and the rhymes are first rate and our three year old loves this book. After reading the book fifteen times however I cannot deny that the story is about a wet dream, an erotic sensual adventure where the boy becomes naked, is surrounded by burly smiling men, and in the end he puts "milk in the batter" then returns smilingly dry and "cakeless" and clothed into bed. My spouse immediately pointed this imagery out when he first read it. I refused to believe it and told him he had a perverted mind. But now, I cannot help but admit that the wet dream subtext is pretty transparent and dominant. However I don't think the book is bad for kids, as kids do have mental adventures in their sleep. I wonder if it's appropriate for a three year old, but our philosophy has been to expose her to almost whatever she likes.

My son I don't care about the nudity controversy. What we do care about is the story. It is plain odd! My son was so confused by the story. We read it once (once was enough) and we donated it to our local library. There are a lot of Maurice Sendak fans out there so they will hopefully benefit from our donation to our local library. "Night Kitchen" was probably not the best story to introduce my son to his writing.

I know the author has won awards and all, but this book is just too weird! The story is nothing but strange! Fantasy is ok - but this isn't even entertaining or educational fantasy. I saw the reviews saying that the little boy being naked was bothersome to some people. I really didn't think much about it. He is, after all, a very small child. BUT - it becomes bothersome (ANNOYING) when your small child keeps commenting on it. My daughter is well aware of what the body parts are--and she kept commenting on his! I don't think she paid attention to anything about the story because she was so engrossed in the illustration - just that one! So this book has gone bye-bye from our house. Too annoying to read anymore!!! There are so many better books out there.

This was by far the weirdest children's book I've ever read. I have no problem with Mickey's nakedness (he's a little boy, after all), but the whole feel of the story was bizarre. My husband read this to our 2 year old son, and was chuckling and shaking his head throughout. We loved Where the Wild Things Are, but this one was like something out of an LSD trip.

I am very surprised at the number of people who defend and even like this book. I understand that children like it and that it is an award winning book. I pride myself on being open-minded and well read but this book, for me, goes beyond what is acceptable for children. I have read the book many times to my young son (it was given to us by a neighbor) and tried to understand the appeal of it. But for me, whatever redeeming qualities it has are overshadowed by the nightmarish style the illustrations and story line contain. These include: child falling through the air, losing his clothes while falling, and landing naked into a giant-sized bowl of dough. Then three pale, overweight, identical-looking male chefs appear and fold him into the dough and throw him in the oven. He begins to get baked in the dough (!!) until he pokes out and says he's not the milk and doesn't want to be baked. All of this is quite disturbing and I really don't know anyone can read it any other way. The boy, Mickey, has to use ingenuity and cleverness to escape the creepy chefs and return home. I would never give this as a gift and am going to throw our copy out.

Good grief... I really struggle to understand how people can enjoy this book. It was really, really strange... in a way none of us appreciated. It was so awful that my 6 yr old son spent his entire time on the phone with his deployed dad telling him how bad it was and showing him the pictures (yes, there's nudity). And my 8yr old needed two more bedtime stories to get this one out of his head. Ugh. Absolute garbage... I can't imagine someone sending this to a publisher now and it actually being made into a book. We read an average of 150 children's books per month (thanks, library!) and this is the worst book we've ever picked up.

laaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Ooooooooooh.....Moma and Popa are sleeping and mickeys nude and bare yah! He's falling without his moma and popa knowing! ooh! that's not good! The bakers try to cook mickey! oh no! But mickey escape's and become nude all over agian!

A very strange book that I found at our playgroup. Three cooks (are they triplets they all look like Oliver Hardy?). The story is just bonkers. And yes it is bizarre that Mickey is naked. Saying that, I had to read it to my daughter about 4 times so there obviously was some appeal!

I had heard rave reviews of this book. The only voiced concern I had heard about was the nudity, which I didn't think was a big deal.

However, I was disappointed when I received it. I love fantasy, but for a 3 - 5 year old to be reading and seeing pictures about a plot that is both weird and scary (being put into a batter to be cooked?!), I think is unnecessary. Explaining that this is Mikey's dream not helpful, since I think this would scare any toddler from letting themself fall asleep and risk seeing these crazy images!

The pictures are well drawn and interesting, but I do not like the storyline and find it frightening for a child to read.

I have never written a review before but was so disappointed with this book I felt compelled to this time. Don't be fooled by the attractive artwork, this story is incomprehensible to kids and adults.If you are looking for a bedtime book, pick something else or be prepared for questions about naked children being baked in ovens.

After reading the book, my husband and I both came to the same conclusion, that a small boy being manipulated by three grown men, without his parents knowing where he is, seems very uncomfortable and unusual. There were many uses of imagery that could easily lead one to come to the conclusion that they're sexual in nature. he finally come back "carefree and dried' into bed.
I would NOT recommend this book to any parent.

After checking out Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" and reading it for the first time, I could understand why it's considered a classic. However, after reading the sequel to it, "In the Night Kitchen" I was horrified. I'm not a prude by any means, but, there was absolutely no reason for the child to be naked and for his genitalia to be portrayed so vividly! The story made no sense at all, and the illustrations featuring the naked little boy joyfully swimming in a jar of milk while three grown men watch him intently was too much for me. I almost put the book down at that point, but, I wanted to finish it. In my humble opinion, this book seems targeted toward pedophiles and perverts. I will not be reading anything else from Mr. Sendak in the future.