In the Night Kitchen

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.

I didn't want to give this book five stars. I fought against it, because I don't particularly enjoy the book. The illustrations aren't that attractive to me and it took me a while to get used to the rhythm of the words.Having said that, I give this book five stars because my daughter LOVES this book. I sometimes have to hide it at night because I'm so tired of reading the "Mickey" book. Apparently Sendak knows an awful lot about what children like and how their minds work, because my daughter seldom tires of the story. (Her favorite part is when Mickey takes the measuring cup and goes up and up over the Milky Way.)I'm honestly a little surprised over the "nekkid" controversy. It's not like the boy is drawn in explicit detail! My daughter's seen boy babies getting their diapers changed, so the concept of a penis is HARDLY frightening/startling/damaging to her. Geez, lighten up people! Also, for those who were complaining about the concept of cake for breakfast, why don't we consider how many American children get French toast, pancakes, donuts, poptarts, or sugar-coated cereals for breakfast? Hardly nutritionally superior to cake, so I'm not lying in bed at night obsessing about the poor nutritional messages this book is sending to my child. :-)

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.

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.