In the Night Kitchen (Caldecott Collection) by Maurice Sendak
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Book Reviews of In the Night Kitchen (Caldecott Collection)
Book Review: Lovely book for eternal rereading
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm hardly surprised there are people objecting to Mickey's nakedness.. skin seems to terrify the small-minded.
As a kid, I read and reread this wonderful book, devouring the intricate backgrounds, dreaming of piloting a plane made of dough. I'm not sure I ever noticed he was naked: it just fits the story. Don't we all dream that we're unclothed, one time or another?
My son, now 28 months old, loves this book; we've got it memorized and recite it on long car rides. He dances with the chefs and makes airplane noises. He has yet to notice Mickey's ever naked, but if he does and seems repulsed by it, I'll come back and mea culpa. I doubt I'll have to. I'm more afraid he's going to start expecting to have "cake every morning."
Buy the book. Read with your children. Share the joy of these wonderful pictures and sweet story. Ignore the naysayers. .
Book Review: Shame on you!
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: Another Sendak Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
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.Book Review: Not Scary for a Toddler
Summary: 5 Stars
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!
Book Review: we bake cake! and nothing's the matter!
Summary: 5 Stars
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?