The Night Kitchen

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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into In the Night Kitchen. (Discuss)

The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak is a controversial children's picture book which illustrates a young boy's dream journey through a surreal baker's kitchen. The book follows young Mickey as he "falls" into the Night Kitchen, where he aids the bakers with their Morning Cake by securing milk for it.

[edit] Controversy

Many readers oppose the book for the scenes in which Mickey nakedly descends into and ascends from the Night Kitchen (donning and shedding his dough suit). Because of this, In the Night Kitchen regularly appears on the American Library Association's list of "frequently challenged and banned books," including the "Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2004" [1], and has been banned in some areas. Others recognize that the story is simply a child's dream, wonderfully illustrated by Sendak as such. It is doubted that the point of the book is to introduce nudity to young minds, especially since that is not the focus of the tale.

[edit] Art of the Book

The art is similar to that in Where The Wild Things Are, utilizing specific color tones and drawing a dream environment around a young child. Sendak's unique style captures the spirit and feeling of a dream, as Mickey floats, flies, and dances from one panel to the next.