In the Night Kitchen

Sendak, M. (1970). In the night kitchen.  New York:  Harper

Since Brody LOVES Where the Wild Things Are, I thought we would try another book by Sendak, In the Night Kitchen.  I'm not sure that he feels the same about the two books.  In the Night Kitchen has been historically a very controversial book.



Mickey, the main character, is completely nude during portions of the picture book.  While I do not have a problem with nudity in literature, it does bother me that a children's picture book includes complete male nudity.

In the Night Kitchen follows the journey of Mickey as he falls through the air and enters the Night Kitchen, where he is almost baked into a cake.  Mickey stops the bakers, solves the problem with the batter and returns home.  Sendak, who has a Jewish heritage, created the bakers to resemble Hitler and the baking of Mickey in the cake as references to the Holocaust.

Sendak's story is told in the form similar to graphic novel or comic book.  This structure creates simplicity for the reader as far as language is concerned.  The reader must pay attention to artwork to capture the entire story.  Unlike most children's books, In the Night Kitchen is dark.  There are few, if any, bright colors.  I feel as though the lack of light relates back to Sendak's allusions to the Holocaust.

Due to the artwork and some of the content in In the Night Kitchen, I'm not sure if I would recommend that most children read Sendak's book.  I feel as though the content may be a little advanced for younger readers.  In the Night Kitchen has received several awards; I'm not sure if it is because of the innovativeness of the book or the controversy.  Sendak has stated before that his books are for him; children just happen to enjoy them.

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