IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN

– Book by Author and Illustrator Maurice Sendak –

In the Night Kitchen

Author and Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Buy – In the Night Kitchen  

This romp in the night kitchen with a little boy called Mickey is indelibly memorable. Maurice Sendak’s unique style of writing, bumps and rollicks the reader through the child’s dreamscape, which is both peculiar and exciting.

The bold illustrations feature three gigantic cooks who mix Mickey into their morning cake baking. The child remains unharmed and undaunted, triumphing in an imaginative way.

‘In the Night Kitchen’ has been included as a recommended title as so many people have said they have been influenced by it. This story and ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ both have unusual content and imagery which seems to have made its way deep into the psyche, leaving impressions both, honest, unfathomable and inspiring.

The pictures are rich and detailed, yet hint at undercurrents which cannot be plumbed by the innocent mind and appear instead as strange glimpses into the world of grownups.

At around age seven I remember being amazed by this book as the little boy was candidly pictured nude. When first published some libraries in America painted nappies or shorts on Mickey!

There are also darker intellectual references in both text and pictures, but these are unlikely to be paralleled by children.

Maurice Sendak is above all honest in his expression. In not hiding what is real, he offers children the gift of truth which we must all be careful not to hide in our efforts to keep them safe.

This curious award winning picture book is a classic that is still captivating and engaging young audiences everywhere.

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An insightful excerpt from the final interview with Maurice Sendak.