In the Night Kitchen (Caldecott Collection)

In the Night Kitchen (Caldecott Collection) | A FAVORITE OF MY GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN! AWESOME AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR!

books:

In the Night Kitch...

	In the Night Kitchen (Caldecott Collection) HarperCollins, 1996 - 40 pages average customer review:based on 102 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

On Heavy Rotation

I just bought this book for my [...] son and we love it. I am actually jealous that I did not get to experience this book as a child with an unlimited imagination. However, it did not take me long to suspend my adult mind and fall 'into the night kitchen'. This is a fantastical adventure via a dream had by "mickey" the main character of the story. Mickey must help these bakers make the morning cakes!He does so in a series of what may seem like bizarre events. First he falls from his bed into the (beautifully illustrated)night kitchen, into the vat of batter being turned by the bakers and into ( OH NO!) the mickey oven! It took me about two reads to find a lyrical flow that was comfortable for me, as I found it a little choppy at first, however it never seemed to bother my little guy. Prior to getting this book for our son , I had no idea that it was stirring up a little controversy. It would be a shame for someone to pass on this book because reviews deemed it odd or non sensical or (dare I say) immoral, b/c we all know by now Mickey is nude. The best treasure we could give to any child is a collection of books, this book is definitely a gem in that treasure. It is currently on heavy rotation along with Where the Wild things are, Strega nona, and I stink !

for more information click here

A FAVORITE OF MY GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN! AWESOME AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR!

This book has survived the test of time and is one of the favorites of my grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A highly unique concept of a boy who has a 'dream' experience in the night kitchen of a baker! Yummy dessert delights as well as a feast for the eyes ... the illustrations are out of this world ... and a feast for the ears ... the chantable text is delightful! Highly recommended for kids of all ages.

Reviewer: Betty Dravis, author of 1106 GRAND BOULEVARD and other novels

Can you recite this book by heart?

When we got In the Night Kitchen for our girls, I thought they'd be frightened by a boy awakened by strangers in the kitchen. Silly me! They loved it! My husband and I could recite the whole book, which is a wonderfully rhythmic poem. Now I'm introducing it to my 2-year-old grandson. Soon he'll be joining in with "...QUIET DOWN THERE!" Great art and great writing. A satisfying read for the teddy bear set!

for more information click here

One of the best..

We LOVE this book, it's one of the best children's books I've ever read. Nothing spooky about this.

Strangely nightmarish journey which doesn't quite appeal

My kids love two other of Sendak's books - Where the wild things Are (fabulously popular!) and outside over there (again popular with them but without the same enthusiasm) - but they just don't really like In the NIght Kitchen. It could be that I don't really like it and that has transferred to them, but they don't ever request it.

The book is beautifully illustrated - as all Sendak's works are, and the illustrations are both gorgeous and very clever - I love his city made of ingredients where each tall high rise is another type of ingredient.

Perhaps it is the nature of the story. It is a nightmare that the boy is having, I suspect it is anyway, but the surreal nature of the dream is both disconcerting and unpleasant.

In his dreams the little boy here's noise in the kitchen and shouts down be quiet - propelling him into the world of the night kitchen. There three cheerful cooks (as someone else pointed out all look like Oliver Hardy) mistake him for milk and mix him into a batter trying to cook him. He escapes and finds them milk - making some dough into a plane to do so.

The nightmarish qualities for me include the number of almost identical cooks, the baking of the boy into a batter and surreal nature of the escape. As with Sendak's other books the child always has the power at hand, but in this the child hero seems to be on the edge of being baked and I find that uncomfortable.

I was amused to find out this book has been banned because of the boys nakedness, he falls out of his pyjamas into the night kitchen. It seems a strange thing to ban a book for, it is hardly offensive and the boy is clearly very young.

Overall it is beautifully illustrated but it doesn't quite gel for more or my children as a kids book.

for more information click here