In the Night Kitchen
Author: Maurice Sendak
Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Date of Publication: 1970
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 40 Pages
Cost: $15.95
ISBN: 0-06-026668-6
Awards and Honors:
1971 Caldecott Honor Book
Notable Children's Books of 1940--1970 (
Best Books of 1970 (SLJ)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1970 (NYT)
Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1970 (NYT)
Plot Summary: In the Night Kitchen is the whimsical story of a young boy named Mickey and his nighttime adventures in a dream world known as the night kitchen. Mickey falls out of his clothes in the beginning of the book and is depicted in the nude throughout multiple panels of this story. Three bakers mistake Mickey for the milk in their cake batter, but when he jumps out of the mix he must help them get milk so they can finish the morning cake. After the batter’s mixed Mickey crows like a rooster and ends up back in his bed.
Evaluation: This book is meant to tell the story of what happens to a child between the time he goes to sleep and the time he wakes up, and it does so in a slightly surreal but highly enjoyable way. The writing style is lyrical and the rhymes are very pleasant sounding. The playful illustrations effectively capture Mickey’s dream-like state as he floats from one panel into the next. This story would be a perfect nighttime read aloud for a preschool child.
Reader’s Annotation: One night Mickey floats out of bed and into the night kitchen, and that’s just the beginning of his wonderful dream adventure.
Links:
5 Reasons Why In the Night Kitchen Should Be On Your Bookshelf
Related Reads:
Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg
The Dream Jar by Lindan Lee Johnson
Last Night by Hyewon Yum
Moon Ball by Jane Yolen
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