In the Night Kitchen

Story

Toddler Mickey is woken by noises downstairs and tumbles out of bed into the Night Kitchen where three bakers are making a cake for the morning. They mistake him for milk, stir him into the batter and carry him towards the oven. But Mickey jumps free, builds a plane out of dough and flies to the Milky Way, returning with a giant bottle of milk. The cake can be baked and Mickey returns safely to his bed.

Why we chose it

Maurice Sendak is one of the most important children’s illustrators of the 20th century. Strange and dreamlike, In the Night Kitchen is often enjoyed by toddlers but can make adult readers uncomfortable. Its bold, comic-style illustrations contrast with the cross-hatched images of Sendak’s earlier Where the Wild Things Are.

Where it came from

Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1928 to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents who went on to lose many members of their extended family to the Holocaust.

A sickly child, Sendak was often confined to bed, discovering a love of books and comics. His delight in Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Fantasia inspired him to become an illustrator.

Sendak began by illustrating other writers’ work and became well known for his illustrations for the Little Bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik.

In the Night Kitchen is a surreal blend of comedy and horror. Although the three bakers all resemble the much-loved silent comedian Oliver Hardy, Sendak has said that their aim of baking Mickey in the oven has echoes of the Holocaust.

Where it went next

The book won the Caldecott Honor in 1971 and was turned into a short film in 1987. It continues to divide opinion and has been banned in parts of the USA because Mickey is naked in some scenes.

Associated stories

Sendak said that In the Night Kitchen was the toddler story in a trilogy of books exploring different stages of child development, with Where the Wild Things Are reflecting the pre-school phase and Outside Over There pre-adolescence.