In The Night Kitchen

This was probably one of the first picture books I really fell in love with. While the illustrations of Good Night Moon, the BFG, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and (of course) Where The Wild Things Are all made an impact, I think Maurice Sendak's In The Night Kitchen was, and remains, my favorite children's picture book ever. Published in 1970, the story follows Sendak's popular formula from Wild Things of a rebellious child in a fantasy land.

A young boy named Mickey floats from his bed (in a very Little Nemo in Slumberland sequence), out of his clothes, and into the surreal dream world of the Night Kitchen. There he is nearly baked into the Morning Cake by three identical, singing bakers. After declairing that he is not the batter's milk, Mickey (now wearing a suit of batter) constructs a plane from dough and flies atop a giant bottle of milk. After diving in (and having his batter clothes dissolve) he gives milk to the bakers for the Morning Cake. After crowing like a rooster, Mickey slides down the milk bottle and miagically back into his bed.

Although it recieved a Caldecott Honor for children's book illustrations, it was also censored and even banned in several states, as Mickey is naked throughout much of the book. Some conservative librarians took to painting in a diaper on Mickey with correction fluid. Sendak claims his intentions for Mickey falling out of his clothes was simply to avoid the "mess" that might be created from falling into batter.

The illustrations in this book are just phenominal. I was (and am) enchanted in particular by the cityscape of the Night Kitchen being made from cooking ingredients and kitchen appliances. My mom used to sing as the Bakers when she read the story to me (which was frequently), "Milk In The Batter! Milk In The Batter! We Bake Cake! And Nothing's the Matter!". To this day I call coffeecake "Mickey-cake". The influence the pictures in this book have on me is tremendous. The creativity of both the story and the illustrations keep me inspired.

In The Night Kitchen is still available in both hardcover and paperback in almost every bookstore in America. The Sony Metreon in San Francisco featured a Night Kitchen restaraunt as part of it's Wild Things attraction, both of which closed in 2004. The Art of Maurice Sendak (published by Harry N. Abrams: $35) is a great art book that covers the entire span of this inspirational artist's career as an illustrator and set designer.

And, for the record, Sendack's 1985 follow-up, Outside Over There (featuring goblins who kidnap a baby and replace it was one made of ice that then melts), freaked me out. Gorgeous illustrations in the one as well, though.