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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Though (perhaps) best known for his [Where The Wild Things Are:], Maurice Sendak gives us a masterpiece of surrealism with In the Night Kitchen. More of a children's book for adults than it is an adult-interesting children's cook, In the Night Kitchen is the tale of Mickey, a young boy who seemingly wakens from a dream to quiet the noisy bakers downstairs.
I say "seemingly wakens" because the narrative that unfolds is clearly a dream with some potent archetypal figures and sequences:
—cannibalism fears
—the anxiety implicit to falling and being stripped naked
—the 3 chefs which (though not malicious) represent a kind of atavistic hunger
—the urging toward an heroic outcome that involves (naturally)...
—flying
It doesn't get any more surreal than this.
I say "seemingly wakens" because the narrative that unfolds is clearly a dream with some potent archetypal figures and sequences:
—cannibalism fears
—the anxiety implicit to falling and being stripped naked
—the 3 chefs which (though not malicious) represent a kind of atavistic hunger
—the urging toward an heroic outcome that involves (naturally)...
—flying
It doesn't get any more surreal than this.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Un àlbum il·lustrat original, però que tinc dubtes si acabarà funcionant amb els mestres, degut a les imatges de nuesa del protagonista.
Per altra banda, la dimensió onírica de la trama, pot ser que despisti als lectors més petits, també.
Per altra banda, la dimensió onírica de la trama, pot ser que despisti als lectors més petits, també.
I've read this book to kids of all ages and they love it. The rhythm, the pictures, the escaping-being-baked, the flying of an airplane through a giant kitchen, but not a one of them ever said a thing about the little boy being naked, because that's not even an important point. One did ask me if the bakers were the Three Stooges, though.
This is a very odd book. My two year-old is currently obsessed with it, to the point of requesting it 4-5 times in a row.
I found myself stumbling over the rhythm before I got the hang of it. Iambic pentameter, it ain't. And those chefs are really creepy. Then there is the "baking the Jewish-looking boy in the oven" thing. But, I love looking at the "city" in the night kitchen and all the labels on the containers.
Anna doesn't even notice that the little boy is nude. She seems more interested in the "milch" and "papa mama" and counting the chefs over and over. I don't know what all the fuss is about. It's more disturbing that he doesn't appear to have any testicles.
I found myself stumbling over the rhythm before I got the hang of it. Iambic pentameter, it ain't. And those chefs are really creepy. Then there is the "baking the Jewish-looking boy in the oven" thing. But, I love looking at the "city" in the night kitchen and all the labels on the containers.
Anna doesn't even notice that the little boy is nude. She seems more interested in the "milch" and "papa mama" and counting the chefs over and over. I don't know what all the fuss is about. It's more disturbing that he doesn't appear to have any testicles.
In The Night Kitchen
Sendak, Maurice
New York: Harper & Row, 1970
Caldecott Medal: 1971
40 pages
Picture book with text
Genres: Adventure, fantasy, dreams, bravery
A bizarre sort of dream story. Mickey dreams that he is in the “Night Kitchen,” where he is accidentally baked into a cake. He battles kitchen appliances and has a number of adventures trying to avoid the attention of three identical chefs. He flies an airplane made of bread and swims in a giant milk bottle. He helps the chefs finish their cake and crows like a rooster.
The book has been criticized for its nudity, which is absurd; it’s essentially a dream sequence.
Sendak, Maurice
New York: Harper & Row, 1970
Caldecott Medal: 1971
40 pages
Picture book with text
Genres: Adventure, fantasy, dreams, bravery
A bizarre sort of dream story. Mickey dreams that he is in the “Night Kitchen,” where he is accidentally baked into a cake. He battles kitchen appliances and has a number of adventures trying to avoid the attention of three identical chefs. He flies an airplane made of bread and swims in a giant milk bottle. He helps the chefs finish their cake and crows like a rooster.
The book has been criticized for its nudity, which is absurd; it’s essentially a dream sequence.
Beautiful illustrations. Story a bit odd but not in a way that delights me.