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    In The Night Kitchen
    In The Night Kitchen
    In The Night Kitchen
    Audiobook6 minutes

    In The Night Kitchen

    Written by Maurice Sendak

    Narrated by Peter Schickele

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Sendaks classic comic fantasy of Mickeys adventures in the night kitchen tells us how we get our morning cake.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWeston Woods
    Release dateJan 1, 1987
    ISBN9780545786744
    In The Night Kitchen
    Author

    Maurice Sendak

    Maurice Sendak’s books have sold over 50 million copies and have been translated into more than 40 languages. He received the 1964 Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are and is the creator of such classics as In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, Higglety Pigglety Pop!, and Nutshell Library. In 1970 he received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration, in 1983 he received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association, and in 1996 he received a National Medal of Arts in recognition of his contribution to the arts in America. In 2003, Sendak received the first Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, an annual international prize for children’s literature established by the Swedish government.

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    Reviews for In The Night Kitchen

    4/5

    596 ratings50 reviews

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    • 5/5
      With all the current controversy about Sendak I just had to dig this book out again. I must have read it fifty million times, which is why I’ve rated it higher than ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, which I’ve only read forty-nine and a half million. The drawings and the colours and the storyline make this one of the best bedtime books ever, at least in our night kitchen. You can just feel that dough on your fingers – yummy!
    • 5/5
      A favorite and one of the first books I bought for my son even before he was born. I love the dreamlike drawings and the idea that anyone gets to eat cake for breakfast every day.
    • 5/5
      Every word in this is pretty much perfect. Where the Wild Things Are is great, but it's also a bit more an adult's precious idea of how a kid is sometimes--the everydayness of this one, the way the kitchen and the Oliver Hardy chefs are totally mundane but also totally freaky, and all the things that happen make no sense but all in the service of breakfast ("and that's why we have cake every morning," Sendak says, straightfaced, and I wonder if they did or what?), and Mickey the kid chortles through it all and comes out of the batter looking like a dough octopus--there are worlds hidden behind the ones we know and nothing has any cause or effect but it's still all AWESOME--that's how I remember toddlerhood, as the midpoint between "Little Nemo" and Spirited Away.
    • 4/5
      Lovely, 'retro' illustrations, including the infamous penis.Why don't we see more genitalia in children's books? I'm all for that.
    • 3/5
      Silly book.
    • 2/5
      The illustrations are the only thing going for this book. The dream sequence is difficult to follow. The little boy penis is nothing to be upset about, little toddler boys often run around naked. I don’t understand why the author included it in his illustrations, however.
    • 2/5
      Mickey falls asleep and floats off into a dream, landing in "the night kitchen" where the bakers make him into a cake until he builds a plane of dough and flies off.This is such an odd book. It is considered a classic and clearly many people love it. For me, it really didn't do much. While I often like works with a dream-like quality, this one was more absurd than dreamy or even surreal. The three bakers who all look like Oliver Hardy was a particularly strange touch. It's perhaps worth noting that this book has been a source of controversy. The much maligned appearance of a naked Mickey was not something I really cared about, and I can't see why that was ever such a big fuss.
    • 1/5
      When Oliver Hardy cloned himself, he set up an underground bakery to employ his carbon-based copies. Notoriously, clones can be horribly defective and the rumness of Mr Hardy's reproductions was evidenced by a slipshod attitude towards stock control and a cavalier attitude towards cannibalism. Luckily, the boy they intended to oven-bake could fashion flying escape mechanisms out of fat. Unluckily, nothing in this dysfunctional dream appealed to either of my children.
    • 5/5
      In The Night Kitchen is all about a boy who dreams that he falls through his floor and into the Night Kitchen where some bakers mistake him with milk and try to bake him into the next day's cake. He gets away and learns all about how baked goods are prepared by bakers all night long so that we have cake every morning. The drawings are done in typical Sendak style with scratched in lines and cartoonish features. Like in Sendak's other books, the Night Kitchen is all about how kids can get into sometimes scary trouble while on their own and in their own imaginations, but they have to talk to the figures who are trying to eat them and work their way out on their own. I appreciate how whimsical this classic is, and how it teaches a lesson about a job that kids often don't think about. The preschool I teach at is connected to a bakery and the kids often come in with treats their parents just purchased for them, so this book is a revelation to them.
    • 5/5
      In the Night Kitchen is a wonderfully illustrated book from Maurice Sendak about a boy’s night time adventure take him to the bakers who need help getting their milk. Kids will enjoy the fun way that Mickey gets the milk for the bakers and both adults and kids alike will be able to appreciate the illustrations.
    • 4/5
      i liked the story, "In the Night Kitchen," by Maurice Sendak. I liked the overall idea of the story. The main idea of the story is to use and have an imagination because it can make life more interesting. An example of the main idea in the story is at the beginning when Mickey hears a loud thumb downstairs in the middle of the night. Mickey's imagination says its a team of bakers who are all working to make a cake by morning, and he decides to help them. Secondly, I liked the illustrations in the story. I liked the illustrations because they made the story more vivid and explainable. For example, when Mickey is being baked into the cake, I wouldn't have understood what Sendak was trying to say without the picture. Furthermore, I wouldn't have comprehended that Mickey was literally being baked into the cake. Lastly, I liked the format of the sentences in the story. I liked how some of the sentences were extended over a series of pages because it made the story feel like it was occurring over a long period of time. In addition, there are some pages without words. I liked these pages as well because it allowed the reader to interpret those pages however he or she wants.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed reading this story. I enjoyed this story because of the author’s writing style. I like that the author uses rhythm in the story. For instance, when the bakers are baking, the reader can realizes that they are singing because there is rhythm in their words. The illustrations are the second reason why I enjoyed the story. They really emphasized the plot of the story. The illustrations capture the words of the story. I also liked the illustrations because they have a similar format of a comic strip. The third reason I enjoyed this story is because of the plot. I really like how this story is a creative explanation of why people are able to have cake every morning. Therefore, I think the central message of the story is to be creative, and have fun!
    • 2/5
      Will the bakers bake little Mickey in the cake? He lets them know he's there and even goes to the Milky Way to get ingredients. A very odd little story.
    • 3/5
      I had mixed feelings about this book. The plot was interesting, for the goal was for Mickey to help the baker's make their cake. The feelings of fantasy are strong. Especially, when Mickey does unrealistic things such as jump into a huge bottle of milk. The character of Mickey can be desirable to children because he has an active imagination and gets to experience an adventure. However, the big idea did not seem clear except for maybe children should enjoy their imaginations or adventures.
    • 5/5
      This book is a fun trip through the mind of a child who desires (like all kids) cake in the mornings. The illustrations by Mr. Sendak are stupendous. There are even variations on old lullabies woven into the text which makes it a treat for young and old.My only complaint about the book is the controversy surrounding the "nudity." It is completely overblown and ridiculous.I have to admit a soft spot in my heart for this book as Mickey and his desire for cake reminds me of my nearly 2 year old son. This really is a great read. Perhaps my new favorite in the Sendak library.
    • 1/5
      To be honest, I did not like this book for a few reasons. I like the concept of a boy dreaming and the dream being told, but I don't like the way it was told. The little boy falls out of his bed and into cake batter. The story continues onto him making an airplane to get milk to the bakers. I feel like it is inappropriate for young students to read. The illustrations were a little too revealing. In not one, or two, but quite a few pictures, Mickey was naked. I feel like because of this students would not focus on the story, but rather the pictures of the naked boy. The writing was confusing even for me to keep up with. While Mickey was saying something, then the chefs started chanting some things. This was confusing to me as a reader. Mickey is a believable character because it is just about a boy showing his dreams. I do not really understand the big idea to this story except explaining a dream that the boy had. The message might have been about thoughts that children his age have and dream about. Again, I did not like this story.
    • 2/5
      The main idea of this story is about a boy named Mickey who heard things in the night, and him falling into a kitchen, to show why we have cake in the morning. I have mixed feelings about this book because I did not like the idea of the story. I thought it was unrealistic, because how could a boy be baked into a cake, and that be the reason we have cake in the morning? However, I did like how the book was well written. The language was descriptive using words such as “scrape, pounded, punched and pulled”. When the book said the men were chanting these words, I could actually hear it and picture it in my head. I also enjoyed how detailed the illustrations were, showing Mickey in the dough and in the kitchen and all of the bakers.
    • 1/5
      I did not like the book, “In the Night Kitchen.” The main idea of this book is to share the sensations young children feel. I found this book extremely confusing and inappropriate as well. I do not hate the book, but I do not like this book. The entire book does not seem to flow well, and does not have a character development. This book that is aimed for K-2 reader, does not at all make it easy for children to grasp at what the book is trying to share. In some illustrations, the main character becomes naked. The illustration also clearly shows the private area of the main character. One thing that I did appreciate about the book is how clear the text is. The text is always shown on a white background, is written quite largely, and the writing is simple and direct. For example, “I'M NOT THE MILK AND THE MILK'S NOT ME! I'M MICKEY!” However, what I also found confusing of the book is how all of the text is written in capital letters. This could confuse young readers who are trying to learn the basic rules of grammar. In conclusion, I would personally never want to read this book for my future students.
    • 3/5
      In the night kitchen by Maurice Sendak is a book about a young boy named Mickey, who goes on an adventure into a world called “Night Kitchen”. He falls naked into the morning cake mix and almost gets bake into it; he then helps the chef’s to bake the cake. I didn’t really enjoy this book. I didn’t enjoy this book for two main reasons, the story line and the illustrations. Based off of previous Maurice Sendak’s books I read I thought I would really enjoy this book and was expecting beautiful illustrations. Unforutnaely this book did not deliver this. The pictures are very plain and unattractive. They offer little to no interest or help to the book. The book is illustrated as if it was a comic book and this was something I did not enjoy. I felt that it took away from the book and made the book very unrealistic, making me not believe that this boy’s adventure was real and not something he made up. I feel that the illustrations didn’t convey the purpose of the book, which was to make you experience this adventure into a whole other world. These illustrations were just too unrealistic to convey this. The final thing I didn’t like about this book was the story line. In general I felt the story line was confusing and I really wasn’t sure what was going on. An example of this is seen when Mickey is baked into the dough then all the sudden he is flying through the kitchen in an airplane made of dough and the chef’s are yelling milk, milk! This confused me and I wasn’t sure how we got to where we were or why the chef’s were shouting, “milk”. This in my opinion took away from the book and made the book not enjoyable and quite confusing. All in all I thought that it was a book that followed the same typical style of Sendak’s books but was not illustrated well and the story line kind of got confusing.
    • 4/5
      Summary:This story is a fantasy that encourages children to use their imagination by reading about a boy who is asleep at night and gets up because he hears a noise. He ends up in the kitchen where the bakers are baking and he lands in the batter where they think he is milk. Personal Reaction:I liked this book because it is so far-fetched that it encourages the use of the imagination, however, some of the content seemed inappropriate....such as baking a boy.Classroom Extension Ideas:1. Because this story involves a cake, the class could bake a cake with the help of the teacher. When the cake is ready, the children could add toppings to the frosting.2. The children bring their favorite bedtime story to show and tell.
    • 3/5
      I honestly don't know what to think about this one...
    • 4/5
      I remember reading this story ALL THE TIME as a kid, and it was definitely interesting reading it again now! This is a modern fantasy picture book for readers from kindergarten- 1st grade. What I do remember loving about the story was the illustrations in this story, I loved the imaginative and dream like theme throughout the illustrations. The illustrations definitely coincide with the plot, the events themselves being random and silly. Overall this is just a nonsense and humorous story for students to have fun with, there is no central message really, and it’s just about a boy having a baking adventure in his dream. I would however, be a little cautious to add this book in my classroom’s library because the boy does happen to be naked throughout the entire story, which I’m sure some parents would not be very thrilled about.
    • 2/5
       I really did not enjoy this book- both text and illustrations, so I was shocked it won a Caldecott Metal. Although I realize this story is about a young boy who drifts into dream world, where he is put into a cake batter and cooked, there is really no sense of plot or purpose of this story. It did not keep my interest in the slightest bit. Teachers should also consider the fact that in certain illustrations the boy is naked, so it may not be appropriate for a classroom book shelf. There is no message to this story, for it was extremely random and bland.
    • 3/5
      Mickey travels to the night kitchen in his dreams and finds himself mixed into cake batter when the bakers confuse him with milk so he seeks to set the bakers straight and goes looking for the proper ingredient. As usual, Sendak's illustrations are stunningly detailed and inviting, creating a whimsical, imaginative backdrop for Mickey's midnight adventures. While In the Night Kitchen has been challenged for its depiction of Mickey's genitalia, I didn't find the illustrations offensive - indeed, I don't think Mickey's adventures would have made as much sense if he hadn't been nude since he spends a lot of time covered in cake batter and later immersed in a giant jug of milk. Had he been wearing clothing, the illustrations would not have flowed as smoothly and Mickey would be lacking the freedom that makes his actions in the night kitchen possible. The story is fun and silly, reminescent of the kind of fantasy a young child might invent as he drifts off to sleep.
    • 5/5
      Controversial for it's inclusion of child nudity. Contains allusions to the Holocaust. Illustrations are similar to a comic book.
    • 3/5
      Maurice Sendak's story about a young boy outsmarting a few creepy bakers that are trying to bake him inside a cake. The illustrations are incredible as to be expected from Sendak and the story is a bit weird and slightly off-beat which is also classic Sendak. It is a story of how children are smart, resilient, and more than capable of taking care of themselves.
    • 3/5
      Considering that Chicken Soup with Rice was one of my favorite books as a child, I think it's only fair to try read all of Sendak's books - so away we go. The fact that people get all upset over this book because the little boy main character spends some of his time being naked is so over-reactive. It's so not a big deal. Let's all get over ourselves.
    • 3/5
      Mickey heard a racket downstairs and demanded quiet whereupon he fell through the dark and lost his clothes.In a dream like trace, Mickey is transported into the light of the night kitchen were he meets three bakers. The bakers drawn by Sendak very much resemble Laurel and Hardy, with Nazi like mustaches.Mixing Mickey in the batter, with little concern that he will be harmed, they attempt to bake him in the oven. Mickey escapes in a pile of dough shaped like a plane, stealing the measuring cup, he finds a large bottle of milk and measures enough for the three bakers to make their morning cake, without him inside! Mickey slides down the side of the giant milk bottle and is transported back into his bed.This was, and continues to be a controversial book. Many object to the fact that Mickey is fully nude with exposed genitals. The large question is: Is child nudity "morally acceptable?" Interestingly, this book is on the American Library Association list of books banned. It holds the place of 25th of the 100 most frequently challenged books.Oh, gesh, I say to all those uptight librarians, dust off your pearls!
    • 2/5
      I typically LOVE Maurice Sendak books, and Where the Wild Things Are is one of my all-time favorites. While the illustrations in this one were pretty neat, the story was just so-so to me. I expect Sendak books to charm the socks off of me, but it just didn't happen this time. Oh well.
    • 5/5
      Surreal dreamtime book by the creator of Where the Wild Things Are. At bedtime, Mickey falls into the Night Kitchen where the bakers (who look a lot like Oliver Hardy, IMO) are baking the morning cake. This may sound scary, but it's not; Mickey escapes the bakers in a plane made of dough, swipes their measuring cup and flies to the Milky Way to gather some milk. Full of fun fantasy, this story will make little sense to adult minds, but I bet your children will love it! Challenged/banned for: depicting nudity and offensive language (I guess they mean the naked boy crowing "Cock-a-doodle-doo" at the end?! I can't find any offensive language in the book!).