 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
In the Night Kitchen
- By Maurice Sendak
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Sendak's timeless nursery rhyme is a joyride.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this story raised a minor furor when it was published 30 years ago because it showed a little boy's penis (hardly graphic, just a loop of a line) -- which served only to draw attention to this marvelous picture book. Sendak's artwork is boldly expressive and adds to the story's momentum. The unpredictability of the language will challenge older kids.
What's the story?
Maurice Sendak takes children for a joyride in this timeless nursery rhyme featuring Mickey, who tumbles from bed into the baker's night kitchen. Mickey's exploration of the strange night world is so vividly drawn readers almost live the dream, before returning safely to bed.
Is it any good?
Like a memorable nursery rhyme, Sendak's story can be a quick and easy experience, but probably even young readers will be drawn to ponder its suggestiveness. Mickey's experience comes full circle -- bed to kitchen to bed -- which gives the verse a sense of completion, though the text has some curious turnings: "Then Mickey in dough was just on his way."
Some of the book's artwork is set in multiple panels to a page, a handsome screen of images that feels like a dance sequence, following Mickey's actions as set against a panorama of the city at night, a city of saltcellar, milk carton, and egg-beater architecture.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Mickey's nighttime journey. What lures him into the kitchen in the first place? What makes him want to keep exploring the strange nighttime landscape?
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AGE
I remember reading it when I was a child
When I was a child this was on my list of most favorite titles.
I can see how some people such as those who have never traveled out of the US would see this as containing inapropriate material.
So Mikey is naked in this book...Big Deal!!! It is the way we were created.
This book is clean and aprpriate for children of all ages.
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AGE
One of my favorite children's books!
This is one of my all time favorite children's books - I love the words, the illustrations, everything about it! My girls (5/8/10) have all enjoyed it since they were teeny! You can't go wrong with Sendak!
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AGE
Ummmmmmm...
Kinda Iffy when it showed Mickey naked. Honestly...
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Kid, 12 years old
October 21, 2009
AGE
........
it was kinda weird seeing mickey nude
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| Author: | Maurice Sendak |
| Illustrator: | Maurice Sendak |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Children's Books |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1970 |
| Number of pages: | 32 |
| Paperback price: | $6.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 2 - 4 |
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