In the Night Kitchen (1970) by Maurice Sendak is a surreal and dreamlike picture book that follows Mickey, a young boy who falls out of bed into the fantastical Night Kitchen—a whimsical world where bakers (resembling Oliver Hardy lookalikes) mix batter for the morning cake. Mickey, stripped naked (a detail that sparked some controversy), joyfully plunges into the dough, fashions an airplane out of it, and helps the bakers complete their work before dawn, chanting “Milk in the batter! Milk in the batter! We bake cake! And nothing’s the matter!”
Sendak’s illustrations, inspired by 1930s Art Deco and early comic strips, are vibrant with warm, creamy colors and bold outlines, evoking the hazy logic of a child’s dream. The book’s playful, rhythmic text and visual storytelling—featuring floating food, towering milk bottles, and urban landscapes—celebrate imagination, autonomy, and the subconscious.
A Caldecott Honor winner, In the Night Kitchen is a cornerstone of Sendak’s work, often paired with Where the Wild Things Are for its exploration of childhood agency and fantasy.
