She asked for it to be read again and again, but would interrupt to tell me what was happening next like “Mikey’s going to dive into the bottle of milk”.This is the perfect gift for young children. I love this book and so do the children. It is ridiculously on the list of banned books which is nuts because Mickey’s adventures in the night kitchen are innocent and fun. If you love the giggling of your children this one is for you.I've been gifting this book over the decades to many children of all ages. The concept, illustration and layout are truly inspired. I love it so much, I even bought a poster of the three chefs watching the dough plane over the kitchen ingredient's skyline! Easy to share with little ones. Spurs their creativity and imaginations!I bought this book because my former students loved the book. I thought it was because of the novelty of the naked boy illustrations. So, I thought my baby would like it some time down the line. I started reading it to him when he was a few months old because I like the off beat rhymes. Now my son is almost 10 months old and LOVES this book, particularly when I read it. I lay out several books every night and he always chooses this one, often times twice in a row. He tolerates most other books and will pay attention off and on, but he will listen with rapt attention to the whole book every time I read it. I've considered taking it out of rotation because even though I enjoy it, you can only take so much of a good thing! But I'm so happy he loves it!As for the cake controversy, it's clear that this is a narrative of a child's dream and cake isn't literal. The cake is a metaphor for the sun. The bakers bake in the night kitchen all night so the cake(sun) can rise every morning, with the crowing of the little boy. Thanks to Mickey sleeping and dreaming the sun rises each morning. That's how I plan to explain it anyway. As for the nakedness, there is nothing lewd about a cartoon boy and his vague nakedness. It's natural and innocent. If you think nudity is something shameful then don't buy or read the book!I loved "Where the Wild Things Are" as a kid, but had never read this Maurice Sendak book before, until I got a copy to read to my own son. The illustrations are vivid and fantastical. The story is simple, short, and told in a tone that's...sort of...how do I describe this? Lyrical and jazzy? I absolutely ADORE this delightful book, and love reading it to my baby before I put him to bed! I know people who are scandalized by the fact that the little boy in the book is drawn naked in many of the pictures, but it's a sweetly innocent story and in no way inappropriate for children.Little Mickey goes to bed and dreams of an adventure in the night kitchen. He almost gets baked into a cake (whoops!), makes an airplane out of dough, and saves the day by diving into a milk bottle to retrieve the missing ingredient for the bakers. Yes, its a strange story, because, you know - it's a *dream*, people. It's so evocative because it's so surreal, it is one of the most perfect renderings of the dream-state ever created. The illustrations are unbelievably gorgeous.Yes, the little boy is naked at times, and yes, you see his penis. If you think that's a big deal, nothing I'm going to say is going to convince you otherwise. But I am going to say that the nudity is not incidental. One of the primary delights of this book (and of dreaming for that matter) is it's sensory aspects - the great visuals of the city made of pantry items, the wonderful smells of baking, and of course, the feeling of food. If you have a kid you know that they love to play with food. Imagine how awesome it would be to roll around naked in cake batter, wear a cake suit, and go swimming in a big bottle of milk!I love this book, and have loved it for 30-some years. My little girl loves it too, and I hope she will read it to her kids as well!BTW, if you are a fan of the book, don't miss Stephen Colbert's discussion with Sendak on the Report [...]I've purchased this book many time, and think maybe I've also written many reviews for it...Oh, well, here goes another one! LOL! When my children were young, over thirty years ago, this was their favorite book. My kids made me read it so many times that they actually knew it by heart! Whenever I am invited to a baby shower where they ask guests to bring a book for the baby instead of a greeting card, this is the book I bring. I recently did some research on this book and was surprised to find out that it was actually ban in some places because the little boy in the book is naked in some of the pictures, and heaven forbid, has a penis. I laughed so hard; I was shocked that an adorable drawing of a little naked boy would offend anyone. The words God Bless are also used a couple of times: "God Bless Milk, and God Bless me." And I totally approve and have no problem with that either. The story is about a little guy that can't fall asleep and ends up having a dream where he floats up to the Night Kitchen. It's a fun and creative story that your child will love.In the Night Kitchen is an extraordinary work of imaginative genius. A deep, poignant meditation on life, death, and the concept of belonging.The book poses the question "where do children go at night, in their dreams, once their parents have gone to bed?" The answer is at once beautiful, amusing, and contemplative -- a tender study of the hopes, anxieties, joys, and fears of early youth.Where the Wild Things Are is, of course, Sendak's more renowned book. I would argue that its celebrity only obscures this, the finer work. I encourage all people -- whether parents or otherwise -- to closely read and study In The Night Kitchen.Less well known than Where the Wild Things Are but almost as good. Wonderful illustrations and dreamlike story. I read somewhere that it has been banned from various American libraries due to the nudity of Mickey in some of the pictures. Which just goes to show how bonkers and puritanical Americans can be. My daughter loves it, but I think I love it more.Up to the same standard as “where the wild things are” which my grandsons love. Interesting fact: in some states in America all the copies in librararies and schools were Bowderelised with felt pens to conceal the kids genitals. How daft is that?I bought this book as I vividly remember the story and artwork from when I was a child at school. As soon as I opened the pages, the memories came flooding back! This story is a dreamlike adventure with a quirky tale and great illustration. I now read this story to my little boy and I hope he will have fond memories of it into adulthood. I can close my eyes and see the classroom with the reading corner with full bookshelves and beanbags to sit on, sitting beside the cast iron old school radiator on the wall looking out of the window at the cold autumnal scene outside. i remember giggling at some of the scenes on the pages and you will have to get the book to understand what i mean :-)I remember loving this book as a kid, but when I bought it for my own child and read it I realised it's just really weird. Between the fat Hitler characters who want to eat the little boy, and all the little boy nudity (hey at least it teaches anatomy!) it's just a bit strange.I have bought many copies of this book over the years.My children loved it and now my grandchildren ejoy it. It is my number 1 gift to any new baby who will eventually love to recite it. It has a great story(dream) and beautiful illustations.