What I Researched and Why I have been interested in our classroom discussion on Where the Wild Things Are as an exploration of the child's imagination. I work in the children's department of Barnes & Noble, and I found myself looking at some other picture books, thinking about what I could address for this blog posting. I came across another book by Maurice Sendak that is not quite as well known, but in my opinion, is an even deeper look into the minds of children. I thought it would be instructive to look at another one of Sendak's books as a means of comparison.
What I Found: Because I can't post a picture book here, this is the movie adaptation of In the Night Kitchen that is a very close representation of the book. You can also see in the "Related Links" a movie representation of Where the Wild Things Are that is fun to watch too. Watch In the Night Kitchen.
My Interpretation: This book reminds me of the disconnectedness of a dream a child might have at night. It's just a little bit beyond making any sense, which is how dreams often are. The "dream sequence" involves things that you see around the Mickey's room, like the hanging airplane. It has the same sense of scariness that you find in Where the Wild Things Are - I personally think it would be pretty scary to get mixed in a batter and put in a hot oven, Hansel and Gretel style. Although you all don't have the benefit of seeing this, the actual book version of this story has some of the same stylistic elements as Where the Wild Things Are, such as different-sized margins and whole pages without any text, to indicate a complete entrance into the imagination. I also would like to point out some of the background details in the movie - the city skyline you see in the background is composed of everyday objects - a corkscrew, jars, bottles, etc. I really get the sense that we have entered Mickey's imagination.
What it Adds to Our Discussion: I think comparing two of Maurice Sendak's books confirms what his goal is: to lead the reader into the world of the imagination. Both books deal with fantastic adventures that couldn't happen in real life, and both boys leave the real world and enter the world of the imagination when they are dealing with some sort of disturbance in the real world (with Max, the loss of his supper, and with Mickey, a non-descript "rumpus"). I think we can say with more confidence that Sendak writes these picture books to send us into the imaginary realm.
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I loved both of these animated versions for "In the Night Kitchen" and "Where the Wild Things Are." I especially liked the way they used music to emphasize the difference between the imaginary space and the real space. In both stories, the real spaces, especially at the end, are accompanied by very calm and traditional sounding pieces of music. In "In the Night Kitchen" it sounds like a descending kind of lullaby, and "Where the Wild Things Are" has a very even classical piece. But in the imaginary spaces the musical accompaniment is full of seemingly uncontrollable horns, drums, crashing symbols, etc. When it all comes back to the real space at the end, and the smooth, quieter music begins to play it is almost a nice relief from the noise, but at the same time it isn't nearly as exciting, which I think mirrors what the illustrations do in the books. Sure Max's room has hot food in it, and Mickey's bed seems cozy, and there is a sense of rightness to the child being safe in his room, but there is also a definite sense of something missing, some exciting thing that is conspicuously and sadly absent in the real space. I think that the contrast in music makes this absence explicit.
When i watched "In the Night Kitchen," I noticed several similarities between the animated version and the book we are reading in class (I'd like to see the book itself in this version to make better references). But both feature periods of dancing and play under the moonlight, the wild things clawing at the sky and the bakers dancing after receiving their milk. The bakers and wild things were celebrating the arrivals of Max and Mickey, the heroes. It's very interesting how important the moon is as a metaphor for Sendak to represent childhood imagination and wildness. I also notice that both Max and Mickey to show themselves different than a normal boy and show themselves as wild, wear or don't wear different clothes. Max shows the animalistic side of a child, while Mickey is happy, swimming through milk, completely in the nude. He is in the pure, innocent human form, but nudity is often see as a sign of wild behavior. I'm sure those who follow the psychological approach to literature and Bettleheim in particular would have a field day with this story and imagery.
Oh man, I am so excited you posted this, Katie. I remember reading this book, as well as Where the Wild Things Are, when I was younger. I really enjoyed both of them, but had never realized they were by the same author. Very cool.
While watching this video, I remembered how much the food portrayed in the story appealed to me as a child. I really wanted to eat the food, and almost felt like it was real. I remember many illustrations seeming much more vivid and real when I was younger. I'm wondering if illustrators of children's books do any research to see what type of illustrations might appeal to children and their senses /imaginations as compared to adults...
There is something simultaneously soothing and unsettling about "In the Night Kitchen." I'm really glad that you put the YouTube link up, because I immediately recalled the hypnotic allure of being read to...something most undergrads haven't experienced in a while.
What especially resonated with me in the two stories was the solitude of both characters. Children aren't accustomed to autonomy and independence from their parents; I think that witnessing Max and Mickey explore these unnerving dreamscapes alone while indulging in whims society would frown upon (i.e. acting like a monster or nakedly assisting in late-night baking) is both freeing and frightening for audiences, no matter the age.
This book is similar to "Where the Wild Things Are" because both characters are boys who go on solitary adventures during the book. "Where the Wild Things Are" seems like Max is using his imagination while "In the Night Kitchen" seems like Mickey is dreaming. I think both of these books provide the child with entertainment and let children know that by using their imagination, they can do anything.
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